Tennessee WCWS Supplement

“It’s cool to be recognized, but it’s always been, since my freshman year, I’d rather be at the World Series than have some awards,” she said.

After a moment to reflect, though, Huff seemed to acquiesce.

“And not to mention, I haven’t won any (personal awards), so I guess it would’ve been a little bit better,” she said.

Still, she insisted, her personal achievements are no replacement for the team’s performance. Coming into her final postseason at Tennessee, Huff is starting to feel the pressure.

“There’s more of a sense of urgency now, because I got to feel that (success) freshman year,” she said. “I got to feel the best, so now I want to kind of finish that off.”

From this perspective, a six‐RBI performance in a March weekend series against South Carolina wasn’t good enough, although it was good enough to outscore the entire Gamecocks lineup in the three‐game series. Huff expects to be able to perform at that level regularly.

“She is always striving to do more,” Weekly said about Huff’s approach to the game. “No matter what, she’s trying to achieve even more.”

Although Huff, who drove in 41 runs on a .350 average this season, is the first to say she expects a solid performance from herself in every game, she understands that the team doesn’t just need her bat.

“I’m real big on not paying attention to stats,” she said. “It’s all about how you feel. It really is. I try to stay far away from numbers and things, because it just gets in your head … That’s something my parents instilled. My dad always said, if you go oh‐for and you win, that’s a great day.”

Huff’s parents have been motivational in more than just her softball career, though.

“In my life, my parents (are role models),” Huff said. “They’ve done an amazing job. I hope that, I don’t know, I’m as good a parent as them, but I guess as people too.”

Huff has already taken her first step to try match parents Joe and Tairi. She and former UT football player Xavier Mitchell have been engaged since Feb. 24, 2008, when Mitchell proposed to Huff at half court during halftime of a Lady Vols basketball game. Huff said the two have agreed to hold their marriage until she graduates in July.

Huff also has plans of following her mother’s professional footsteps, majoring in special education, and, if her academic success is any indication, Huff will make her mother proud.

Since coming to the university, Huff, with a GPA of 3.78, has been named to either the SEC Freshman Honor Roll or the SEC Spring Honor Roll each year and, for the second consecutive year, she has been chosen for the 2010 All‐ District IV First Team by ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All‐American program.

Huff’s all‐around success hasn’t gone unnoticed by her coaches. Weekly said Huff’s approach to the game is just one of the areas he and his wife, co‐head coach Karen Weekly, have watched Huff grow in during her career.

“She’s grown as a student. She’s grown as a softball player. But I think most importantly, she has grown as a leader,” he said. “She is the leader of our team, no question, and the girls follow her and respect her and understand that she’s worked hard to gain that level.”

Huff has embraced the leadership role, extending her goal of constant improvement to the rest of the team.