Stratford grad a Tyler pioneer

NEW Stratford alumna Krystin Hensley has the enviable position of being a pioneer at the University of Texas at Tyler.

Softball was approved as a new Division III sport at the school, and Hensley will be part of the inaugural class of recruits. She was persuaded to attend Tyler by new coach Michael Reed's enthusiasm.

"When he was first trying to recruit me, he was so nice and so optimistic since it was his first year of the program," said Hensley, who chose UT-Tyler over UT-Dallas and Bossier Parish (La.) Community College. "I was excited to work with a coach who had so much success, and we could have an amazing first year and set a standard for the school. It also made me excited in what he could do for me as a player and making me better."

Reed's teams at East Texas Baptist University, which is in the 16-school American Southwest Conference with UT-Tyler, never won less than 30 games in a season and won three straight ASC championships.

"I look forward to bringing in top-notch students who are excited about the education offered here and at the same time are excited about being apart of the creation of UT-Tyler softball," Reed was quoted on Tyler's athletic department Web site.

Reed found that in Hensley, a mostly straight-A student (with one B, she admitted) whose tenacity in the classroom is matched by her athleticism.

Hensley said Reed was attracted to her speed in the outfield, where she played center field during her senior year at Stratford and left and center during the years that she played club ball.

"But I also feel I have a really strong arm," Hensley said. "The most fun play ever for an outfielder is when you get someone out at the plate. You watch the ball sail in there.

"I'm hoping to gain a field position, but I would have no problem playing anywhere the coach needed me to be, wherever I can help the team out most. The only thing different about center is you have control of the outfield. You have to be loud, talk to your teammates and pump them up and not be afraid to take a ball and take charge."

Hensley's lack of shyness on the field can be traced back to when she was nine. Her brother's baseball team was short a player, and Hensley filled in for the rest of the season.

After watching Hensley play baseball, her grandfather thought she might excel in the softball league.

"He kept working with me and showed me I had the potential," Hensley said. "He took me to tryouts and I made it.

"Baseball did help me because you have to work on your fielding and all those mechanics. Your swing is a little different, but it definitely helped me progress into softball. I don't think it was playing with boys in baseball (that made her ready) but having a younger brother who I always wrestled with and he always made me more aggressive as a softball player."

That was Hensley's early influence, but more recently she has leaned on the experience and camaraderie of her teammates, both from her tournament club and her teammates from high school: Sammie Campagna, Laurie Wagner and Juliette Thompson.

"They're my best friends and have a lot of influence on me," Hensley said. "They make me want to be a better player, they keep me going and they're all there for me."

She'll have some new teammates in the fall, although two of them played on her tournament team with her, so her situation at UT-Tyler won't be totally unfamiliar. And her drive to excel certainly won't change since her goal is to be a freshman starter.

"All I can hope for is to get stronger and faster and be more of an asset to the team," she said. "And definitely I want to keep up my good grades because you have to be passing to play, and I want to be there for my team."

It should be no surprise that Hensley has such high expectations for herself. She met every goal she set as a high school athlete, making the varsity team as a freshman (as a pinch runner mostly, but earned her letter), being named first team All-District 21-5A and becoming the team's leadoff batter.

Tyler's Reed noticed that incredible drive and it's why he wanted to recruit her for the team. Hensley imparted her advice to others who might want to reach the next level after high school.

"Schools want a person who can balance athletics and school," she said. "You have to work your butt off all the time. Give it everything you've got. If you do that all the time, it will definitely be noticed.

"I also work out a lot outside of school in the gym, but mostly it's going to practice and being more of a leader and trying to work as hard as I can. I would definitely say I'm not the type of girl who's afraid to get dirty. We always had contests when I was younger to see who could get the dirtiest and I generally won. I have a lot of scratches and scars to prove it."