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The Star spoke to ace pitcher Taylor McQuillin about what this weekend means for the three seniors 鈥� Aleah Craighton, Ashleigh Hughes and Robyn Porter 鈥� and to talk about a recent discovery the junior made in her family tree. (You鈥檒l be as surprised as we were.)

Here鈥檚 what McQuillin, who is 22-9 with a 1.74 ERA in her junior season, had to say:

This is the last regular season home series. Will there be any celebration for the three seniors?

A: 鈥淯sually every year after the last game of the weekend, the senior parents plan a get-together. We do catering, food, dessert and celebrate the seniors at their last game in Hillenbrand for the regular season. That鈥檚 something we鈥檝e been doing the past couple of years. We鈥檙e keeping up the trend. I know that Robyn鈥檚 mom has set up a lot of stuff and Aleah鈥檚 parents and Ashleigh鈥檚 parents have done a great job of communicating with her and helping. We鈥檒l obviously get them senior gifts to celebrate them.鈥�

What are your emotions going into the GCU series and having to say goodbye to some of your teammates?

A: 鈥淚 think every weekend has been important, but obviously senior weekend you want to go out in style for them and make it a big weekend and support them and play for them. As a team, as a whole, this is the last weekend that we鈥檙e playing the regular season at Hillenbrand. So, it鈥檚 going to be a special weekend for all of us regardless, but it shows how quickly one season flies. You only have a certain amount of time here and you鈥檝e got to use it to your advantage. Kind of take it and embrace every moment of it because four years go by very quick. Every year that you see the seniors graduate and move on and go out into the real world, it kind of puts it into perspective that you don鈥檛 have a lot of time left. That鈥檚 going to be me next year. It鈥檚 just something that you have to embrace. Being a part of senior weekend, making it a big moment for them, that鈥檚 about as exciting as it gets before we head off to the postseason.鈥�

We heard through the grapevine that you鈥檙e related to Selena, the late Tejano music star. Is that true?

A: 鈥淵es. I didn鈥檛 really know that until somebody had asked my mom and she said yes. I thought she was kidding. I was like, 鈥楳om, you can鈥檛 lie about that kind of stuff.鈥� And she was like, 鈥楴o, I鈥檓 not lying. We are related to her.鈥� And I鈥檓 like, 鈥榃hat the heck?鈥� I鈥檓 21 years old and I just found out a couple months ago. It was kind of a shock for me, too. But yes, it is true.鈥�

How exactly are you related?

A: 鈥淢y mom鈥檚 grandpa, Grandpa Arturo, is related to Abraham, (who) is Selena鈥檚 dad. They grew up together in (Texas). So, that鈥檚 how we鈥檙e related. It鈥檚 kind of a chain of relations, but my mom鈥檚 grandpa is related to him.鈥�

You were born after Selena鈥檚 death, but did you grow up listening to her music or knowing who she was?

A: 鈥淵es, I did. I think the older I got the more I would listen to it. But when we were younger, and my grandpa was still around, he would listen to her all the time and would play it in the car. But I was too young to know who she was. He passed away when I was 5, so I was too young to know who she was. But I did listen to her music and my mom would talk about it all the time. When I got older, that鈥檚 when I started hearing the stories and took the time. I actually did a project on her my freshman year in college about her in my Spanish class. That was when I really looked in deep and kind of found out the history of who she was and how she had an impact on the world.鈥�

You did that before knowing you were related. Does it make you more proud now, knowing that you鈥檙e connected to her in some way?

A: 鈥淵eah, absolutely. I think that, even not knowing that I was related to her in any way, for me, it was cool for me. I thought that she left an imprint on the world today and made a huge impact with her life. And what she left for the world to see. Now, knowing I鈥檓 related to her in some way, shape or form, I think it鈥檚 pretty cool to be able to say that I鈥檓 related to people who have done extraordinary things in this world, regardless of how fast or short their time was.鈥�

You get your own walk-up song whenever you go out to the circle. Is there any chance of maybe next year using a Selena song?

A: 鈥淎bsolutely. I鈥檝e actually thought about it before, but year to year it changes a little bit. I think it鈥檚 just the mood I鈥檓 in when I choose the song. But I definitely think Selena will definitely make an appearance. Maybe even sometime this weekend or sometime next season. We鈥檒l see how it goes.鈥�

What is your favorite Selena song?

A: 鈥淥h, my goodness. I, honestly, could not tell you. There are quite a few. It鈥檚 hard for me to pick songs because I honestly do not know. Yeah, that鈥檚 a good one. I wouldn鈥檛 be able to tell you my favorite song.鈥�