MALVERN, Ark. — There have been many great athletes to come out of Malvern such as former Arkansas Razorbacks and NFL players, Vincent Bradford and Madre Hill.
Now, there's another rising star that has been shining on the softball field— Utility player Kendall Watson.
"I've had three players get drafted and she's one of the best pure athletes that I've seen. The ball just flies off her bat every time she hits. I'm worried about if it will hurt somebody because she hits it that hard," said Darryl Baker, the Malvern softball coach.
Watson's talent has brought along lots of attention, but her favorite part of the sport isn't about her success but rather the sisterhood that comes with softball.
"Really like how it brings girls together as a team. I made a lot of my close friends," Watson described.
She's on a Malvern team that's 12-4 overall. Individually she's had 57 at-bats, 37 hits, 9 home runs, and 41 RBI. Watson also pitches, with a 12-3 record, with a 2.10 ERA, in 56 innings pitched and 57 strikeouts. She is also an honors student.
Though Watson is only a sophomore, she has attracted the eyes of programs in the Big 12 and SEC, including Arkansas.
"Love for the game has built up playing at a higher level is keeping me going, " Watson explained.
"Kendall has been pretty special since elementary. In PE class they'd play dodgeball and the teacher told me you got a girl coming up that's knocking people out with the dodgeball," Coach Baker said.
Watson still has a few years to decide on where she'll go for college, so for now, she's focused on winning the state title, especially for her senior teammates.
Up next Malvern will head to Ashdown on Friday, April 19 at 4:30 p.m.
