FGCU Softball has turned its season around. After a bumpy start in the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Eagles have rattled off eight straight wins to begin ASUN play.
One player helping FGCU on their current win streak is freshman Kate Maston. However, Maston's journey to FGCU was far from normal.
Maston was born with two health issues. First, she had a hole in her heart. Luckily, it healed on its own, which is not always the case.
In addition to that, Kate had club feet. They were turned inward and caused many issues. So much so that she had to wear braces on her feet and ankles for the first four years of her life. The doctors even cut her Achilles tendon to help with her range of motion and flexibility.
"The range of motion has affected running and walking," Maston said. "It’s been a little difficult."
Still to this day, Maston wears a brace on her right foot while playing. Her feet are even different sizes.
With those early health problems, an athletic career was very unlikely, which was uncommon in Kate's family. Her father played in the NFL, her grandfather was a wrestler, and her brother played baseball.
"The doctor did tell my parents never to expect me to be an athlete or anything like that," Maston said.
However, Kate would not accept that as her reality. So, she worked even harder and fell in love with baseball. She played with the boys all the way through her sophomore year of high school on the east coast of Florida.
"Growing up, I wanted to be just like my brother," Maston said. "I always followed in his footsteps, which got me into baseball because he played."
Eventually, Maston knew she had to switch over to softball if she wanted to play in college. So she did her junior year of high school, eventually making it to the Division I level at FGCU after just two years in the sport.
"It’s been amazing," Maston said. "The team’s great."
In her first year at FGCU, you can still see signs of her baseball past. She says she's been told her swing looks like a baseball player more than a softball swing. Maston is still working on the intricate differences of her new sport, but her baseball past has helped her softball present.
"If you watch the way she moves around, everything is smooth," FGCU Softball head coach David Deiros said. "There’s nothing forced about what she’s doing."
Maston's journey was anything but typical, but she is proud of everything she's accomplished, despite the odds, and hopes to be an inspiration for others going through similar issues.
"Hearing everything that the doctors said to me, telling me I’d never play, I feel like you just need to do what you can," Maston said. "Don’t listen to them."
Maston and FGCU Softball play three games at Stetson this weekend before returning home for a series against West Georgia.
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