Eli McDaniel | social media editor
Senior Madisyn Havenstein signed her national letter of intent to play softball at Allen County Community College and celebrated her signing on March 28 at WHS.
Havenstein’s Kansas Valor softball coach Kelly Jordan spoke first, highlighting her softball abilities and sharing some words of encouragement. One of Havenstein’s “bonuses” is being a good teammate, “celebrating her teammates’ successes more than her own, you can preach that all you want but the buy-in has to come from the student-athlete, and she exemplifies that,” Jordan said. He described Havenstein as self-driven, self-motivated, hard-working, and always positive. “She will continue to do great things wherever she places her positive energy. Allen County has hit the lottery with Madisyn joining their program, and in that, I want to wish you the best of luck from the Kansas Valor Family,” Jordan said.
Principal Jan Hutley then shared some inspirational messages from two of Haventseins other coaches, coach Billy Norwood of Kansas Wildfire, and her private hitting coach Cori Munoz. Both expressed how proud they were of Havensteins work ethic and softball career.
Next was assistant softball coach Garret Eck who kept his speech short and sweet. He talked about how hard she pushed herself throughout each season and even during her leg injury, which sidelined her during volleyball and basketball this season. “Work ethic is unmatched, so Allen is getting a fantastic young lady,” Eck said.
Coach Joe Dee Tarbutton spoke next and brought up two of Havensteins current teammates, Kaelyn Conrad and Kara Hafenstine. Each girl congratulated Havestein and expressed their gratitude toward her. Tarbutton recalled his coaching history with Havenstein, “She used to tootle up on her little bicycle, with her little glove on the handlebars,” he said. He called attention to Havensteins growth at-bat, “this year she is hitting things to centerfield or left field, and hitting with power.”
Wabaunsee graduate Kinsey Stuewe sent Havenstein a surprise video congratulating Havenstein on her signing with Allen, where Stuewe currently plays. “Hey Havi, congratulations on signing to Allen, this school is gonna be a great fit for you, and the softball program is super excited to have you as you are an amazing student-athlete. Go Chargers and Roll Devs,” Stuewe said.
Havenstein said she is not only excited to play softball at Allen, but also to meeting new people. “My knee injury took a lot out of me, but I pushed through the pain and tried my hardest each day,” Havenstein said. It was difficult for her to talk to and practice for different coaches because of her knee, but Allen’s coaches were the first ones to reach back out to her. They understood her struggle and offered up a position on the team. “I’m really excited to continue playing the sport that I love the most and can’t wait to do it with new people,” Havenstein said.
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