How UConn’s Lexi Hastings Found Her Voice and Broke Records

For UConn softball star Lexi Hastings, her journey is best described as a rose growing from concrete. Placed in foster care at age four, she found a home and hope with the Hastings family. Her parents, Dawn and Ben, introduced her to sports, which not only helped her find her confidence but also provided a sense of purpose. As a third grader, Lexi excelled at individual sports like figure skating and horseback riding. But it was in softball that she truly began to thrive. “When I was running the bases in softball,” she said, “it felt like I was actually running toward something.”

A Champion on and Off the Field

With the support of her family and coaches, Hastings’s hard work paid off. She was recruited by UConn during the COVID-19 pandemic and committed to a team with a clear goal: bring a championship back to Storrs. She immediately set her sights on breaking records, and with her “fire and faith” leadership, she accomplished every one of them. By the end of her career, she was a four-time All-Big East honoree, the 2024 Big East Player of the Year, and helped lead her team to a Big East championship.

Leaving a Legacy

Beyond her athletic achievements, Hastings put a huge focus on her academics and leadership. The sports management major participated in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum, where she honed her professional skills. She also founded UConn’s chapter of Common Ground, an initiative that promotes dialogue between religion and LGBTQ+ inclusion. She will continue her work at UConn in graduate school, where she will study higher education and student affairs. For Hastings, her goal is to be a trailblazer for other children who have faced adversity. She wants them to see her story and know that they too can believe in themselves and achieve their dreams.