CREDIT: FANSHAWE ATHLETICS
With Kady Hawkins continuing to top the league offensively, the softball team is in a strong position to make this season a very successful one.

Kady Hawkins, a London native, has had an impressive collegiate softball career. Last year she was honoured with the 2014 OCAA Rookie of the Year and was recognized as an All-Star.

This year, she isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

She won’t be eligible to win another Rookie of the Year award, but Hawkins, who wears number 10 for the Falcons, was recently recognized as the OCAA Softball Athlete of the Week for her talents on the field. At her natural position of third base, Hawkins has recorded a .579 batting average on 22 hits, which is first and second respectively in the OCAA. She also leads the OCAA in stolen bases with five, and in on-base percentage (OBP) with an OBP of .610. In addition, her single home run of the season has her tied for second with several players in the OCAA rankings.

Hawkins has played in competitive leagues in the London area since her youth, playing for the London Lightning and Byron Blaze teams. She has also been competitive in martial arts, holding a black belt in karate. Hailing from Clarke Road Secondary School, just a short drive away from Fanshawe, Hawkins previously attended King’s University College before transferring to Fanshawe last year to pursue a diploma in Early Childhood Education.

Her statistics to finish out the 2014 season were impressive regardless of her rookie status. She finished the year with a .500 batting average, and 30 hits. Her average in 2014 was third in the league and she placed second among all OCAA softball players in hits. She also stole seven bases in her first season, which was only one shy of the OCAA leader.

With the 2015 season just starting to get underway Hawkins has been an offensive driving force on the Falcons’ team. Fanshawe played four games over two doubleheaders on Friday, Sept. 25 against the Mohawk Mountaineers and Sunday, Sept. 27 facing off against the Seneca Sting. The Falcons won all four games, outscoring their opponents 39-6. During that four game span, Hawins drove in three runs and stole two bases while collecting seven hits off of opposing pitchers.

With more than half of this year’s season remaining, the Fanshawe Falcons are looking to make a postseason run with Hawkins leading the helm, supported by a strong pitching staff.