Kati Reeves knows hard work pays off.

And thanks to her hard work on the softball field, the former Pleasant Home standout just completed a successful junior college softball career.

“We definitely worked a lot harder than the other teams,” Reeves said of her career at Faulkner State Community College. “That, combined with having to work hard at school, definitely is going to help me next year with all of my priorities and getting through school.”

Reeves compiled a .318 batting average in her final year as a Lady Sun Chief. Her slugging percentage was .612, and she had six home runs while driving in 28 runs.

During the season, Reeves switched back-and-forth from designated player (DP) to pinch hitter.

At the end of the season, Reeves went back to being the DP, and got three home runs and a few more RBIs.

The Lady Sun Chiefs finished as the runner-up in the Alabama Community College Conference state tournament, where they battled through the loser’s bracket and ended up falling to Central Alabama 6-4 in the if needed championship game.

Reeves said she remembers that game well.

“The last game was definitely not what we’d hoped for,” she said. “The first day of the tournament, all I did was ground out all day long. The second day of the tournament I started with a home run and hit base hit after base hit.

“On the last day, I popped up and popped up,” she said. “I was the last at bat, and I was the tying run with one out and a runner at second. I ended up hitting a long ball, where she caught it, and made an awesome play on it.”

When asked about her experience overall, Reeves said it was “awesome” to play for the Lady Sun Chiefs.

“It was definitely awesome because it was a great school,” she said. “I learned a lot from my coach (Joshua Johnson). I loved the girls that I played with. We were really a team. It was fun, and a very bettering experience playing there.”

Reeves will transfer to Auburn University this fall, where she will major in environmental science.

She is the daughter of Opp assistant principal and softball coach Jimmy Reeves of Andalusia, and Teresa Capps of Auburn.