Alexis Hastings had her sights set on becoming a professional athlete, but as a standout softball player at UConn, she knew it was an uphill climb.
Players from mid-major programs don’t get very many opportunities to play professionally. However, Hastings wouldn’t take no for an answer, and if anyone can do hard things, she can.
Hastings was adopted at the age of four. The Hastings’ home was supposed to be a two-week foster home. Her stay was extended, and eventually she was adopted. The North Carolina native grew up ice skating and cheerleading. Now, she is playing in multiple professional leagues and for different sports.
Hastings spoke with The IX Sports on Monday morning and explained how she is trying to change a stereotype for generations to come.
For the past several weeks and until Aug. 8, Hastings has been playing for the Kansas City Diamonds of the Professional Softball League. Once softball season ends, she will trade in the yellow ball for a smaller, whiter one and suit up with the Boston Hunters of the Women’s Pro Baseball League.
Hastings is proving why athletes no longer have to choose between softball and baseball. They are different sports, and she is living proof that women can play both.
“You don’t have to choose,” Hastings said. “You could do both, and why not?”
Hastings isn’t wrong. She is one of a handful of athletes in the WPBL who starred on the softball field, too. She just happens to be the only player playing both pro softball and pro baseball. Oh, and she had never played competitive baseball before she tried out for the pro league.
For decades, women were forced to choose between softball and baseball. Some, who grew up on the baseball field, had to transition to softball for college. That changed when Olivia Pichardo suited up for Brown University’s baseball team.
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Hastings doesn’t want to pit the two sports against each other moving forward.
“We want people to know that they’re two different sports and they should be celebrated, they should be watched as such. It’s not go play softball. It’s, hey, they’re here to play baseball. And I think creating opportunities for women is a good thing,” she said.
“The moment that we try to pin it up against each other, we are limiting what the possibilities could be. And so to create that longevity between both opportunities, you have to co-build beside each other.”
Both leagues are in their inaugural seasons, and Hastings’ respective teams are helping her compete in both. Between seasons, she will compete for the Virgin Islands National Team in the Dominican Republic and during baseball seasons, she will start the school year.
Hastings, who is in her final year of a master’s program, is also a graduate assistant at UConn in the Office for Inclusion and Civil Rights (formerly, Office of Institutional Equity).
It’s a balancing act, for sure, but Hastings is proving something to a younger generation of athletes.
“You don’t have to limit yourself anymore,” Hastings said. “And you’re not hopelessly dreaming or trying to believe in something that hasn’t yet been. It’s happening now, and they can have someone to look towards. They could have different pipelines that they can follow.”
Hastings was a four-time All-Big EAST selection in college and was the 2024 Big East Player of the Year.
As a rookie with the Diamonds, the outfielder is batting .350 through 25 games. She has a .583 slugging percentage and a .429 on-base percentage to go with her three doubles, one triple, three home runs, 16 runs scored and 16 runs batted in.
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Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
