How words from teammates helped Sami Hood hit game-winning homer for Wichita State softball

Tears began to well up in the eyes of Sami Hood walking back to the Wichita State dugout after striking out for the third time on Tuesday night.

The freshman felt overwhelmed up against the No. 3-ranked softball team in the country. In a tight ball, she felt like she had let down her team by failing to deliver a timely hit.

Her entire attitude shifted, however, when the first two people to meet her were Addison Barnard and Sydney McKinney, Wichita State’s pair of All-American hitters who both delivered words of affirmation to their rattled teammate.

“This was me last year,” Barnard said. “I promise you’re good. All it takes is one. You got this.”

“Just play your game,” McKinney repeated to her. “You’re good.”

With those words in mind, Hood steeled herself for a critical at-bat with a runner on first and two out in the top of the eighth inning. The game was tied in Stillwater, as the Shockers were trying to win to resuscitate their chances of hosting an NCAA Regional.

“I actually closed my eyes on deck,” Hood said. “I envisioned myself making contact and hitting the ball to the right-center gap.”

Hood also went to the plate with a game plan: Oklahoma State ace Lexi Kilfoyl had started her last at-bat with a changeup, so she prepared herself for a first-pitch changeup again.

Sure enough, Kilfoyl delivered the pitch Hood was sitting on. The right-handed batter turned on the pitch and cranked it down the left-field line over the fence for what became the game-winning, two-run home run in No. 23 Wichita State’s 3-1 win over No. 3 Oklahoma State in extra innings.

It was just the fifth homer allowed this season by Kilfoyl in 320 at-bats, while Hood, who is hitting .244 this season, collected her seventh long ball of the season to help secure the highest-ranked road win in program history.

“When it stayed fair, wow, that was just one of the best feelings that I’ve had all year, honestly,” Hood said.

Making the win even more impressive, WSU was missing its No. 3- and No. 4-hole hitters, Lauren Lucas (illness) and Zoe Jones (arm injury), which forced Hood to bat cleanup on Tuesday night.

When relayed the story of how Barnard and McKinney helped restore confidence in Hood, WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner said that was emblematic of what makes the Shockers, which improved to 37-8 with their third top-10 win, special this season.

“Those are things you love to hear because at the end of the day, this team is going to win if they stick together and they’re there for each other and they give each other confidence,” Bredbenner said. “It’s awesome to see our program continue to fight and scrap and claw when we have some kids out and I think that’s a really good sign of playing well together.”

Bredbenner has also placed a lot of faith in the freshman from Allen, Texas, where Hood was known as the premier home run hitter. The adjustment to become an everyday hitter in the lineup for a top-25 Division I team has sometimes been difficult, but the continued confidence in Hood has allowed her to blossom as the season has progressed — she is hitting .353 with four homers and 10 RBIs during WSU’s last 11 games.

More importantly, she has already proven to be an elite defensive talent at second base with a sparkling .981 fielding percentage on 157 chances. Bredbenner said Hood has been a sponge working next to McKinney, who also has an elite glove at shortstop, the position Hood is likely preparing to play in the coming years after McKinney graduates.

“Sami gets to learn from one of the very best, getting to play up the middle with Syd every day,” Bredbenner said. “They may not be similar when it comes to hitting, but they are very, very similar when it comes to defense. She’s really learning a lot and developing and we’re seeing some great adjustments. To me, it’s kind of awesome to see that torch start to pass a little bit and really see Sami start to develop and grow into an outstanding ball player.”