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VYPE 2021 Softball Preview: Public School #17 Huffman
Huffman, however, returns four starters. Shortstop Lindsey Gonzalez (St. Thomas) will be one of the top bats after hitting .315 last year. Kylen Padgett and Christin Haygood will be the forces in the circle. Padgett was 5-0 with a 0.636 ERA, while Haygood had 62 strikeouts with a 4-2 mark. Hagen Pike (.396) will also bring back her big bat to the lineup. Lainie Jensen (Ottawa University) is another name to remember. A key to success this year is to "continue to play as a family".
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Inside the Dugout: Huffman's Katy Janes
When Katy Janes was in the eighth grade, she watched as the 2015 Huffman softball team went to Austin and won the program's first-ever state championship.
Four years later, Janes was on that same field in the middle of a dogpile after a 12-0 victory over Anna to capture the Falcons' second state title in five years.
Janes was named the State Title Game MVP along with being named All-State and All-District Pitcher of the Year. The Houston Baptist University-commit posted a 27-5 record with a 1.36 ERA and struck out 331 batters in 2019.
VYPE caught up with Janes at the 2020 VYPE Baseball and Softball Photoshoot for a Q&A.
VYPE: You were in the eighth grade when Huffman won its first title. What do you remember about that?
Janes: I remember watching it. All of us were huddled around a computer screen watching. To know that little kids were watching us like that too, was a really cool feeling.
VYPE: The season didn't start well for you all. Does that make you all that much prouder of what you all did after that slow start?
Janes: We literally started district 0-2. To end up winning state, we had to learn how to handle adversity, how to lose and that helped us out in the playoffs a lot. That was part of the reason we were so successful.
VYPE: What do you remember the most about winning state?
Janes: Just the feeling of celebrating with my friends. We were all just so proud of each other. I was just so proud of that team. It was just a happy and cool feeling.
VYPE: Huffman is a smaller community. Did that make this more special when you all returned from Austin? '
Janes: There were so many people at the state games. Then we got a full-on police and fire truck escort back into town. Then a bunch of people were back at the school waiting on our bus with signs and noisemakers. That was cool.
VYPE: Now, it's 2020. The target is on you all as the defending 4A State Champions; does this year feel different than last?
Janes: It's a little different. The biggest thing is we can't go into [this season] like that. We're just going to have fun; play the game like we did last year and however it turns out is how it is.
VYPE: How special is this group coming back?
Janes: We're so close. It doesn't even have to involve softball for us to be hanging out. We've been close friends since middle school. We've just gotten closer since we've gotten older. I'm going to miss them a lot that's for sure. That's the worst part about this being my last year.
VYPE: How much has your mom and dad meant to you throughout this journey?
Janes: They've meant so much to me. I couldn't have done any of it without them. They've sacrificed so much. I'm so thankful that I got a scholarship, so now they don't have to worry about paying for college. It wouldn't have been possible if they wouldn't have driven me to practice and games and paid for lessons and everything else throughout the years.
VYPE: What's your favorite softball memory?
Janes: I guess whenever I walked out after we won state. I started finally realizing what was happening. My mom was crying. I got to give all my family hugs. They've always been there for me, so that was a cool feeling.