Playing the Corner Feels Like Home to Central High School Softball Player Kristin Studds
There is practically no position in softball that Kristin Studds hasn’t played. When you start playing at the age of four or five and stay with it through high school, chances are you’ve experienced time in the outfield and on the infield. Studds, a 17-year-old senior, is a returning starter for the varsity Lady Red Devils softball team at Central High School, and even though she’s been all over the field, third base is where she feels most at home.
“I just love how fast it is,” says Studds.
Third base sees more action at times than right field. That’s the position Studds played until she was moved to second in recreation league softball. Later, her coach moved her to third base.
“I think it was because I had good mechanics and he needed one. He had another coach who worked with me and I kept working at it so I could be better,” Studds recalls about those days.
Her first year of intermediate school, Studds participated in Central’s softball program. The school has three levels of play: junior high, junior varsity and varsity. Studds started off in the junior varsity program but in the middle of her seventh-grade season, she got pulled up to the varsity team.
“We played at Wetumpka that day and I got to play third. He sat the senior and played me at third. He was kind of looking because the senior, well, she might have been a junior, but he was looking for a third baseman who would really dive and she didn’t want to dive. This team really bunted,” says Studds.
Because softball in Alabama schools is played in the spring, Studds’ reward from her coach for helping the varsity team out was to travel with the Lady Red Devils to Gulf Shores for the spring break softball tournament. The experience made an impression on Studds and she still counts it among her best memories of playing softball.
Although Studds was much younger than her peers on the varsity team at that time, she was accepted into the fold. She continued with the varsity and is approaching her last season at Central in the spring. Until that time, Studds continues to play travel softball in the fall and also works outs with other members of her Central team to stay in shape.
The 5’5” third baseman finished her 2013 season batting .358 but she isn’t content to let that stat be the best of her career. One of her offseason goals is to get her hitting to a level that almost matches her defensive skills. That’s what college coaches notice about her, and they should. Her career fielding percentage at Central is 0.937 and she committed only five errors last season.
When her senior season begins, Studds will once again be reminded that she has two important fans missing from her life. In December 2011, Studds lost her father, Steve, and 19 days later her maternal grandmother died. It was a very difficult time for Studds.
“It was hard. Very hard. Both of them were so supportive of me. To lose them so close together was very, very hard,” she says.
Softball became even more important after the deaths of her father and grandmother. Her team rallied around her and helped her through the saddest days of her life. Ironically, Studds views that spring season as her personal best. The team made it to the state playoffs and even though it fell short, it was an otherwise bright spot in an emotionally devastating year.
One way Studds honors the memory of her two lost loved ones is to write their names on her wrist tape before each game. She adds a Bible scripture and freely admits she often feels as if they are watching her as she plays. She doesn’t dwell on her losses but says she strives to play so that her father and grandmother will be proud of her.
This spring, Studds’ coach at Central has plans to once again play her at third base. He considers her one of the best defensive third basemen in Alabama in her class. In addition to holding down the corner position, Lady Red Devils coach Matt Hendricks sees Studds as having three jobs on his 2014 team.
“I expect Kristin to do several things for us next season. I expect her to lead us defensively in the infield, spiritually in the locker room, and offensively I see her having a significant role in our lineup, “states Hendricks.
Hendricks has only coached Studds one season and that was as an assistant coach. He will make his debut as the Lady Red Devils head coach this spring but he has had plenty of exposure to Studds’ playing abilities. She has played against teams he coached in the past and he maintains Studds is not only an elite player. He has no doubt she has what it takes to play at the next level.
“Absolutely. She is the best defensive player I have seen at her position in high school softball. Period,” he says.
Studds isn’t cocky or arrogant about her abilities but she does know her strengths. Other teams might play some of their tallest athletes at third, but Studds believes height is less important than other skills.
“I play to the ground. I don’t make many errors. I’m not perfect but I am confident in my play and I am not afraid to dive,” she says.
Her coach goes into more depth about her defensive skills.
“She has a knack for making the tougher plays look simple. She reads the ball so well and so quickly, and that enables her to get in a really good position quickly to make a good play. Her backhand is strong and her footwork and technique is outstanding. Her arm strength is outstanding and she has great balance. She’s the total package as a defensive player,” he says.
The Lady Red Devils take to the softball field in February. Studds will be one of four seniors on the team and one of six returning everyday starters. As of this fall, she had not committed to a college or university but plans to make her decision final before the softball season begins in Alabama.
Getting to know Kristin:
Family: Mom, Alicia Studds; two brothers and four sisters
Nickname: Scootie
Favorite food: Mexican
Favorite place to eat: Olive Garden
Pets: a puppy named Oakley
Church: Golden Acres Baptist Church and Church in the County
Favorite thing to wear: sweatpants
Music: Country
Favorite team (college or professional): Atlanta Braves
Person she would most like to spend a day with: My sisters but a celebrity would be Chipper Jones.
Favorite movie: Tie between 42 and Trouble with the Curve
One thing people probably don’t know about her: I used to bowl in a league
Favorite subject: history
Planned college major: Special Education
Best thing about Central High School: The atmosphere. Teachers come together to help students and there aren’t many “[cliques]” here.
“She is the type of person that you want to babysit your young children and want your other kids to be like her, play like her, and act like her. I’m very proud of Kristin. I have [only] coached her for a season, but I’ve coached against her for years. She was likeable even when she was making my life difficult as a coach.”—Lady Red Devils softball coach Matt Hendricks
Player Spotlight /Columbus Valley/October 2013
Kristin Studds
Central High School
Phenix City, Alabama
By Beth Welch
Photos by Jerry Christenson
