Successful softball teams usually have a table setter.
Peyton Hawkins fills that role perfectly for the top-ranked Webb City Cardinals.
A junior leadoff hitter, Hawkins regularly provides a needed spark for the Cardinals, who are now 22-3 overall and ranked first in Class 4 by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Always on-base, Hawkins excels at setting the table for the team’s power hitters — Haidyn Berry, Emalee Lamar and Alyssa Jennings.
Hawkins, who often provides the Cardinals with early momentum by scoring the game’s first run, is well aware that her role at the top of the batting order is to jumpstart the offense.
“As the leadoff hitter, I just have to get the job done for my team,” Hawkins said. “I have that mentality that I have to get it done for my team. I have to have that confidence to get on top. I’m just trying to do my best for the team and I’ve been feeling pretty confident.”
Webb City coach Shauna Friend said Hawkins consistently comes up big for her squad.
“Our motto this year is ‘All it takes is all you’ve got,’ and Peyton brings all she’s got everyday in practice and in games,” Friend said. “She just goes all out all the time. She swings hard and she hits hard. She gives it 100 percent every time she steps in the box and every time she steps on the field. If you need someone to make a play, Peyton will be that player. I’m really proud of her.”
Hawkins is hitting .455 with a .529 on-base percentage, a .693 slugging percentage and a 1.223 OPS (on-base plus slugging). Hawkins leads the Cardinals with 40 hits and 36 runs scored. She’s also swiped a team-high seven bases and has driven in 21 runs, which is tied for fourth on the team. She’s had multiple hits in 15 games.
Hawkins isn’t the typical leadoff hitter in one way, however. Unlike many prep leadoff hitters, Hawkins is not a slapper. Instead, she’s got some pop in her bat. Hawkins now has four home runs this season, fourth-best on the team.
Hawkins’ biggest blast of the season came on Monday, as she delivered a walk-off home run to give the Cardinals a 1-0 win over second-ranked McDonald County in a game that decided the No. 1 seed for the district tournament.
“It was a big win and we needed that one,” Hawkins said. “It puts us on top (of the district) and it shows that we can win this thing.”
Defensively, Hawkins doesn’t let much get past her at shortstop, as she owns a .924 fielding percentage and has 34 putouts.
Hawkins also contributed nicely as a sophomore. In 2019, she hit .410 with a .490 on-base percentage. She scored 25 runs, had 15 RBIs and recorded five doubles and three triples.
Back to 2020—Webb City is having a stellar season.
The Cardinals have secured a second straight Central Ozark Conference championship and have locked up the No. 1 seed for next week’s Class 4 District 6 tournament.
After a pair of non-conference games against state-ranked Class 5 squads on Saturday, the Cardinals will begin the postseason next week in Monett.
Hawkins said the Cardinals have the goals set high.
“We’re playing great right now,” Hawkins said. “We’re always staying on top and playing with confidence in every game. Our goal is just to win each game. We’re taking it game by game.”
And if the Cardinals are able to make a deep postseason run, don’t be surprised if Hawkins plays a crucial role, setting the table from the leadoff spot and providing solid defense in the field.
By now, it’s what’s her coaches and teammates expect.
“Peyton’s one of those players who is all-in all the time,” said Berry, the team’s standout pitcher and top power hitter. “It’s great to have a leadoff hitter like that and a shortstop like that. Just being her teammate is awesome.”
