On The Mound at Collins Hill

When Kayla Floor takes the mound for the Collins Hill Eagles, she's trying to confuse you.  The sophomore right-handed pitcher currently has an 8-1 record for the Eagles and posses a total of seven pitches that she uses to get her opponents out.  "I do have a couple of favorite pitches that I tend to use most often," says Floor "but I always want to keep the batters guessing what might be coming up next."  Kayla credits her freshman coach Amy Johnson with helping her increase the number of pitches she can throw.  "Each month we'd work on a new pitch and gradually work them into situations in the games," said Floor.  "My current coach Bill Dooley has really helped me with the mental aspect of my pitching."  "He taught me to trust my teammates and to think positive while I'm on the mound."

Kayla began playing the game at the age of eight and was taught to pitch by her father.  In the summer, she plays for her traveling team, the Lilburn Vipers and has been playing travel ball for three years.  One of her favorite memories was helping her team reach a ranking of 5th out of a total of 122 teams in a summer tournament.  In that tournament, Kayla pitched a perfect game to lead the state champion Vipers to a victory over the Virginia state champions.  "What makes it crazy was that the game was played at 2:00am in the morning on my birthday," says Floor.  "There were so many rain delays during that tournament, 2:00am was the only time we could make up the game and it ended up being one of the best I've ever pitched!"

Kayla prides herself on her leadership when she's pitching.  In her mind, being a smart player is more important than being overly talented and it's always important to have a strong sense of "in the game leadership."  "I need to know where my teammates are going to be positioned and what areas are going to be covered when I'm pitching," said Floor.  "My goal is to attack the hitters, really take it to them and it makes it easier on me if I have a sense of where the defense is going to be aligned."

Off the field, Kayla enjoys teaching the game to younger players and participating in not-for-profit charity work.  "This past season, I volunteered at the Collins Hill softball camp and had the chance to work with younger players, it was great!" said Kayla.  "My teammates and I also participated in "Blessing in a Box" a charity that helps the unemployed and underemployed during these difficult times.

With all of her success, Kayla still has very specific goals for the rest of the season.  "I want to help our team play as long as we possibly can and hopefully make it to the state playoffs!"  Kayla also believes that if she continues to work hard, the opportunity to play softball at the collegiate level might present.  I'm going to do everything I can to make that a reality."  "It's going to take a lot of hard work but I believe I have the talent to compete at the highest level."

Favorites

Subject:  English

Food:  Corned Beef and Cabbage

Books:  The entire Twilight Series

Music:  Jason Aldean

TV Show:  Secret Life of an American Teenager