Kylie Winton was named 2018 Alabama 6A Player of the Year in softball by the Alabama Sports Writers Association in June. Earlier in 2018, she was named Class 6A Tournament MVP after hitting the game-winning single in the state championship game. That was only her junior season.

This summer, Winton has taken some much-deserved vacation time. “I’ve been to the beach twice,” Winton said. “I played travel ball for like eight years, and my parents are letting me have my last summer because I’ll be a senior, and I’m going to college next year. But I’ve been hitting at the field with some of my friends.”

Winton had a .448 batting average this season and 56 RBIs. Even though Winton hit 16 home runs this season, she said she is not trying to knock the ball out of the park every time she steps up to the plate. “I just worry about getting on base,” Winton said. “I just try to worry about getting a single. When people look at me, they don’t think, ‘Oh, she’s about to hit a home run.’”

Winton’s achievements do not end on the softball field. She placed in the top ten of her class and scored a 29 on her ACT. “Kylie is very goal oriented,” Hartselle softball head coach Christy Ferguson said. “She knows what she’s doing, where she’s going and how to get it done.”

Although Winton has received offers to play softball in from some junior colleges, she is leaning toward going to the University of Alabama at Huntsville. “I’m thinking about doing chemical engineering,” Winton said. “I’m good at math and chemistry, so I like that. If I don’t play ball, that would be my top pick.”

Winton recalled what was going through her head before she came up to bat in her game-winning single. “I was in the outfield in the eighth inning, and I knew I’d be the third person up to bat,” Winton said. “I didn’t know if I’d come up with two outs, no outs or runners on. Ferg (Ferguson) always talks about 2014 when the girl hit the home run in the state championship, and I wanted to make a memory for her and the team like that.”

Winton said that Ferguson challenges her. “She’s been hard on me,” Winton said. “I got mad at her when she moved me from center to right field in our area game against Austin because she thought I could catch a ball that I didn’t catch that hit right in front of me. I got up to bat the next time, and I hit a home run. She told me that I need to be mad at her more often.”

Ferguson is complimentary about Winton’s role on the field. “She accepted her role as the leadoff hitter and as the anchor in center field,” Ferguson said. “She provided that spark we needed, and she has the quiet skills of a leader.”

For many athletes, their favorite moments are those when they performed at their best in difficult situations. This is not the case with Winton, though she had several such moments. Winton said her favorite moment of the season was the bus ride back after winning state. “We had an awesome bus driver, and the whole atmosphere going down there, and the hotel room, was awesome,” Winton said.

“Winning and celebrating on the way back was great too,” Winton said. “We went to eat afterward. We had the police escort us on the way back to the high school, and our friends and family were waiting there with signs. We weren’t really expecting it — we thought we were getting pulled over when they were escorting us.”

Ferguson said she is proud of Winton. “I’ve enjoyed the fact that Kylie has had so much success since the state tournament,” Ferguson said. “She’s had numerous interviews, and she’s handled herself with grace, and she’s been a great representative for Hartselle softball.”

Winton said she feels confident about next season. “I know we have a target on our back because we are the defending state champs,” Winton said. “But I think we have a good shot at making it to 6A again, and maybe winning it again because we have eight upcoming seniors.”