« Softball 2014

Kaila Hunt

School
Alabama
Position
Infield
Major
Secondary Education (Math)
AVG
.326
R
35
H
47
FLD%
.952
RBI
35

Classroom

Hunt doesn’t take the term ‘student-athlete’ lightly, pouring as much attention into her academics as her athletics. Last season, she became only the sixth player in Alabama history to earn NFCA All-American honors on the field and CoSIDA Academic All-American honors off the field in the same season. Holding a cumulative 3.71 GPA, she is a secondary education major with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. Because of her rigorous schedule with softball, Hunt will take a fifth year at Alabama in order to complete her student teaching requirements. She is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree (2012-13), two-time Academic All-SEC honoree (2012-13) and two-time NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete (2011-12). Her freshman season (2011), she was named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. She has made the dean’s list in five semesters at the University of Alabama: Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012 and Fall 2012.

Character

Hunt is a consummate professional. She leads the team by example and embraces the role as a team leader. Through every at-bat, she keeps an even keel and doesn’t let any situation overwhelm her. She is a great example for the team off the field as well with her focus on academics. The best compliment to her, according to Head Coach Patrick Murphy, is that the coaches never have to worry about her emotions and focus.

Community

Hunt has volunteered with numerous organizations in the Tuscaloosa community. After the devastating tornado on April 27, 2011, she was among those in the immediate aftermath to clean the debris and help pass out water and food. Hunt and her teammates routinely eat lunch with retirees at the Capstone Village Retirement Home. The majority of her volunteer efforts are with area children. She spoke to Davis Emerson Middle School in nearby Cottondale, Ala., on National Women in Sports Day, talking to young girls about playing sports and the impact it can have on their lives. At Vance Elementary School, she participated in the Be a Champion and Read program, spending multiple hours reading to the students. Through the Miracle League and Munny Sokol Park, Hunt and her teammates have spent afternoons playing baseball with special needs children. She also participates in the Alabama Halloween Extravaganza, giving kids a chance to play games with student-athletes, and Project Angel Tree, which collects Christmas presents to donate to kids in need.

Competition

Hunt will go down as one of the premier power hitters in Alabama Softball history. Through three-plus seasons, she has 57 career home runs, which is just four shy of surpassing Kelly Kretschman’s school record total of 60 that has stood since 2001. On Feb. 28, 2014, she became just the fourth player in Alabama history to earn 50 career home runs with a fourth-inning solo homer in the 7-3 win over Purdue. On March 28, 2014, a two-run homer against LSU gave her 200 career RBI as Hunt became just the second player in Alabama history to reach 200 career RBI. She launched a career-high 21 homers with 77 RBI during the Tide’s 2012 national championship season as the team’s main power source. She has earned NFCA All-American and All-SEC honors each of the last two seasons. She finished the 2013 season among the Top 25 for the USA Softball Player of the Year award and was named to their 2014 Preseason Top 50 Watch List.