Wichita State’s Addison Barnard on postseason heater
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita State University’s softball team is heading for the semifinals of the AAC Tournament, mainly because of the play of Addison Barnard.
Barnard has been nearly unstoppable in the last two games, as she’s gone 6-for-7 at the plate with five home runs and 11 RBI. One of those home runs was a grand slam to give the Shockers the lead on Thursday.
On top of that, Barnard is chasing history. She’s hit 92 home runs in her college career, which is good for fourth-most in NCAA history.
“She’s on fire right now,” Shockers head coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “And I mean, she’s always capable of changing a game with any swing that she has on the ball.”
Barnard said in Thursday’s grand slam, she was just trying to stay calm and collected at the plate.
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“With the bases loaded, I’m just trying to think about just a regular at bat and not trying to make the moment too big,” Barnard said. “I just stayed relaxed, just pretended it was just the beginning of the game.”
Barnard’s teammate, infielder Sami Hood, said the rest of the team has confidence in her.
“We all knew she could get the job done,” Hood said. “I, however, was standing next to coach and was like, ‘All right, this is going to be a granny.’ And everybody was like, ‘Don’t say that, Don’t say that.’ And I was like, ‘I feel it.’ And then she hit it, and I was like, That’s amazing.
She’s the most deserving person, and I have all the faith in her, and I’m so happy for her. Like, I’m really glad this is happening for her, especially on her last few games here.”
While Barnard has garnered the support of many fans and spectators, her biggest motivator is the people she’s playing alongside.
“It means everything to me because, you know, my ability to do these things, I mean, it’s all for the team,” Barnard said. “Because I just want to win that dang conference title, and so I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
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