Crosby Huckabay At Heart Of Baylor Softball Success

Four-Year Starter Will Wrap Up Sterling Career At Spring Fling This Week

  • Tuesday, May 24, 2016
  • John Hunt

The Baylor Lady Red Raiders have had incredible success on the softball field in recent years.

Baylor is the defending D-II Class AA state champion and has won state titles in four of the past five seasons.

There are three seniors on this year's team that has compiled an outstanding record of 34-4, including shortstop Mari Gardner, pitcher Kayla Hughes and first baseman Crosby Huckabay.

Huckabay has been at Baylor for the last seven years.  She's been part of the softball team for the last five years and a starter for the last four.  She's also been a four-year starter on the Baylor basketball team.

Baylor has had more than its share of outstanding softball players in the past and Huckabay is just one of the most recent.  Despite being one of the most consistent players on offense and defense, Huckabay has been the unsung hero for the Lady Raiders.

You normally don't hear much about her as she rarely makes headlines, but she's one of the best and has the numbers to prove it.

This year, for instance, she has a .455 batting average with 50 hits in 110 at-bats.  She's scored 41 runs with nine doubles, one triple and a school-record 18 home runs with a team-high 69 runs batted in.  She's only walked eight times and struck out just 11.

And while most young ladies can only dream of numbers like that, her defensive stats are even better as she's made just two errors in 218 chances this spring.

Crosby is the 18-year-old daughter of Caldwell and Shelley Huckabay who has two older brothers named Grayson and Caldwell Jr.  She really wanted to be a boy when she was growing up and even shaved her head while playing baseball and wrestling.

No doubt she embarrassed a lot of guys along the way as she would strike them out on the baseball field while pinning them regularly on the wrestling mat.

She's soft-spoken and has a laid-back personality, but she has the ability to get fired up and has been known to get in teammates faces to get things back on track when the situation called for it.

And now after she graduates on June 3, she'll be headed to Atlanta where she will play softball at Georgia Tech.

"I've been here for seven years and it's been interesting and fun, but I didn't think I'd ever graduate," she said while relaxing on the balcony of Barks Hall Monday morning before going to a senior luncheon and awards ceremony where she was honored as the Best All-Around Female Athlete on a vote by the Baylor coaches.

"I started out my athletic career playing baseball and wrestling.  I even shaved my head as I really wanted to be a boy.  I beat a bunch of guys in those days and they don't like to talk about it now, but I grew up with two older brothers and I wanted to be just like them," she continued.

Huckabay doesn't look like a power hitter, but she is as she broke the school record for home runs in a season several weeks ago.  The old mark was 11 and she now has 18, including a game earlier at Ensworth where she slugged three in the same game and two in the same inning.

"For the most part, I'm a power hitter although I really don't have the body to be one.  I have really good hands and quick wrists, so I can drive a pitch that's close, but I use my whole body when I hit.  I try to not think about hitting home runs when I'm batting because all that does is cause you to pop up," she explained.

There have been a lot of memorable moments for Huckabay on the softball field, but which one stands out the most?

"I had a three-run homer in the last inning a couple of years ago when we lost to GPS in the state final.  Madi Stanley had struck me out all year as she really had my number.  Most folks were expecting me to strike out again as I was so nervous, but I didn't give up and hit that home run.

"We didn't win that game, but at least I didn't make the final out," Huckabay recalled vividly.

Kelli Smith has been the Baylor coach for the past 14 years and has won seven state titles after claiming two as a player.  She knows better than anyone just how valuable a player like Crosby Huckabay can be.

"I've never coached a kid with more determination than Crosby.  Once she makes up her mind to do something, you better get out of the way because she's going to do it," Smith explained with a smile on her face.

"She has always been a key component to our success, but has always been in the shadows for whatever reason.  This is her time to shine.

"She can be really vocal at times and will get in other players' faces when she needs to, but she's respected by all her teammates.  She'll be a hard one to replace.

"She's an awesome young lady who is smart and funny.  She's a very witty kid and a quick thinker.  We'll definitely miss what she does on the field and the good times she's created off it," Smith added.

Assistant coach Tom Watson echoed similar feelings.

"There's a bit of a striped snake in her makeup, but it's been a lot of fun for me to be her coach for the past five years," Watson said following Monday's practice.

"She listens to our suggestions and is very coachable, but if something isn't right, she'll straighten it out as she's not afraid to speak her mind.  She practices hard every day and comes ready to play.  She's capable of playing any position on the field, but she's best a first base.

"She definitely gets her money's worth at the plate.  She's been on fire this season and I hope she stays hot as she's had some really productive at-bats in recent games," he added.

Baylor doesn't play its first state tournament game until Wednesday morning when they face St. Benedict at 10 a.m. (CST).

Most folks are expecting another Baylor-GPS in Friday's championship game, which will begin at 12:30.  

Regardless of the outcome, Baylor has had another outstanding season and Crosby Huckabay has been one of the main reasons why.

(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)

 

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