Hauxhurst Speaks Up for Herself, Westminster

Kelly Hauxhurst is nervous. She has never been interviewed before.

That’s what she gets for playing softball at Westminster, but that’s changing. The Lions are ranked ninth in Orange County and have one of the most engaging players never heard from.

Hauxhurst, a junior outfielder playing the infield, is part of the new Westminster, the one making noise after years of being--well, not much to talk about.

“It’s nice to win, and nice for our school to get some recognition,” Hauxhurst said. “In the past, everyone overlooked Westminster in every sport. But this year, our girls’ basketball team did really well.”

The basketball team was ranked in the top 10 and shared the league title, and the softball team hopes to continue a trend.

Though Westminster might typically get overlooked, Hauxhurst doesn’t. She is batting .545 and averaging more than a run a game. Despite her stature (5 feet 3 1/2 inches) and style (slap hitter), she can also hit with power. She has speed to burn. All she needs is a gap in the outfield (she has two homers) or a sliver in the infield (she has a .678 on-base average).

“She’s full circle at the plate; that’s what makes her dangerous,” Westminster Coach Conway deSha said. “She gets squeezed a lot [by first and third basemen] because she’s so fast, and she’s known for her slapping, but she can also turn on the ball and hit it.”

A single is as good as a double. Hauxhurst has stolen 29 bases.

“And that’s legit,” deSha said. “She’s not getting stolen bases on passed balls, like some people. She’d probably have 50 if you counted some that these other players have.”

No one has ever doubted Hauxhurst’s ability to advance a base.

She was a Times All-County first-team outfielder last year after batting .522 and stealing a county-high 35 bases during the regular season.

The Lions are 13-4 overall, 1-0 in league. They play a critical game Friday at Westminster’s Buckingham Park against Rosary, regarded before the season as the team most likely to win the league title. Rosary, ranked eighth in The Times’ preseason poll, is 14-7, 2-0. Hauxhurst, the pesky leadoff batter with 13 runs batted in, is the first batter they’ll face.

Hauxhurst is a true outfielder, but because of her athletic ability and Westminster’s need, she alternates between shortstop and second base. Her speed and quickness, the traits that make her so valuable on the base paths, also make her an outstanding defensive player.

“She’s aggressive, so some of those balls headed to the outfield, she’ll run out and dive and pick them off defensively,” deSha said. “She has very good range.”

That range helped her realize her calling. Hauxhurst, 16, remembers the summer of 1994 before her sophomore year, and a travel ball tournament in Colorado. Not only did she bat over .500, but, “I was making diving catches in the outfield I never thought I could make,” she said. “It was like, ‘Whoa, I can’t believe I did that.’ I don’t really think of myself as being a great, outstanding player; I just go out and play my game.”

Her game is so good she started in left field on the Batbusters’ 18-and-under club team the past two summers and won two ASA national championships--despite being only 15, then 16 years old.

It was part of the learning process; she realized softball can be kind to the talented.

“[The Colorado tournament] was the first weekend that coaches could make contact with high school juniors,” she said. “It didn’t affect me at the time and I didn’t think about it, but now when I think about it, I realize they saw me.”

Oklahoma, Washington, Florida State and Hawaii have shown the most interest. She is unsure of what she wants to study, but is intrigued by marine biology.

“When I was younger, I played for fun and I never really thought that I would turn out to be the player I am right now,” Hauxhurst said. “In the process, I found out I could be better, so I kept pushing myself. And I was hoping to go to college on a scholarship.

“Two years ago, when there were older girls on my team getting scholarships, I thought, ‘Hey, I could get a scholarship, too, if I work at it.’ ”

That work ethic is Hauxhurst’s trademark.

“She’s always giving 100%,” deSha said. “She’s one of those girls who is always very disciplined in practice, does what is expected and is not the type to talk idly--she’s not the type to stand in center field and talk to someone. She’s there to do her job.”

She doesn’t need to talk. Her play says plenty.