By Alan Wiederhold-Sohn
HT Athletic Communications
As a former NCAA Division I softball player, Kacey Hvitved is not afraid of challenges. The chance to face challenges head on, and to rebuild a program her in her own way, brought her to Huston-Tillotson University at the right time for both her and her program.
The Huston-Tillotson softball team had canceled a significant portion of its 2023 schedule, and Hvitved was tasked to rebuild with little time between her hire and the start of the 2024 season. With a roster of 10 players, the Rams played four conference games in 2024 before injuries took their toll, and another season was canceled.
But where many might have given up, Hvitved just saw another challenge to overcome, and ironically, way to more quickly rebuild the team that she believes her players deserve and the HT community deserves.
"One of the main reasons I took this job was because during the interview process, I learned what had happened here the previous couple of years," Hvitved said. "I saw something that was broken, yet also saw so much potential for this program, and a chance to rebuild from scratch."
Hvitved knows how to win, and wants to build at HT the same kind of successful program at the NAIA level that she experienced as an NCAA Division I student-athlete. A native of Snohomish, Wash., she transferred to the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") after beginning her collegiate career at a junior college.
During her three seasons in the Magnolia State, Hvitved appeared in 45 games for Mississippi. Her best season was in 2021, when she batted .240 and hit three homeruns for Mississippi, which advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
As the CoVID-19 pandemic cut short her 2020 season, Hvitved was granted an extra year of eligibility. With it, she transferred closer to home and finished her career at NCAA Division I Fresno State, a member of the Mountain West Conference.
At Fresno State, Hvitved was a regular starter, starting 46 of the 50 games in which she played. She also hit a home run in her last collegiate at-bat during her team's game against UNLV on May 14, 2022.
For Hvitved, rebuilding the team means building a culture in which her players get the full student-athlete experience. What she experienced as a player is what she hopes to give to the players she now coaches
"I'm not one to shy away from challenges," Hvitved said. "I will do what I need to do to make sure my players have what they need to enjoy the student-athlete experience and to become well-rounded student-athletes who are proud of where they came from."
Hvitved went right to work rebuilding the trust of the 10 players who stayed for the 2024 season, and when that season also had to be canceled, got a head start on 2025.
"I do think the 2024 cancelation was a blessing in disguise, and that things happen for a reason," Hvitved said. "I was not going to put my players' health at risk just to play the season. And while the cancelation meant I didn't have any seasons to build from, it did allow me to get a jump start on building my team for 2025.
And Hvitved did just that, bringing in nine new players – eight from Texas, and a transfer from Central Washington with whom she was very familiar: her younger sister Hannah.
After bringing in her first real recruiting class, Hvitved then set her attention on rebuilding the culture and trust in the coaching staff. The Rams recently experienced their first media/picture day and will make a literal move the HT community will notice in 2025 – moving to Mabson Field, part of the historic Downs-Mabson Complex on 12th street that the softball team will share with its baseball counterparts.
"This will be an important year for us as we show people who we are and get our name out again," Hvitved said. "Last year was about building my girls up, building their confidence, challenging them to see past what they have been through, and to trust a coaching staff again.
"This year we will continue to build that relationship, learning from the mistakes from the past couple of years, and really rebuilding the program and giving it a makeover with the expectations I have for this team and the future."
Hvitved knows she will face strong competition when the 2025 season arrives, but she believes the team she has in place has the right collective mindset and chemistry to move the team in the right direction.
"I'm not so unrealistic as to think we are going to take No. 1 spot in the Red River Athletic Conference, but I know we're going to compete," Hvitved said. "If we get beat, we get beat, but we're not going to just give up and lose. They are going to play their hearts out, play with grace, and hold each other to high standard. My ultimate goal is to pave the way for the immediate future."
The Rams open the regular season against Dallas Christian at home on Feb. 18.
– HT –
