Summer does not ease in slowly for Broken Arrow softball standout Kinslee Cottner. For the soon-to-be senior, the offseason begins the moment the final school bell rings and quickly turns into a stretch of hard work and preparation for the Lady Tigers. “Summer officially starts the day after we get out of school for me, and I usually go straight to working on my craft.”
Even with a schedule built around softball, Cottner still makes time to enjoy the break from the classroom. When she does step away from the field, she gravitates toward time with the people closest to her. “Going to the pool with my friends and family.”
Softball, however, remains at the center of her summer routine. Cottner balances team responsibilities, competition and individual development with a steady rhythm that keeps her locked into the sport. “I have practices with my team on Sunday and have a rigorous tournament schedule that keeps me occupied through the whole summer. And on my off days I recover and work on fundamentals.”
In the circle and at first base, Cottner embraces the mental side of the game as much as the physical demands. She understands that one moment never fully defines a performance, especially for a pitcher. “I pitch and play 1st. The hardest thing about pitching is knowing that one hit doesn’t define how the rest of the game will go.”
As she enters her senior year, Cottner has zeroed in on sharpening her mindset to match her skills. “I’m going into senior year, and I worked on my mentality the most this summer.” That focus fits a team with high expectations and the belief it can finish at the top. “I want to win a state championship with my teammates. We have all of the talent and willingness to do it.”
Cottner also points to the teammates who shape the Lady Tigers’ competitive edge and culture. “The person who is the loudest in the dugout is Payton Wells and the one who comes home with the dirtiest uniform is Aryanna Caesar.” She also carries lessons from a former teammate who helped her settle in. “Addily Evan’s because she was a true teammate to me and made me feel so comfortable when I came last year.”
