Hitting in the lead off position and catching in the field typically don’t go together on the softball or baseball diamond.
There is nothing typical about the talent of Kaylee Waddell who does both for the Shady Spring softball team.
Now the rare and versatile talent for the Tiger senior is taking her to the next level.
Wednesday afternoon outside of Dave Wills Gymnasium with family, friends, coaches and teammates in attendance, Waddell signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball for WVU Tech next year.
“This is amazing. I am so excited and I can’t wait,” Waddell said. “I have known (WVU Tech head coach) Amber (Atha) for a long time and played with her in 12U. I have always wanted to play college ball and they have the schooling that I need. WVU Tech was perfect and checked all of the boxes for me.”
While Waddell has been a rock-solid catcher for the Tigers over her career, most likely, it won’t be the position she plays for the Golden Bears.
“I am primarily recruiting Kaylee to be a middle infielder or outfielder. She is probably going to play second base or outfield for me,” Atha said. “I love that she is a lead-off batter because it is rare that you see the catcher lead-off in high school. We have a senior graduating who is our lead-off second baseman. I am expecting Kaylee to fill some big shoes for her.”
While playing the field may appear to be a new position for Waddell, it is far from it for the versatile senior.
“I have always been a utility player growing up. Catching in high school was what they needed me to do,” Waddell explained. “Other than that I was always in the outfield or middle infield, so I am excited.”
Making her transition from the field to behind the plate even more impressive was the pitcher Waddell was tasked with catching during her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Standing in the circle those two years was fireballer Paige Maynard who now plays DI softball for Penn State.
“I worked with Amber and she helped me learn to be a catcher. My freshman year, Paige was the pitcher and nobody wanted to catch her,” Waddell said. “I stepped up and caught her throughout the summer and learned. Then it just picked up from there pretty fast. It took a while because at first my hand was hurting really bad. Once I got used to her it was a breeze.”
The road to the next level and a successful high school career was by no means easy for Waddell.
“I have known Kaylee a long time and I have taught her hitting,” Atha said. “When she was younger she was the tiny kid. One that might be left behind or didn’t get the playing time.”
“I always saw a lot of potential in her,” Atha went on to say. “She would say she was the smallest, but I told her she could play like the biggest. In my mind, all I wanted her to do when she came into high school was play like she was 6-foot tall and not the tiny kid everybody expected her to be.”
A force her entire career for Shady Spring, this year, Waddell is hitting .435 with a .606 on base percentage. Over half of her hits have gone for extra bases.
“Kaylee is a dynamic player, but she is very consistent for us. She brings a presence to the field and she is a leader,” Shady Spring head coach Nikki Mays said. “She is a great utility player and she can play anywhere we ask her to play. We moved her to the lead-off position because she is really consistent getting on base and she is quick.”
While Waddell brings plenty of positives to the diamond, it was clearly her versatility that made her such an attractive player for the next level.
“Her versatility is definitely something we are looking for,” Atha said. “Utility players are important. I think she will be most useful with her speed and agility in the middle infield or outfield, but she in not one-minded and will play anywhere I ask her to go.”
