As Lexi Hastings penned a speech her senior year to her UConn softball teammates, she likened her story to that of a rose that grew from concrete.
Being placed in foster care at 4 years old was the concrete, while being adopted provided the seed and her softball experience gave her what she needed to bloom.
Hastings relates to that rose, which logically never should grow yet somehow finds a way to thrive.
"I was planted in places never meant to hold life through pain, childhood abuse, neglect and darkness," she told her teammates in her speech. "But my family saw me, just a seed, taking in a broken little girl, watering, nourishing, loving and letting in the light through the cracks."
Hastings' stay at her first foster home was supposed to last only two weeks. As it became a home where she could feel safe to share her story, her stay was extended. Eventually, she was adopted by the Hastings family.
Hastings said her mom, Dawn, is the challenger, always telling her daughter the truth, pushing her to be better. Her dad, Ben, is the cheerleader, giving her positivity through his gentle, sweet spirit.
"We say it all the time. I knew I was their daughter the minute I joined their family," the Lynchburg, Virginia, native said.
Her mom and dad introduced Lexi and her sisters, Melinda and Faith, to sports. As a third grader, Lexi started with individual sports — horseback riding and figure skating. They taught her to trust herself, building the confidence her early life experiences did not provide.
Then she began team sports. She learned to be with trusted adults and coaches, work with others and communicate her emotions. When she started softball, Hastings didn't receive much playing time, but the ultracompetitive youngster prided herself on being the loudest kid in the dugout. She especially thrived when the coach would call her name to run the bases.
"That's where I felt the freest," Hastings reflected. "I joke about it a lot because, I don't know, I felt like for a long time I was kind of running away from my past, but when I was running the bases in softball, it felt like I was actually running toward something."
Her coaches continued to work with her. In particular, her eighth grade coach, Kenny Mount, would stay with Hastings for hours after practice to train.
"Every single person we met would, for some reason, just walk up to Lexi, and each of them would always spend this individual time with her, trying to teach her how to become better," Dawn Hastings said. "Her work ethic and her attitude towards everything, once she learned to love who she was, it was just something everyone was magnetized to."
With the help of her village, by high school, Hastings earned conference honors and looks from collegiate scouts.
Then, the seemingly impossible became possible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UConn reached out with an offer. Hastings had never been to the campus, never met the coaches or team face-to-face, but she nonetheless committed to UConn.
"I get emotional thinking about it because it's so surreal. Growing up, the background I came from, it just took the belief from the people around me but also belief in myself," she said.
Her commitment to UConn meant committing to the goal coach Laura Valentino set: Bring a championship back to Storrs, Connecticut.
"It hadn't been done in two decades, and it seemed impossible at the time. But she reminded me of the coaches and people I've had in my life that took a chance on me, believed in me. I knew that alone was enough to reach the potential I could become as a player and a person," Hastings said.
Coach V also committed to helping Hastings achieve her personal goals: Break the single-season stolen base record. Become Player of the Year. Leave Storrs with a championship ring and a legacy.
"(Lexi) leads with fire and faith," said Shaliya Heard, UConn's director of softball operations. "What I believe sets her apart is how her unwavering faith and commitment to gratitude shape the way she shows up for herself and everyone around her. She celebrates every moment, whether it's a win, a lesson or a small step forward."
"To watch her become successful in college was crazy," her mother said. "I remember her freshman year, she showed up, and she probably was still behind the curveball. Yet Coach V saw something in her ... and Lexi just took every opportunity."
By the end of her career, the outfielder had earned All-Big East honors four times, was the 2024 Big East Player of the Year and broke program records in both career runs scored and stolen bases.
In 2025, the senior and her Huskies were crowned Big East champions.
"I did do all of those things (I set as goals)," she said with a smile.
Heard said Hastings' leadership made sure every voice mattered, making UConn softball believe in the possibility of winning a championship.
"Lexi made it so that those goals didn't feel far-fetched. Her faith, her vision and her never-ending belief made them feel within reach. That's her legacy: changing what we thought was possible and doing it in a way that made everyone feel seen, valued and inspired."
Hastings put equal focus into her academics, too. The sports management major worked with UConn's leadership development department, served as a Team IMPACT fellow and created UConn's chapter of Common Ground, an initiative to foster dialogue on the intersection of religion and LGBTQ inclusion.
Last summer, the NCAA selected Hastings for theCareer in Sports Forum.
"I left with hard skills. I could hold a conversation at networking events, but I gained an understanding of the value of creating relationships. It also helped me from a professional standpoint to feel really confident when I applied to grad school. The NCAA does a good job of pushing you to show up as yourself. That fueled my confidence going into those interviews," she said.
This April, Hastings and four others from UConn attended an NCAACommon Groundconference. There, Hastings remembers a conversation with Felicia Martin, senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement.
"I had a conversation with Felicia specifically about leadership styles and how you show up as yourself," Hastings said. "I'm someone that's really loud, energetic and honest. It helped me be intentional about how I express that."
Dawn Hastings understands that college softball changed her daughter's life.
"I think UConn gave her the ability to believe that there was no end," she said. "It's just the beginning."
While she has left a legacy on the field, Hastings' journey at UConn is not complete. She will stay in Storrs in graduate school for higher education and student affairs and will continue her work with the athletics department, including positions with Title IX and the office of institutional equity, plus bringing Common Ground lessons to campus.
"And justfindingwho Lexi Hastings is outside of a student-athlete," she added.
Hastings' track record speaks for itself: She is someone who leaves a place better than she found it. She seeks justice. She's a spark plug who enjoys rooting for people, seeing change happen and being a part of that process. She is a rose that grew from concrete.
"I wanted to be a trailblazer for all the children who were like me, who need a story to just look at to believe in themselves, too," she said. "I'm proud of the fact that I stayed true to myself, my beliefs and that I dreamed of so many things and worked really hard to achieve them."
