Kristen Van Hoosen | Age 16 | Millard West
Millard West’s Kristen Van Hoosen is no stranger to the diamond, having played organized softball since kindergarten. The Junior standout is coming up big this fall for the Wildcats as they march toward State yet again. Coach Don Brummer’s squad is keeping its tradition of success with Van Hoosen leading the bullpen as one of their strongest pitchers and swinging a hot bat.
In their September 3rd game against Benson, payback was most certainly on the minds of the team, as the Bunnies had shocked Millard West in last year’s State Tournament, knocking them out early. Van Hoosen delivered the blows by blasting two home runs and knocking in six RBIs to lead her team to a 12-7 win. “She has always been a very good batter,” Brummer said following the win. “She’s just a great athlete. As we’re in the storming and conforming stage with our lineup, having Kristen step up is helping us get better.”
Van Hoosen lettered for West her freshman and sophomore seasons, and was named Honorable Mention All-State and Honorable Mention Metro Conference in 2012.
She also keeps her summers packed playing for TEAM Nebraska, one of the area’s strongest programs. She was recently named 16U Top Gun All American of the USSSA Top Gun Invitational in Kansas City. Her team finished 2nd out of 46 teams at the USSSA National – Class 16A Tournament, also held in K.C.
Off the field, Van Hoosen is an outstanding student with a 3.7 GPA. She enjoys fishing, playing her guitar and hanging out with her Golden Retriever Chloee. She has two siblings: an older sister Courtney who is a freshman at UNL and an eight year old sister Katelyn.
Kristen is the daughter of Lee and Alice Van Hoosen.
