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OLHS senior Kiki Estrada soon to join Razorbacks softball team she committed to in 8th grade
Courtesy: Tammy Brubaker

OLHS senior Kiki Estrada soon to join Razorbacks softball team she committed to in 8th grade

CHINO HILLS, Calif. — Drive. Fight. Determination. These words describe 17-year old softball player Kiki Estrada. Over the last 14 years of practice, Kiki has been led by considerable personal goals within her sport: to become the NCAA, SEC and Arkansas all-time home run leader, the single season home run leader and an All-American. Kiki will attend the University of Arkansas to play softball. This young lady committed to the Razorbacks in eighth grade at only 13-years old.

Courtesy: Tammy Brubaker

She thought the campus was absolutely breathtaking. It is ranked the No. 1 place to live in the Southeastern Conference six years in a row.

“The coaches believed in me at such a young age, and I felt all the love from the amazing coaching staff,” Kiki said. “We saw this program on its way to the top and sure enough they are one of the top programs in the nation. It has always been my dream to play in the SEC, and when I got the opportunity — I was head over heels.”

While she is thriving during her senior year of high school, she says her biggest challenge in the sport is the mental side of the game. Softball is a game of failure, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that because it is in our nature to seek perfection. What she does to manage this challenge is remember there is so much more than softball.

“One bad game or one bad at-bat doesn’t define who I am as a person or athlete,” Kiki said. “Everyone will make mistakes and that’s okay, the thing that I always try to remind myself of is that God is so much bigger than softball and my failures, so just enjoy the game and have fun.”

Kiki says the best advice she’s ever been given is that softball doesn’t define her.

“My identity is found in Christ who has saved me and not the fact that I had a bad game or good game,” Kiki said.

A motto or saying that she likes to live by is ‘go with the flow.’ She is very aware that she can’t control everything but believes that God has a reason for things, so she leaves her worries alone. What she absolutely loves about her sport is meeting lifelong friends and forging relationships with people all over the country. Softball has led her to meet girls she would never have imagined meeting.

Courtesy: Tammy Brubaker

Kiki has an older brother, 23-year old Brad, who plays hockey at the University of Arkansas and is excited to be going to college with him. She also has a 12-year-old younger brother, Dylan, who plays hockey. She says he is one of the best defensive players she’s seen at such a young age. Kiki spent her freshman and sophomore years at Chino Hills High School then when COVID-19 hit, she transferred to Orange Lutheran High School.

Outside of softball, Kiki enjoys spending time with her family, who are very close. In the precious moments when they don’t have sports going on they like to watch YouTube, Netflix and Hulu together. Kiki is a fun loving, positive, witty and self-admitted perfectionist. Her favorite snack is Crumbl Cookies and Starbucks. She listens to country music from Jon Pardi, Morgan Wallen, Connor Smith and Riley Green and pop artists Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift before her games. Her pregame ritual is to put on warrior-black eye paint, put the right cleat on first and always put her right batting glove on first.

“Being a teammate has taught me that not everything is about me,” Kiki said. “It has taught me that there are sisters that have my back and to help me get up when I fall. It has taught me to be there for them and to hold them accountable in order to pull the best out of them.”

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