LEXCELLENCE

Whitaker Becomes Program’s 10th First-Team All-Stater
By Seth Herrold,
R-T Sports Editor

It was a hot summer day when Joel Hultman called over Lexi Whitaker. Hultman had just been given the reigns to the Trenton High School softball program and, as he readied the team for its first season under his command, he knew the Bulldogs needed a catcher.
Whitaker had just moved from the infield to centerfield ahead of her junior season, but with a hole to fill at catcher, Hultman asked the senior-to-be if she minded moving once again – this time behind the plate.
“The conversation with Lexi was really not formal,” Hultman said. “Lexi wants to win first and foremost and her personal preference is always second.”
Whitaker obliged and now she is a first-team all-state catcher.
“It was basically just doing what was best for the team and I knew that as well,” Whitaker said. “Catching is a hard position and you can’t just throw someone in it. With McKayla (Blackburn), too, she is a good pitcher and I just knew (going to catcher) was what was best for the team.”
The Class 2 All-State team was released on Friday and Whitaker’s name was at the top of the list. She becomes the Trenton softball program’s 10th first-team all-state selection, earning the award after hitting .476 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs. All three numbers represented significant jumps from the already impressive stat line she posted last season as a junior. The boost in offensive production came in spite of the move to catcher – a position that can be taxing on a player’s offensive numbers.
“I don’t think the average fan really understands how much catching can take a toll on the body,” Hultman said. “You are bending, you’re squatting, you’re taking balls off your forearms and legs and whatever. Then you have to put gear on, take gear off and go up to the plate and do what everyone else does. So offensive production can dip from your catcher and as a coach you kind of allow it because the position is so important defensively. But, from the word go, Lexi was seeing the ball well and hitting the ball really, really hard.”
Whitaker led Trenton this season in hits, batting average, home runs, RBIs, doubles, triples and slugging percentage. Her .476 average earned her the team’s Silver Slugger Award at the team’s year-end banquet. She was also honored as the team’s MVP. Whether it was at the plate with bat in hand, or behind it in the catching gear, Whitaker did her best to slow that game down. It was an approach she credits for the success she had this year.
“I just really focused on what I was doing and taking it one pitch at a time or one play at a time,” Whitaker said.
With the all-state selection, Whitaker joined Amber Vandevender, Aubrey Utley, Maddie Hooyman, Chanel Pash, Scotlin Hurley, Daryian Otto, Salem Croy, Maci Moore and Ainsley Tolson as Bulldogs to be named to the all-state first team.
“It means a lot because I grew up watching some of those girls play,” Whitaker said of the company she joins. “I know what kind of athletes those girls were.”

When Whitaker was asked to move from third base to centerfield ahead of her junior season, the message was more or less the same – it was what was best for the team.
Maci Moore was coming to the infield. During a breakout freshman season, Moore had proved herself too valuable of an asset not to be in the middle of the diamond. That move forced Mykah Hurley, already established as a premium defender on the dirt, to third base. Whitaker became the odd girl out. She had never played the outfield before, but her raw athletic ability made her a natural for the position.
Already a budding track star for Trenton in the spring, Whitaker possessed the tools to make the move to centerfield. She had a strong arm, a solid glove and more speed than any other player on the team. Assistant coach Kameron Cool was tasked with bringing Whitaker along at the new position and refining her tools.
“Outfield-wise, (Whitaker) is one of the fastest people and covers ground just unbelievably well,” Cool said. “Fly balls are all about repetition, just route running and things like that. Her speed made up for a lot of it early and then she became a great route runner and nothing was going to drop.
“Lexi, for one, is just an incredible athlete. She is incredibly skilled at every aspect of softball. Coach (John) Cowling and Coach Hultman felt comfortable putting her anywhere on the field. It was just where the need was. There aren’t many players who can fill needs like that, but wherever you need her, she can play that position.”
Whitaker became one of the strongest defensive points of a team that would go to the Final Four in Springfield that season. She earned all-conference, all-district and all-region honors playing in centerfield. At the plate, she hit .416 with six home runs and 27 RBIs. Her two-home run game in the quarterfinals at Holden helped propel the Bulldogs on to state.
When it came to making the move to catcher, Whitaker had a bit more of a jump start. She played that position at various points throughout her career, from youth softball through middle school.
“(Whitaker’s) arm is so good and she blocks the ball really well,” Hultman said. “She has been catching since she was very, very young, so she knew the ins and the outs of the catching position. For us to be the best team on the field she was going to have to catch.”

Whitaker knew fellow senior McKayla Blackburn liked to work fast in the circle. Relaying the sign from Hultman in the dugout to Blackburn on the pitching rubber became a science. The two seniors worked extremely well together as the battery for the Bulldogs. That was another benefit of Whitaker coming in from the outfield this season.
The two classmates came up through youth softball working together. There was familiarity there and that made Blackburn’s first full varsity season in the circle a good one. Blackburn posted a 2.43 ERA, striking out 107 batters while walking just 30. She finished the season 16-5 in 21 games started. She will sign with North Central Missouri College on Wednesday.
“It made me pretty comfortable because Lexi has caught me forever,” Blackburn said. “She has caught most of my pitching lessons since I was probably like 10. She had a really big role catching-wise (this year) because she didn’t let many passed balls go by and I could count on her if someone got on base because she was probably going to throw them out between her and Maci (Moore).”
The chemistry between Blackburn and Whitaker was evident early on as the two worked together through the summer. Hultman could tell that coming in to work with a friend would help Whitaker as she left her post in centerfield – one she would say was her favorite position to play on the diamond through her career.
“(Whitaker) and McKayla have a special relationship,” Hultman said. “They have known each other for a long time and they are both seniors. I think (Whitaker) wanted to have that relationship with Mac this year.”

Whitaker is not done making memories at Trenton. She will be a starter on the basketball team, where the Bulldogs hope she will have a similar impact to the one she had on the softball diamond. In the spring, she will return to the track where she was a state medalist last season as a part of the 4×400-meter relay team and individually in the 300-meter hurdles.
There is already interest from colleges seeking Whitaker’s help with their programs, but Whitaker is still weighing her options. Her successful track career will no doubt open more doors for her as she moves on to the next level.
Whatever avenue Whitaker chooses going forward, her athleticism will set her up for a successful career beyond high school. And, if she chooses softball, whatever school is fortunate to garner her services will have a player who can virtually play anywhere on the diamond.