By Cooper Chadwick
As Wichita’s Heights softball captain, senior Hayden Wettstein has made it her duty to grow as a leader this season, for the good of her team.
Wettstein is excited to finish out her senior year, and to play it with the same level of competitiveness and dedication she has her whole career.
“I look forward to playing every week and spending my last months of high school fully immersed in this amazing sport,” Wettstein said.
Last season, Wettstein earned honors such as all-league first team Shortstop and all-state honorable mention. Despite those accomplishments, Wettstein still has the motivation to improve.
“I would like to improve my power with batting. I have a tendency to throw my front shoulder open, or I don’t always get my bottom hand extended all the way, which lessens my impact with the ball,” Wettstein said. “The key to solving any problem is to practice until you get it right. I’ve spent countless hours in the cages, just hitting off the tee until I’m satisfied with my swing. It’s all about building muscle memory and ingraining proper form into your body.”
Wettstein’s drive and mental ability to keep pushing was not one made overnight. It’s been developed.
“’Don’t sweat the small stuff’” has become my mantra anytime I make a mistake and let it bother me, or worse, impact my further performance,” Wettstein said.
Aside from her all-league honors, Wettstein also boasted a .436 batting average, .593 OBP and an .899 feeling percentage.
