During Chico State softball’s recent Senior Day ceremonies, Kayla Barber’s father remarked how she has been “the tiniest player in size – but definitely not in heart – on every team (she) played on over the past 16 years.” Barber more than lived up to that description over the weekend during the Wildcats’ season-ending series against Cal State East Bay, coming up huge both offensively and defensively to finish her college career on an extremely satisfying note. Her giant effort against the Pioneers allows Barber to also go out as Wildcat of the Week.
The Fresno native appeared in all four games against Cal State East Bay, starting three. Barber led the Wildcats with a combined .400 average (4-for-10), scoring twice and knocking in a pair of runs while flashing flawless glovework at second base.
Barber picked up a base hit and scored a run in the opener of the four-game weekend set, then went 2-for-3 Sunday with a run scored and two RBI in the Wildcats’ 6-2 win over the Pioneers. Barber finished off the day – and her Chico State career – with a single in three trips in the nightcap, but it wasn’t enough to keep the ’Cats from bowing to East Bay 11-6.
Barber concluded her two seasons with the Wildcats with 32 hits and a dozen runs batted in to go along with a career .227 batting average. Fittingly, she enjoyed quite a bit of success against Cal State East Bay, posting a .478 career batting average (11-for-23) versus the Pioneers.
