She Can Be... A Director Of Operations

STARKVILLE – On April 14, 2016, Kayla Winkfield got the best birthday present of her life.

The former Mississippi State infielder was at one of her teammates' houses for a party, but this wasn't just a birthday party. It was a watch party for the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch Draft, and Winkfield, or 'Wink' as the softball program calls her, was expected to be selected.

Two hours in, however, she still hadn't heard her name.

"At this point I'm kind of freaking out," she said. "All these people are here to see me potentially get drafted, and I haven't gotten drafted yet. My teammates were trying to keep it light, talking and having a good time. I think it's the last round and I'm sweating bullets."

She was more worried about disappointing the people who had come to support her than not making it to the league. Wink already had a life planned out for after graduation, and it didn't exactly include playing softball.

During her college career, she had interned at Sally Kate Winters in nearby West Point, Mississippi, an emergency shelter and transitional living program for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. She loved her experience and had applied to similar programs and social work jobs. Winkfield even considered joining the police force, any job that could help her have an impact on young people.

"I'm telling myself, 'If I don't get drafted, it's not the end of the world. I'm here with my teammates, and I've already accomplished so much,'" she said.

There were six picks left when Commissioner Cheri Kempf stepped on the stage, opened her mouth and started to say "Mississippi…" That's all Wink can remember. Somewhere in there, Kempf finished the sentence and called Winkfield's name, but by that point the Bulldog was out of her seat and the bowl in her lap was flying across the room.

"That might not be a lot because the NPF was still gaining traction, but it means a lot to me and my family that I got drafted," Winkfield said. "I called my mom and dad and was bawling my eyes out. Of course, I think my parents both had some tears because it's a big accomplishment, not only for me but for my parents. I really wanted them to enjoy that."

My mom worked really hard to make sure my sister and I didn't sacrifice anything. Whatever dream you wanted, you could do. My mom would instill that in us. My sister is two-and-a-half years older than me, and she graduated and now works in Austin as an accountant and has all kinds of dreams. And she's accomplished about 90 percent of those, so I've had two role models in my life that showed me that there's no dream I can't attain. I'm here because of them and hopefully a little girl will be where she is in the future because she looked up to me.

With her selection, Winkfield's plans immediately changed. It was time to start thinking about graduate school. After all, it would be difficult to begin a career while taking the summers off to travel the country playing professional softball. She decided to return to MSU as a graduate assistant, working towards her degree in the fall and spring and playing ball in the summer.

For a few months, she missed the camaraderie of her college teammates in the locker room, but she quickly regained that comfort and bond in the league. After a four-year career, playing with two franchises and winning a championship in 2017, Winkfield retired. That longing to be part of a team, quickly started to come back.

That's when Samantha Ricketts called.

Ricketts was promoted to the head coach of the Bulldogs program in the summer of 2019. Winkfield was one of the first people she reached out to as she began to fill her staff.

"I never thought about a career in sports," Winkfield said. "Sports had been my entire life up until my last year of pro ball. Here and there I thought about being a coach, because I've always had passion to impact youth. Coaching could help me reach kids from a different light than being a social worker or a case worker or anything like that. So there were points in time where I wanted to be a coach, but it was probably third on the list."

Ricketts wasn't asking her to take on coaching just yet. She wanted her to step into the director of operations role, managing all of the behind-the-scenes organizational aspects of the program.

"I just can't pass up working for someone that I've played for, someone that impacted my life as soon as she stepped on campus and someone who trusted me enough to come back and work with her, not necessarily for her," Winkfield said. "I'm here because I believe in Ricketts and what she's doing."

Honestly, had anyone else called me for a director of operations position somewhere else, I probably wouldn't have taken it. Ricketts has just impacted me so much that I believe in what she is doing and wanted to be a part of it.

Honestly, had anyone else called me for a director of operations position somewhere else, I probably wouldn't have taken it. Ricketts has just impacted me so much that I believe in what she is doing and wanted to be a part of it.

So Wink came back to Starkville. She's been involved with the softball program in some way, as a player, GA or in her current role, in every season since 2013.

She helps Ricketts build a competitive schedule each year, setting travel plans and working with the business office to secure game contracts. She oversees State's student managers and handles all equipment issues. She's tasked with coordinating facility usage and scheduling with the grounds crew. All tasks that a season couldn't begin without.

"Honestly, if you came in here every day last week it would be something completely different," she said. "Obviously, I'm not in a locker room, but I have my teammates in Ricketts, [Tyler] Bratton, Josh [Johnson] and the managers. I think my favorite part of my job is being able to be around softball again."

She's also found that since her playing days weren't so long ago, student-athletes come to her more frequently, asking for advice. They know she's been in their shoes and has plenty of advice to offer.

"They come to me a lot of the times to get my opinion or to ask me how to do something or how to approach a situation, and that's rewarding," Winkfield said. "They're coming to me, asking my opinion, and then I see them grow up and mature and work through this life on their own."

There is definitely a sense of pride. I think it's everyone's responsibility to show that women can do whatever they want. I might not impact as many people as I want to but I'm probably impacting someone right now who could then impact someone else.

There is definitely a sense of pride. I think it's everyone's responsibility to show that women can do whatever they want. I might not impact as many people as I want to but I'm probably impacting someone right now who could then impact someone else.

Winkfield recognizes the importance of being a role model, for the player on the team and the little girls in the stands. She thinks about Iyhia McMichael, a Bulldog legend in the early 2000s who was a three-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. It helped that McMichael was also from her home state of Texas.

McMichael may not know it, but Winkfield has always looked up to her, and it was a special moment for the younger Bulldog when McMichael spoke to the team via Zoom this summer.

"It was possible for me to be in this position because of people like her," she said.

One line Winkfield continually comes back to is "representation matters." It's hard to get into any heartfelt conversation with her without hearing that phrase repeated. She's not the type to want a spotlight on her. Winkfield originally wanted nothing to do with being the subject of a feature story. But she knows the importance of that phrase. She knows that someone out there is looking at her and seeing a future for themselves.

"It means a lot to me," she said. "I come from a small town and not only am I a woman, but I'm also an African-American woman. So girls all over can see that they can be a woman working in sports, especially at the college level and hopefully beyond that at the professional level."

Everyone defines their own success. Success doesn't have one definition. My success was going to college, representing the Winkfield last name in a bright light. Graduating with a master's degree was success, and everything beyond that was a bonus.

Everyone defines their own success. Success doesn't have one definition. My success was going to college, representing the Winkfield last name in a bright light. Graduating with a master's degree was success, and everything beyond that was a bonus.

Mississippi State University Athletics

She Can Be... A Director Of Operations

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