Growing up 150 miles apart, freshmen Kenley Minor and Katy Huels, two rising stars on the Murray State softball team, began their journey with the sport similarly, only being about three when they first held a bat in their hands. Minor said she got into softball because of her older sister, who also played the sport, while Huels was the oldest growing up and the first in the family to start playing

“My parents put me in t-ball,” Huels said. “Then it slowly grew into coach pitch and then we started doing more traveling around and then I got more serious about it.” 

As is usual for any child, both Minor and Huels did activities outside of softball, but found a passion for the sport, causing them to focus more on it. 

“My dad really wanted me to play softball, and he knew that’s what he wanted me to go to college for,” Huels said. “But (then) I kind of had to figure (that) out for myself. As I played those other sports growing up I knew I didn’t really have the love for it like I did for softball.”

That love for softball is what pushed them to work hard, getting better and eventually catching the eye of collegiate programs. 

The coaches of Murray State softball first watched Minor play when she was a sophomore in high school. 

“I talked to my (now) coach, and (they) were like, ‘we wanna see her out at camp,’” Minor said. 

 The next year they asked her to come visit the campus. 

“That was my first visit. I had four other (school) visits, and this one just felt more like home,” Minor said. 

Minor verbally committed to play at Murray State in April of 2023, and signed with the team later that year in November. 

Knowing she wanted to play in college, but being smaller in stature, Huels felt she had to work a bit more to get noticed.

“I didn’t have as many offers,” Huels said. “I was smaller and didn’t get as many looks, so I had to work harder for it.”

Like Minor, Huels also had other schools she was considering, but she ultimately decided Murray was the right fit. Both not only cited a feeling of home in Murray as a reason for choosing the school, but also a fondness for the program’s coaching staff. 

“I really liked the coaches,” Huels said. “I came to (three or four) camps here growing up so they (have seen) me since I was 12. They kind of watched me grow as a player.”

Huels verbally committed to Murray State in late 2022, then signed with the program in November 2023. 

Coming into college, the pair knew there would be differences. As in high school, the official collegiate softball season is in the spring, but that does not mean these student athletes are not in constant training mode.

“In high school you just have one season,” Huels said. “We (would) start lifting weights (in the) winter and then we would have our spring season, but in the fall, we would do absolutely nothing, whereas here, you’re working. Even when you’re off for the summer you’re lifting weights and practicing in the fall, so it’s go time all the time.”

A regular high school schedule consists of eight-hour class days, followed by after-school activities, then probably a home-cooked meal and homework. College is not the same. 

Many struggle with this transition. For any collegiate student, finding the balance between course loads, social life and possibly a job is an ever daunting task, but for student athletes it’s an important one to tackle. It’s a sharp learning curve.

“I feel like it helps you grow up faster,” Huels said. “It helps you become more responsible for yourself and what you need and also figuring out who you are as a person.” 

Not only do student athletes juggle the tasks of other college students, they also are responsible for maintaining a strict training and nutrition regimen. Along with that, they have to learn their coaches’ expectations.

“Say we have a game at two o’clock, that means get there two hours before, instead of, like, if I went to a high school game, I would show up 45 minutes before, got dressed and went out there,” Huels said. “It’s basically making your own schedule, adjusting to their schedule, what works, what doesn’t work.”

This transition is hard, but having the support of an entire team is helpful.

“We’ve only known them a year but they made us feel very welcome,” Minor said. “The first week, they were all like ‘oh we’ll show you where the classes are and where this is and we’ll help you run the conditioning test.’ Just very welcoming.” 

With support from their team members, and constant hard work, both Minor and Huels earned themselves a spot on the starting lineup.

“When they actually called our names for the first time (for lineup), I remember because we both looked at each other,” Huels said. “We were like, ‘Did they just? Are we starting right now?”

So far this season, both have exceeded expectations, putting up impressive numbers in just their first year of play. Minor currently has a batting average of .336 and a fielding percentage of 93.9%. In their game on April 12th, Minor went 5 for 5, getting a hit every time she stepped up to the plate. Huels recently achieved the second-longest game hit streak in program history, getting a hit in 17 consecutive games. Her batting average is .329, and she has a fielding percentage of 97.5%

As the end of the season approaches, both now look towards the rest of their collegiate career. 

“We’re both super thankful for them giving us this opportunity and for how much we have played as freshmen, but also I’m proud of ourselves for working this hard to be able to play as freshmen,” Huels said. “There’s going to be freshmen coming in next year, and they could get starting spots like we did. I think it’s just making sure you’re putting in that extra work over the summer and continuing to get better, and even if you don’t start next year, then still accepting your role and trying to work back up to where you were.”