Lauren Allred returns to her home state to continue playing the game she loves.

Allred, a graduate of Texas High, began her college softball career in Louisiana with the Ragin' Cajuns. After missing much of the 2024 season due to injury, she decided to move on and find a new place to call home.

Now she's headed to Lubbock, Texas, where she'll wear the red and black national colors for Texas Tech University, a program looking for its first Big 12 victory since 2012.

The Red Raiders have received big signings and great talent coming out of the portal. The school recently hired Allred's coach Gerry Glasco in Louisiana to lead the program before bringing in former Texas High standout and Sun Belt Player of the Year Mihyia Davis from Lafayette. Glasco is one of the most successful active coaches in the country with a .773 winning percentage (300-88) and is responsible for leading the Ragin' Cajuns into a top-25 team.

And when he came to West Texas, he knew he needed help to continue that trend by signing Allred.

The Texarkana, Texas, native had a great start to her career in Louisiana. Allred posted a .354 batting average with 35 hits – six doubles and six home runs – 31 RBIs and scored 21 runs in 36 games played over two seasons, including the shortened 2024 season in which she played in only seven games.

Allred quickly made a name for herself during her 2023 freshman season. Despite playing 11 fewer games than the team overall that year, she entered the postseason as the program's best player with 44 RBIs.

She finished the season with a team-leading 47 RBIs, earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt First Team, NFCA All-Central Region Second Team and was ranked in the top 70 hardest hitters to strike out with just eight strikeouts in 163 at-bats. She really came into her own during a 30-day stretch from March 3 to April 2, managing 23 RBIs in just 46 batting appearances.

Her talent was already evident in high school, where she was named District 15-5A MVP twice in 2019 and 2020.

Lauren is the daughter of Matt and Patricia Allred and has two brothers, Connor and Brendan.