Freshman’s 11-game hitting streak earns national honor
The softball program is well on their way to success this season with a 29-12 record and a fifth-place standing in the Lone Star Conference. One of the reasons for the team’s success has been the recent efforts of designated hitter Katelyn Vinson.
The freshman slugger recently ended an 11-game hitting streak that lasted from March 23 to April 6.
During that streak, Vinson hit nine of her 13 season homeruns off of a .720 batting average with 18 runs and 19 RBIs.
“That’s the best streak we’ve had from any player,” head softball coach Brady Tigert said. “It was phenomenal to see her hit in that many games and that many homeruns. I think we’ve had some players do longer hitting streak, but nothing as powerful as that.”
This streak helped Vinson earn the National Fast-pitch Coaches’ Association National Hitter of the Week on April 3.
“I was actually pretty blown away,” Vinson said. “I had never been recognized on that big of a standard. My family was excited about it, and just seeing how all of this work has been coming together makes me really excited for the years to come.”
Vinson became the second freshman in school history to hit 10 or more homeruns in a season, and she’s currently ranked second for homeruns in a season, two behind Mallory Mooney’s (2011), and junior catcher Kim Jerrick’s current season total of 15.
“You would think that someone would start getting cocky, but I would not let myself do that,” Vinson said. “As soon as I started thinking about (the streak), I would try not to and just see the ball, focus in on my zone and have fun.”
Early playing career
Vinson said she began playing softball 11 years ago in a t-ball league because of her friends, but it was her high school playing days that really got her into the sport.
Although she started in Florida, Vinson moved to Southlake to finish out her high school career at Carroll High School where she was the third baseman for the softball team.
Vinson said that although her team never made it past the first round of district playoffs, she learned a lot of her skills there that she uses today.
“I think it really helped me be the player I am today,” Vinson said. “I think a lot of it has to do with how competitive it was (in our district). My senior year, I was the offensive player of the year for our district.”
Sudden changes
After high school, Vinson was set to play softball at a college in St. Louis before a sudden program changed altered her plans.
“My coach in St. Louis quit three weeks before I was supposed to move into that school,” Vinson said. “He quit and they had no backup plan and they disbanded softball afterwards. I had about two weeks to find out where I was going to college.”
Vinson said her summer traveling team coach got in contact with Tigert. Vinson described her first meeting with Coach Tigert as a “meant to be” situation.
“I honestly didn’t know a thing about her,” Tigert said. “We had looked at some of the kids on her [high school] team before, but we never noticed her.”
Tigert said that after driving back from a softball tournament in Oklahoma City, he received a call from Vinson’s summer coach explaining her situation in St. Louis. Tigert said Vinson’s coach described her as a great player, but what she really needed was somewhere to go with a nursing program. Once he knew the situation, Tigert immediately took Vinson in.
“It was pure God-given luck to get a player like her,” Tigert said. “And not just a great player, but a great kid as well.”
Quick impact
Despite bringing Vinson in so suddenly, Tigert still wasn’t sure what to expect from his new player.
“I went and watched (Vinson) play at a junior college a couple of days after,” Tigert said. “As a coach, you look at and evaluate players by what you want to fix or how you want them in your system, so I didn’t see [her impact] coming whatsoever.”
It didn’t take long before Vinson began to make her presence known on the team as the designated hitter. She is currently hitting .500 at the plate with 52 hits, 39 runs, 36 RBIs and 13 homeruns.
“It’s definitely a mental game,” Vinson said. “I try to stay positive and not get overwhelmed by little mistakes. I’m a part of this team and I’m not the only hitter on the team. If I didn’t get a hit or broke my streak, it wasn’t that big of a deal to me. It never felt like it was something I had to do.”
Tigert said the thing he loves most about Vinson’s game is her strength, stating that even when she gets jammed on a pitch, she can still drive the ball hard.
“She sees the ball so well,” Tigert said. “Mechanically we changed some things, and then she just got in a rhythm. Luckily, it was so hard to get her out of that rhythm.”
Preparing for the future
Despite Vinson’s streak breaking against Texas Woman’s University on April 6, the softball team is still in good position to make a playoff run, with their current record already improving on 2012’s 26-25 record.
“We’re sitting well in the region right now,” Tigert said. “We have 16 regular season games left, and Coach Kasi Carroll and I were talking about how we could easily win 40 games this year.”
Tigert said the biggest obstacle to the team’s success this season has been staying healthy, with second baseman Carey Campbell and outfielders Elena Bennett and Megan Chartier being out due to injuries.
Tigert said despite the losses, the overall talent of the team has helped propel them to the success they’ve maintained. He also noted that during tough times, team chemistry usually improves due to the players rallying together.
“We’re kind of having fun with it and laughing about it,” Tigert said. “You don’t have time to worry about it, though. You just learn to deal with it and move on.”
Vinson said she believes despite the setbacks the team has faced, she believes it has caused the players to bond even more.
“There are some things that we still need to tweak, but I get closer and closer to these girls every day and I think that’s a key factor to success.”
As for Vinson’s collegiate career, Tigert said he believes she’s capable of even greater things than her recent streak.
“I haven’t really thought about where she sits on the list of hitters here,” he said. “Right now we’re just taking it day-by-day. I’m sure this summer I’ll think about it, especially about where I’m going to need her in the lineup, but I think she could end up being one of the best hitters I’ve ever had here.”