“Another one.” 

When hearing those two words, a lot of people would associate that with DJ Khalid’s tagline. For the Monarch Softball community, those are the words that are heard from many in the stands, in the dugout, and on the field after number 16 smacks the ball past the fence. 

This is all due to the fact that recently, Senior Third Baseman Kloey Hamblen tied the state record for home runs in a game (three in one game) and broke the school record for RBIs in a game (eight in one game).

Hamblen has had personal goals set since the beginning of the season. Knowing that you’ve achieved some of those goals is one of the best feelings for an athlete. 

“It makes me feel hyped up and excited,” Hamblen said. “Especially because I know that that stuff hypes up my team.” 

Positive team chemistry can provide the support that one needs to play at their fullest potential. Hamblen feels that she gets that support from her other Monarch softball teammates. 

“[My team] pumps me up and makes me feel confident in myself,” Hamblen said.

With the kind of success she has had, one would think that Hamblen feels a lot of pressure to continue this same performance. In reality, Hamblen goes up to bat with one intention and one centerpoint in her mind.

“I don’t focus on hitting the ball,” Hamblen said. “I focus on knowing that if I stay loose, I’ll hit the ball.” 

A great feeling in athletics is being among the highs, but what happens when you are among the lows? Hamblen knows that being among both the highs and the lows is just a part of the game. 

“When you don’t have a good at-bat, you always have to bounce back on the field,” Hamblen said. “If you don’t get the opportunity to bounce back on the field, you have to bounce back at the next at-bat.” 

Some may ask what the secret is to becoming successful. For Hamblen, when it comes to softball, she has three suggestions: 

“Stay loose, swing the bat, don’t think about home runs.”