She’s a 6-foot hurler and a key part of the ISU softball rotation. Her career as a softball standout began in Flower Mound, Texas, where she was a state all star. As a senior she went 13-4 with a 1.51 ERA.

She is Lauren Kennewell.

However, when she wasn’t on the diamond, the ace was using her beauty and talents in the world of modeling. The statuesque Kennewell began her work in front of the camera when she was a precocious 5-year-old.

Growing up in Minneapolis, Kennewell admits to using her Midwest charisma and natural energy to get her career going.

“I was always a really loud and outgoing little girl, and when I was 5 my mom thought it would be a good idea to get me involved with modeling,” Kennewell said.

After sending a few headshots to a local ad agency, the calls came in almost instantly.

“The next day I got a call from Daytons [now Marshall Fields] to do an Easter ad for them and it just kind of exploded from there,” Kennewell said.

Kennewell’s workload continued to blossom. She did ads for Target, Daytons, Banquet Foods, Tommy Hilfiger and American Girl. The American Girl dolls are a classic childhood toy and Kennewell had the honor of modeling for their “Look-A-Like” doll collection.

“I believe I was 10 years old and I went directly from a tournament to the audition and I ended up getting the job because I showed up with dirty, scuffed knees and my softball uniform on,” Kennewell said. “They said ‘this is the American Girl.'”

Of all her jobs, perhaps Kennewell’s most high profile modeling job came via the breakfast table. For four years, Kennewell was featured on the Chex cereal box.

“It came out every year around Christmas and it was one of my favorite ads I did,” Kennewell said. “They liked it so much and it was so successful that [they] just used it for years.”

Modeling is highly fruitful endeavor and was generous to young Kennewell’s piggy bank. Since she was not even a teenager, her parents were responsible for the money. Kennewell said most of the money was put toward savings, except for a small occasional treat.

“It was never about the money, it was just about the fun,” Kennewell said. “I didn’t even know what money was. As long as I had my Barbie doll and my softball glove I was happy.”

As she grew, the spunky child actor began to find other interests. One of these activities that grew to dominate her life was softball. Kennewell said as much as she enjoyed the perks and excitement of the modeling industry, softball always came first.

“There was a lot of times I had to turn down jobs because of softball,” Kennewell said. “Softball always came first because I didn’t want to let down everyone on the team.”

When she was 13 years old, Lauren and the rest of the Kennewell family moved to Texas after her father took a new job. By that point, most of her time was spent on the diamond and the modeling jobs had taken a backseat.

Despite leaving the industry, Kennewell’s desire for it is not gone.

“If the opportunity arose I would consider getting back into it,” Kennewell said. “It was never hard. It was just fun.”