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Here’s our TLI for Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: VICTORIA HUNTER
Texas-committed 1B/3B Victoria Hunter, #12 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Impact Gold-Jackson, training, improving the mental aspect of the game, Alliance Nationals, Corona Angels-Tyson, business and finance, Texas, Barry Bonds, Yeat, “Black-ish” and photography.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Victoria Hunter
Hometown: Houston, TX
High School: Saint Pius X High
Club Team: Impact Gold 18U-Jackson
Graduation Year: 2023
Height: 5-foot-8
Position: 1B/3B
Nickname: Vic
Twitter: @vvictoriahunter
Honors: Three-time TAPPS 1st team All-State; four-time TAPPS All-District; four-time TAPPS Academic All-State; TFL Championship All-Tournament Team; two-time Private School ALL-VYPE Player of the Year nominee; Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston 1st Team Shortstop; #12 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100; National Player of the Week by Extra Inning Softball; MLB RBI World Series champion; four-time Head of School Honor Roll; and member of National Honor Society.
Travel Ball Highlights/Summer Stats: .466 AVG, 12 home runs, 55 RBIs and .858 SLG.
High School Highlights/Stats: .618 AVG, 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? If I had to describe my team with one word, it would be passion. This team has become my family over the last year. Last summer, I joined the Impact Gold organization, and it was the best decision of my life. Instantly, I was in an environment of love, support and motivation, and I was surrounded by some of the best talent in the country. Without mentioning the unmatched talent on the team, Impact Gold is full of the most uplifting and supportive people I know, and coming up on my last summer in travel ball, I couldn’t be more excited to take the field with this team.
What are some of your training methods/training routines? I train around 4-5 times a week, mostly with a trainer, but sometimes on my own. I typically wake up at 4:30 a.m. to work out, then I go to class until 3 p.m. After I finish class, I normally either hit or field or do some type of training followed by some stretching to wrap up the day. I work with hitting coaches twice a week, working on mechanics as I try to keep my swing consistent and fluid. We also go step-by-step through all of my at-bats, analyzing what I can do better or what I did well within an at-bat. We work through my swing, and try to attain a consistent bat path, then we talk about what kind of pitches I had trouble with the past weekend and work through it. I’m extremely grateful for my coaches. They have helped me more than they know.
What areas are you focusing on/trying to improve this fall? During the fall, my main focus has been trying to improve my mental aspect of the game. The mental aspect of the game is so influential to specifically my development and improvement. At this level, everyone can hit, everyone can catch and everyone can throw, but not everyone can think critically at a high level. Coach KC Jackson has completely changed my outlook on the game and how I think from pitch-to-pitch and game-to-game. I have also enjoyed getting to know my teammates more this fall and learning how I can best contribute to the team.
Can you tell us about your experience at Alliance Nationals this summer? We went to Alliance Nationals with a target on our back last year, and we knew it would be hard. We went through a few dogfights and came out on top, but on the cusp of the final eight, we fell short, ending our season. It was a weird feeling because we lost, but the way we fought and the manner in which we carried ourselves made us proud to be a part of this organization.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? If I had to pick a team that was our toughest opponent, I would have to say the Corona Angels-Tyson, specifically Arizona State(-committed) Kylee Magee. Those games were absolute dogfights, and her composure through it all was extremely impressive. On the other hand, our own Washington-commit Sidne Peters is one of the most impressive pitchers I have ever seen and especially played behind. Typically, at practice we do somewhat of a scrimmage, and those matchups are extremely intense because of all of the competition on the team, but all in all, it just makes us better.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? In the future, I hope to graduate from the McCombs School of Business, majoring in finance. After that, I hope to get into the field of finance to eventually become an investment banker. I have always had a natural knack for finance, and it has always been something I was interested in since my dad introduced me to the stock market last year.
Can you talk about your decision to commit to Texas? My decision to commit to Texas was the easiest decision I have ever made in my life. The feeling of walking on campus and immediately feeling at home is unmatched, and it was just a full-circle moment for my family and me. As soon as I stepped onto campus, I was met with so much kindness and compassion and I knew this was the place I wanted to be. I had interest from a lot of different schools, but none of them felt like home. I’ve always wanted to go to Texas ever since I was little, and I had a flag in my room to serve as a reminder of where I wanted to be.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero is Barry Bonds. Bonds holds the single-season record of 73 home runs as well as the career record of 762 home runs, and he will always be a baseball hero in my eyes. He is an undeniable legend.
What’s the best hype song and why? The best hype song is “Turban” by Yeat.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? My favorite TV show to binge is “Black-Ish” because I have watched it with my parents since I was like 10 (years old).
Do you have a secret talent/skill? I’m good at photography. That is what I normally do in my free time.
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