University of Lynchburg

Longtime Hornets shortstop Kayla Hugate graduated into the ranks of the Lynchburg softball coaching staff in the summer of 2021 after one of the finest playing careers the program has ever seen.

A five-year starter at shortstop, Hugate earned All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors four times and two All-State accolades for her contributions to the team's wins. She helped Lynchburg to NCAA tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019, including the 2019 Virginia Beach Regional championship, and an ODAC runner-up finish in 2021.

The Chesterfield native holds the program's records for career games played (203) and at bats (610) and walks in a game (4), and she ranks second on the Lynchburg career leaderboard in hits (223).

Also a star in the classroom, Hugate earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America three times and was voted the 2021 ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete in softball. She graduated from Lynchburg in 2020 with a degree in biomedical science and is pursuing her master's in public health at the University.