May 13, 2009

By Amy Farnum Novin
NCAA.com

University of Florida senior Kristina Hilberth has come a long way since beginning her career as a fourth-string, walk-on catcher for the Gators in 2006.

The native of Dunedin, Fla., was set to arrive on the Gainesville campus as an invited walk-on so she would not have to try out for the team, but the program underwent a coaching change before her freshman year and she was unsure she would still have a spot on the squad with the new head coach Tim Walton.

“When I came here and the coaching change happened, it was an uncertainty for everyone, but especially for me as a walk-on,” said Hilberth.  “At first, I was just glad to be on the team because I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen.”

At fall practice that first year, there was stiff competition with a roster of 25 players, and Hilberth needed to find a way to contribute.

“I needed to prove to him that I deserved to stay here and that I would work hard and play a role on this team,” said Hilberth.  “At that time, that role was being the fourth-string catcher.  I was delighted to be on the team, and after the fall when Coach said I was going to travel (in the spring) I was even more excited.”
 
Hilberth worked her way up to second-string catcher by the end of the fall behind 2006 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Kristen Butler, but she knew still had room to improve. 

“I knew that I needed to improve on my field throws,” said Hilberth.  “That was something that was a clear difference with the starting catcher and me.  I needed work on my release and on my arm to get it stronger and be quicker.  In the summertime, I would jump rope almost every day to get my feet quicker.  You can have a really good arm, but if you have slow feet, you’re still not going to have a good time down to second.”
 
In addition to working on her skills, Hilberth realized that it takes more than a strong arm and quick feet to be a good catcher.

“I also knew that having a relationship with the pitchers was really important,” said Hilberth.  “My freshman year I caught bullpen a lot and worked really hard to understand the type of pitchers I was catching.  I think after four years of catching Stacy Nelson, I know a lot about the type of pitcher she is and the way that she responds and how to be a good catcher for her.”

As a sophomore, Hilberth began the year as the second-team catcher, but after an injury sidelined Francesca Enea, she took over the starting spot and has held on to ever since, although she has never eased off striving to do her best.

“From there on out, I knew I needed to keep working hard because Coach Walton tries to bring in recruits that are better than athletes he already has so he can continue to make this program better,” said Hilberth.

Hilberth owns the school record for career fielding percentage (.995), and ranks second on this year’s squad with a .386 batting average as she serves as the battery mate for the nation’s top pitching staff (0.58 ERA).   She was recently named SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after posting three hits and an RBI as the Gators (55-3) claimed their second straight league championship and the team earned the No. 1 overall seed entering the NCAA Division I Championship.

“To be at this point in my career, it’s really more of a dream than anything else because I would have never expected myself to be the starting catcher the last three years and for us to have accomplished so many things as a team and me being such a big part of that,” said Hilberth.

Florida will host Florida A&M (30-30), Lehigh (36-16-1) and Texas A&M (31-19) in the Gainesville Regional beginning May 15. The Gators begin play on Friday against FAMU at 6 p.m.   It is the second straight season the Gators have garnered the No. 1 overall seed.