Victoria Wink Earns All State Softball Honors

There wasn’t a lot of pomp and pageantry when Victoria Wink found out she had been named to the New York State all-state softball team this year.

“I found out by looking online,” said Wink.

But for the Wink, who’s headed to Adelphi in the fall to continue her studies as well as her ‘game,’ it was a great feeling. “It’s nice to be noticed, knowing the hard work throughout the season paid off, so it was a great way to end senior year,” she said. “It was an even greater achievement getting to play in the Long Island championship with my team.”

That’s a prototypically unselfish response from an athlete. But according to her softball coach, it’s not just spin. “Vicky Wink's the most unselfish kid I’ve ever coached,” said Rob Perpall, who has a long winning record at Seaford coaching both softball and football. “When you’ve been coaching for awhile, you can tell who’s genuine. She doesn’t care about her stats, where she bats in the lineup, where she plays. Whatever it takes to help the team, she’ll do. Vicki was probably the best shortstop on Long Island this year, but she was willing to play anywhere I asked. She volunteered to catch.”

“She likes to lead by example,” added Glenn Wink, Victoria’s proud father. “She’s pretty quiet, not the rah rah type. She just gets along with everyone.”

If she wanted to, Wink could be plenty enthused about her personal accomplishments. Also a leader in soccer and basketball for the Lady Vikings, she was a human vacuum at shortstop, batted in the high .400s as cleanup, and didn’t strike once the entire season.

“But the most important stat is that she had more clutch game winning hits than any player I’ve ever had,” said Perpall.

“It’s great to get a hit but it’s even greater feeling to be clutch,” said Wink. “You enter a moment where a higher level of focus is needed, yes, but not too much to where you become tense and nervous. It’s not like in the movies where, in those clutch moments, it seems like everything slows down and you come through with the game winning hit. But I do envision what I need to get done in that moment -- and when that happens, it’s a great feeling.”

Wink is not the first Lady Viking to earn all-state recognition in softball. In 2005, Chris Hilcken made it for as a pitcher, said Perpall. “But she’s the first fielder/hitter to make all state for us,“ he noted. “Vicky Wink is a coach’s dream. Never any drama, she just played. And boy does she play well.”

She leads well, too. “Sports has taught me more than just becoming an athlete -- it’s taught me leadership,” says Wink. “Being captain of teams I’ve learned how to talk to girls, help motivate them into achieving they’re capable of.”

As for motivating herself? Success is the biggest motivator, says the Seaford softball standout. “If you’re good at something it makes it more fun -- but more work,” she said. “There’s always room for improvement, so you never stop working hard. Whatever you do well, you love it and have fun, which is the most important thing. But if you love what you do you will give it your all, and success will come.”