Molly Garst

Classroom

An organizational leadership and supervision major, with a minor in communications, Garst has a clear vision for her future. She dreams of someday working in promotions for a professional sports team or even a college sports team. She plans to stay in marketing and promotions to still be a part of the sports atmosphere, because she can’t really see herself without sports in her life. Garst completed an internship with the promotions department of the Indiana Pacers this summer and says that she would love to have something like that as a career. The 2011 Academic All-District V honoree and two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, who will garner her third such honor this spring, carries a 3.61 GPA and credits her mother for pushing the fact that you are always going to have your education and no one can take that away from you when sports are over. “For me, it is also the fact of getting good grades and knowing that I have earned those grades myself. Everything that I have earned is not from my skills or talent, but because I have worked hard outside the classroom, studying and everything else.” Despite the challenges of her organizational leadership and supervision major, Garst believed she needed to add to the broad nature of the major with a minor in communications, to focus on the area she plans to go into. That way, she would have the marketing/promotions background along with the business background, preparing her to do multiple things in the career field. That diversified education mimics what she has done on the field, playing multiple positions and adjusting to whatever curve ball comes her way.

Character

Garst’s favorite quote is ‘Always keep going. What doesn’t kill you today, won’t kill you tomorrow.’ She sincerely believes that overcoming challenges builds character. From jumping right into the starting lineup while in a new place as a freshman to fighting a nagging back injury throughout her career, to providing leadership and planning to overcome what she considers her worst collegiate season as a junior, Garst has exemplified that fact. She has taken on a leadership role on and off the field, due in part to the pact that she believes you play how you practice, that what you do behind the scenes is what matters. She believes that if you attack things and have a good attitude about it, you can get through anything today, and then do it again tomorrow due to your success the previous day. Playing softball has been a tricky balance for Garst. One wrong movement could end her career, so she has become more appreciative of those who take care of her and keep her on the field, from her coaches to athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches. In addition to practice time, Garst also spends a lot of time in the athletic training room rehabbing, going to therapy and pushing through the pain. She also puts in a lot of hours visualizing and practicing on her own. Garst also has committed to do whatever necessary to ensure team success, playing multiple positions, both infield and outfield, during her four years, slapping, hitting and stealing bases. The two-time All-Big Ten and one-time All-Mideast Region selection also has experienced failure, which may have taught her the biggest lessons of all. After being selected to the all-region team as sophomore, Garst switched to her natural position at shortstop. A self-admitted stat watcher, she soon found herself piling up errors, and posting her worst season defensively, instead of achieving the next award on the list. “I got way too caught up in earning the next award, which was to be an All-American, and it affected me defensively; I’m not afraid to admit that. In a way, I learned from succeeding and immediately failing. I learned that it has to come down to doing your job, doing the routine things and not thinking about who is going to get awards or be the hero at the end of the day. I am a completely different person now when it come to how I handle my failures and how I can help my teammates handle theirs.” She has been frustrated, but realizes that failure is part of the process. If you miss a ball, you are going to get another. If you strike out, you will get another at bat. It has brought her closer to her teammates who know that she has been in their shoes. They are more comfortable coming to her about issues which, in turn, allows her to be a better leader. With her “mind right,” Garst is primed to prove that she can be one of the best shortstops in the Big Ten.

Community

In her four years at Purdue, Garst has given back to the community both individually and as part of her team. She has done everything from raising money for Fight The Hunger and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to helping triage donations after the tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. When the tornado hit Joplin in the summer of 2011, Garst and some of her family members went to Missouri Southern State University to help handle donations following the tragedy. They spent time separating food, clothes, diapers and everything else that came in, to prepare it for distribution in the community, just next door to her hometown of Webb City.  As part of the Boilermaker Athletic Council, Purdue’s student athlete leadership organization, she went around to the football tailgates and collected money for the Lafayette Food Finder Food Bank.As part of the Purdue softball team’s initiative to give back to the community that supports them, they have participated in activities ranging from a Hunger Hike and canned food drives, to building homes for Habitat for Humanity and cleaning up the local environment with De-Trash The Wabash, to volunteering and Christmas caroling at the local senior living community.  They helped support the breast cancer awareness cause at a Paint the Town Pink event and have raised more than $5,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the Light The Night Walk. A dance marathon for Riley Hospital and volunteering at Hanna Fest, which raised funds for the Hanna Community Center, a non-profit agency that provides programs and social services to the Hanna neighborhbood and all residents of Tippecanoe County also highlight the team’s efforts.

Competition

Garst has had a highly decorated Purdue career, garnering All-Big Ten accolades each of her first two years, All-Mideast Region acclaim as a sophomore and two Big Ten Player of the Week awards, while rewriting the school’s record books. The Webb City, Mo., native has played a variety of positions, starting in the outfield and third base as a freshman, at third again as a sophomore and at shortstop her junior season. Garst owns Purdue’s career stolen bases record with 102, set the season steals record with 43 in 2010 and has tied the Purdue game record for stolen bases with three in five contests. She also owns a share of the game record for runs with four on three occasions, and the home runs mark with two against IUPUI in 2011. All told, she has batted .363 with 104 runs, 67 RBI and 102 steals. She has chipped in 13 game-winning runs and accounted for seven game-winning RBI. She has piled up multiple hits in 50 games, and accounted for multiple RBI in 17 contests.
As a rookie, she was named second team All-Big Ten as a utility player, following a season in which she saw action in 51 games, starting 45, 38 in in the outfield, four at third base and three at designated player. She posted a .301 average, including a team-leading .315 mark in Big Ten play. She also ranked 35th nationally and second in the Big Ten in stolen bases (0.49 per game).
Her sophomore season, Garst picked up second team All-Big Ten honors and First Team All-Mideast Region accolades while starting 54 games, 52 at third and two at shortstop. She batted a team-best .391 with 17 doubles, three triples, two home runs and a record 43 stolen bases as Purdue led the nation in steals per game. She reached base via hit, walk or hit by pitch in 43 of 54 games and scored 40 runs, while driving in 24 RBI. Her stolen base tally ranked fourth nationally, while her doubles per game tally (0.31) ranked 34th. She ranked first in the Big Ten in stolen bases, second in doubles a, third in hits and assists) and fifth in batting average. She capped the year with the team’s offensive MVP honors. As a junior, Garst continued to find success offensively, posting a .383 average with nine doubles, four triples and seven home runs. She ranked seventh nationally in stolen bases (0.68 per game) and 44th in triples (4), ranking among the Big Ten’s top five in each category. She also posted a .611 slugging percentage and chipped in 39 runs and 26 RBI to go with a 34-steal tally. She reached base in 46 of her 50 starts at shortstop, including streaks of 22 and 15 straight. She set the school record for career steals and ranked fifth on the season list with 34. Despite her success at the plate, Garst marks this as her worst defensive effort and hopes to learn from the struggles in 2012.
Whether it has been reaching base to set up the offense, stealing bases to set up scoring opportunities or filling whatever spot needed in the field, Garst has truly contributed to the success of Purdue softball. She aims to get the team back to the postseason for the first time since her freshman year and wrap her career with her best season yet.