The RoundHouse | 5/13/2021 5:16:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
She took strikeouts with her to shortstop and the bad at-bats disrupted her glove and that was the one thing
Kaylee Huecker couldn't let happen.
She was in the lineup for her defense and usually performed superbly. That day, however, at Oklahoma State in 2020, she committed two errors.
That was Wichita State's final game of the COVID-19-shortened season and the start of
Kaylee Huecker's determination to become a complete softball player. Coach
Kristi Bredbenner pulled her aside during the game to calm her and refocus on defense.
"She thought I was carrying my bad hitting onto the field with me, and it just sparked in my head that I don't know want to be known as someone who can just play defense," Huecker said. "I want to be in the lineup and be someone who's a tough out and battles at the plate."
Along the way, Huecker also became a more complete student and teammate. Those changes make Bredbenner proud, even more than she is of Huecker's ability to dive to rob a hit or turn a double play.
"She had on opportunity to redefine herself here, in my opinion, and she's done an unbelievable job," Bredbenner said. "She has grown into a really strong female adult and it's pretty awesome to see."
On Wednesday, Huecker, a senior second baseman, earned American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Shockers (37-11-1) are the top seed in the conference tournament and begin play at 6 p.m. Friday in Tulsa. They are No. 24 in the national coaches poll.
"She is amazing out there," third baseman
Ryleigh Buck said. "Great range. Amazing arm. She makes the job look really easy."
During a pandemic season that results in a conference title, everybody on the roster endured and triumphed.
Huecker's journey includes six years of pain, work, lessons and success.
"This season is really the cherry on top, considering everything I've been through, as far as injuries and COVID," she said. "It's just really fun to watch and see everyone's hard work finally pay off."
Huecker came to Wichita State in August 2015 and suffered through a two-season delay before getting regular playing time. A back injury cost her most of the 2016 season and the pain lingered, confounding doctors.
Late that year, she considered signing the form on Bredbenner's desk that would finish her as a softball player by declaring the injury career-ending. Two days later, a doctor diagnosed her injury as a herniated disc, one difficult to detect, that blocked a nerve root. That limited the mobility in her left leg and caused her lower back to stiffen.
Surgery kept her out in 2017. She returned in 2018 for her redshirt freshman year and started 46 games at second base. She recorded three at-bats and the Shockers used their pitchers to hit for her.
Huecker is hitting a career-high .262 this season with three doubles, five home runs and 20 runs batted in. In three previous seasons – 114 games - as a starter, she totaled eight doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs.
She made significant progress last fall, aided by work in the weight room that strengthened her legs and added power. She learned patience at the plate and expanded areas in which she could handle pitches and put them in play.
"This fall gave me a lot of extra time to work," she said. "I worked every day with the coaches and they gave me positive affirmation every single day. They did believe in me as a hitter and I think that made me work even harder."
Bredbenner watched Huecker get herself out by swinging at pitches outside the strike zone early in her career.
"We've gotten her to calm down a little bit and understand what her hot zones are," Bredbenner said. "She isn't the sucker for the rise ball that she used to be."
When Bredbenner recruited Huecker out of Holt (Mo.) High School, near St. Louis, she saw an infielder with elite hand-eye coordination and a strong arm. She came to Wichita State needing to improve her academics and time management. She didn't enjoy math, morning conditioning or the long days that NCAA Division I softball required.
"What kept me going was there a lot of people who doubted me when I was injured," she said. "I had it in me that I wanted to get it solved, get it fixed and prove everyone wrong."
The time recovering from the back injury allowed her to observe teammates who also struggled with demands at a winning college program. In Bredbenner's view, Huecker's work ethic blossomed during her months sidelined from playing the sport she loved.
"There were similar players, like me, who weren't mature," Huecker said. "I don't want to be someone who's considered immature. I want to be a voice on the field."
Bredbenner calls Huecker a special defensive player and is thrilled with her hitting progress. Even more, she enjoys talking about Huecker's change from a headache to a role model.
"She wasn't the most responsible person in the world," Bredbenner said. "It wouldn't be shocking if she was late for something or if she forgot something. It took her a little bit of time to understand we don't have time for those types of people here and she needs to be better."
Huecker did get better. She earned her degree in strategic communications and wants to work for in marketing for a college.
"Those types of kids – a lot of people don't want to take a chance on those kids," Bredbenner said. "It was worth a chance for us. We knew she could be special, that if we could get her here and eligible and ready to play, that she was going to be a great ballplayer."
Whether gobbling up ground balls, getting on base or earning a degree, Huecker made that chance pay off for the Shockers and for herself.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
