Hauser’s Haylin Campbell fires a pitch to the plate against Columbus East April 15 at Hauser High School.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
Haylin Campbell has been a mainstay as the catcher for the Hauser softball team this season, but the Jets senior is tasked with playing more than usual this year.
Campbell also is pitching for Hauser to add more depth to the position this season. She’s also been coming on strong at the plate over the past several weeks, as well.
Following the graduation of Paige McDaniel last year, the Jets needed more help for senior Haven Hartwell, who was the only player returning with solid pitching experience. Campbell stepped up to provide some relief.
“I wanted to give more backup because Haven would have been our only pitcher this year,” Campbell said. “I wanted to give her extra help to help our team, give our team a chance and help them get along and have more opportunities this year because I didn’t have to leave Haven stranded all by herself.”
Haylin Campbell
Pitching is new territory to Campbell, who has only been pitching less than a year. She said it has been an adjustment. She’s been the team catcher and plays third base, as well.
“I’m much more comfortable,” Campbell said. “They’re both mental positions, so I try not to let it affect me. It’s very different than catching. It’s an adjustment. It’s way harder than I thought, so it just takes time and it definitely has.”
Campbell has been effective at the plate this year. She has a .471 batting average and leads the team with seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs.
“My confidence has improved,” Campbell said. “I think playing travel ball over the years has really helped me become a better hitter. This year, I’ve really developed my faith in God and trusting Him, so I have really put all my faith in Him and faith in myself, and I really worked on my confidence this year to allow myself to be the best player that I can be.”
“She started out the year frustrated. She was struggling, and she’s really come into it over the last couple of weeks and continues to climb. Her consistency with the bat is what is making the difference, and it’s making a huge difference for her,” Hauser coach Andy Brunner added. “It’s just the consistency. It’s the ones that hit and hit well, they’re the consistent ones. She has found that here over the last few weeks. She has climbed in the batting average, the on-base percentage, the RBIs. It’s a good thing.”
It’s been a lot of ups and downs this season for the Jets, who sit at 8-5 and are still unbeaten in the Mid-Hoosier Conference at 7-0.
“It is a different year than in many years past, but we are all learning to grow together, and most of the seniors are learning to step up for our team,” Campbell said. “It is a different year because us seniors never really had to step up because we had the older people in front of us the whole way. Now, we’re having to step up and keep the younger players that it’s OK to make mistakes, and everything will work out, so it is a positive and a mental game all to itself.”
Whenever the time comes that her softball career at Hauser comes to an end, Campbell won’t be finished playing. She will be heading to Anderson University to play softball next year.
“I love that it was a small school because I went to Hauser, and it’s small,” she explained. “I like that it was close to home so I can drive up on (State Road) 9 to get to Anderson, and I fell in love that it’s a Christian college. That was the main one that I wanted was a Christian college.”
The road to the state championship for Hauser begins at 1 p.m. May 26 against Oldenburg Academy in the Rising Sun Sectional.
“It’s coming together,” Brunner said. “I really hope for these guys, for the seniors especially, I really hope it comes together in that sectional because Rising Sun is a good team. Milan is a good team. Hauser has the capability of being a good team. We’ve got to play 21 outs, seven innings of the ball that we know we’re capable of playing.”
