The season ended a bit earlier than she hoped, but Lexi Mullen still put together another solid season in her junior campaign with the Kentucky Wesleyan College softball team. Most notably, the former Daviess County High School standout broke the career home run record for the Panthers with a full year still to play.
Mullen, a second baseman, said it’s an honor to be able to stay in her hometown and post strong numbers, but she gave plenty of credit to her team.
“It’s awesome to represent my old school Daviess County and come here and break some records, but I couldn’t do it without the help of my teammates,” she said. “I actually give hitting lessons here so I can stay around and do that. I get to represent Owensboro. I’ve lived here my whole life and I love playing here.”
In addition to breaking the home run record, Mullen set a few other Wesleyan career milestones during a fruitful month of March.
In the second game of a doubleheader against Malone University on March 22, Mullen went 4-for-4 with each get going for a two-RBI double. It set the new program high for doubles in game, as well as most RBIs (8) in a single contest.
Exactly a week later, Mullen cranked a three-run homer that lifted the Panthers to a walk-off victory in game two of a doubleheader against Tiffin University. It was the 22nd long ball of her career, and Mullen went on to add six more by season’s end.
With the season now over after a loss in last weekend’s conference tournament, Mullen’s junior season ended with her hitting .303. She scored 18 times and drove in 43 runs with the help of nine homers, a triple and nine doubles.
Though it was a slight downtick from her sophomore season, Mullen said she’d come a long way since her days as a Lady Panther.
“Coming out of high school, I really didn’t have as much power as I do now,” she said. “I wasn’t built how I am now. I’ve put on a lot of muscle. I’ve really worked on my swing. (KWC head coach Miles Mallette) has helped me out on a lot of things like getting some launch angle on the ball. Really, I just try to be a disciplined hitter and look for my pitch.”
Through three seasons, Mullen’s batting average is .325 with 28 home runs, 34 doubles and three triples. She’s also driven in 142 runs and scored 83 of her own.
It was a long-time dream of Mullen to make it to the collegiate level, though she got a late start and didn’t pick Wesleyan until her senior year of high school. Originally a youth soccer player, Mullen made the switch around the time she was 10 years old.
She quickly picked up softball skills and started playing varsity with Daviess County as a seventh-grader, improving each year and eventually garnering All-State Honorable Mention recognition as a senior. With a handful of options on the table, Mullen decided to stay close to home.
“I had five or six offers out of high school,” she said. “One day I just called Miles and asked if I could come talk to him, and I talked to him after a game here on the bleachers. I committed probably a month or two after that.”
Three years in and she’s still thriving. Mullen plans to work hard and close out her career with a strong individual effort, but she said the team’s success is most important.
“I want to hit over .400 and I want to be an All-American,” she said. “Those are a couple of goals that that I haven’t achieved yet. Winning is the main thing right now. I want to have a winning season and win the conference tournament next year.”
Though she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing beyond college, Mullen is focusing on earning her degree and maintaining the strong bonds on and off the field. From the countless hours spent with her father as Mullen’s hitting instructor to the friendships she’s developed at Wesleyan, Mullen said there’s more to the game than wins and stats.
“I love these girls,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about for me. Softball is fun, but it’s not going to be here forever. The memories I make out here with the girls and everything we do and making my dad proud is what matters. I’m going to school to be a teacher, and that’s my main goal.”
