By Jess Westendorf
True freshman Devin Cantu has not only grown into the softball player the Hawkeyes wanted, she’s the player they needed.
Cantu started off the season trying to figure out what her role as a Hawkeye was going to be, but it didn’t take her to long to find her groove in the lineup and on the team.
This looked and felt awfully familiar to Cantu.
At the age of 7, she wasn’t thinking about softball; the only sport on her radar was basketball. But her mother, Mikki Cantu, decided her daughter needed to try different sports and enrolled her in a softball league.
The Cedar Hill, Texas, native was not a fan of softball at first. After years of playing the sport, Cantu wanted to quit. But eventually, she found an aspect of the game that she loved.
Hitting.
“I didn’t really like softball at the beginning,” Cantu said. “I wanted to quit after about three years of playing it, but after playing it a little bit longer, I started to love it. Hitting had a lot to do with it.”
Since coming to Iowa, she has added power to the Hawkeye batting lineup. So I guess you could say her love for hitting has carried over.
“I really like hitting,” she said. “It makes you feel so powerful being able to hit a ball so far.”
Cantu continued her softball career at Cedar Hill High under head coach LaTisha Griffin. During her time at there, she earned a three-time first team all-district honors as well as a District 7-5A award each season.
During her time in high school, she caught the attention of Iowa head coach Marla Looper.
“She was one of our early recruits,” Looper said. “She committed two years prior to even getting here, but the biggest thing we saw was she has power in her swing. She is able to get tiny behind the plate to see the pitch, and she has spark and spunk behind her. Also, that she can play first base and run bases, she can do things that allows her to play the game in a variety of ways.”
Looper had one thing right: Cantu defiantly knows how to play the game at different times and positions.
Behind the plate, she is the eyes and ears for redshirt senior pitcher Shayla Starkenburg, and the pitcher has no problems with that.
“I really like Devin behind the plate,” Starkenburg said. “She has a lot of confidence back there. When she gets down into her squat, she is aggressive, and her pitch calling is outstanding. When I’m pitching to her, I can trust her and what she is calling to me.”
In the fall, she was shy and trying to make the transition from high school to college and figured out what it meant to be a D-1 athlete. She also brought a different type of energy and attitude to the dugout.
“She brings a quiet and positive attitude to the team,” Looper said. “She doesn’t mope, pout, or drag her heels. She is most definitely a part of it.”
Her teammates have enjoyed watching her become such an important part of the team, and they love the atmosphere she brings.
“Devin is awesome,” senior Kaitlyn Mullarkey said. “It took her a bit to come out of her bubble in the fall, but once she came into her own, she’s a really fun kind and a great kid. I’m excited that she is my teammate and one of my friends.”
Since coming into her own, Cantu has had two multiple hit games, three multi-game hitting streaks, and three multiple-RBI games. She has also been a force to be reckoned with when she catches for Starkenburg.
“She is coming into the player that we anticipated,” Looper said. “She still has a glass ceiling that she can reach for, but it has been nice to see her grow into her role and to find her space on this team where she really contributes the most.”