Power surge

Plainfield Central senior Stephanie Kirkpatrick is our Softball Player of the Year.

(Michael R. Schmidt/Staff photographer)

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Ask Plainfield Central senior Stephanie Kirkpatrick about her favorite home runs of the 2008 high school softball season and the answers flow as electric as the current produced by lightning during thunderstorms.

In her fourth varsity season, the University of Michigan-bound shortstop paced the Wildcats to a second straight Southwest Prairie Conference title and a third consecutive regional championship -- the beyond-compare fielder and dynamite leadoff hitter exploding this spring with a power surge.

After batting .354 with 40 hits, 34 runs, 10 doubles, 7 triples, 16 stolen bases, 2 home runs and 23 RBIs as a junior, Kirkpatrick returned from a summer of travel ball with the Beverly Bandits like a business executive anticipating change, both individually and, importantly, for her team.

Three years of being Plainfield's third baseman added to the transition, but Kirkpatrick finally found herself at home at short, and in the process, located the length in her finest swings -- which led to large wins over Minooka, Morris and Class 4A state champion Lincoln-Way Central.

The launch that climbed the scoreboard against Minooka. The two-out, tying shot in the seventh against Morris. The 2-run wallop that brought the Wildcats back against Lincoln-Way Central. While those thoroughbreds came from her stable, Kirkpatrick struggled for separation.

One.

Pick one and only one.

"I can't choose," said Kirkpatrick, who described her previous Plainfield self as that small singles hitter, this before the final season of a home-run derby that rivaled Kentucky's race. "They're all great."

With every at-bat, Kirkpatrick completed what accurately could be dubbed "The Great Race." The 5-foot-5 future Wolverine conquered chilly temperatures and howling winds alike, hitting a single-season school-record 10 home runs en route to Herald News Player of the Year honors.

Headlining the 25-player all-area first team from Classes 1A-4A, Kirkpatrick proved to be the best of the bunch, batting .510 with 12 doubles, 7 triples, the 10 homers and 24 RBIs. Cubs manager Lou Piniella still needs a leadoff hitter, right? Look no further than her 23 stolen bases as well.

Besides the obvious offensive numbers, the sterling .941 fielding percentage and the fact Gatorade gave her its Illinois top player award, Plainfield coach Anne Campbell called Kirkpatrick "an example. She's a great athlete, a great student, a great leader and a great player, so it's possible."

Impossible? The humble Kirkpatrick, nicknamed "KP," would be A-OK with that description of her home-run improvement. Following the Joliet all-area MVP likes of Lockport sisters Samantha and Angela Findlay and Lincoln-Way East's Alisa Goler, though, Kirkpatrick also showed her singular stuff.

One.

She's a one and only.

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From the third-base coaching box, Campbell watched Kirkpatrick's four-year progression like a fan in a front-row seat. The four-time all-conference choice first stood up and stood out as a sophomore, batting .309 with 24 runs, 4 doubles, 8 triples, 8 steals and 10 RBIs. Teammates and opponents took notice.

Entering her senior season, Kirkpatrick was a two-time second team all-area selection who had already signed with Michigan. However, of all the home runs she eventually hit this spring, Campbell recalled the top of the seventh in a 4-1 eight-inning victory over host Morris due to a distinctive demeanor.

That certain gaze.

That certain stride.

That certain resolve.

"You could see it in her eyes," Campbell said. "In order for us to not lose the game, she had to hit a home run and she did. It's one of few times she looked at me and I looked at her, and she had never given me a look like that before. It's my most memorable moment because she flat-out knew that she could do it."

"She brings a lot of confidence and she has the swagger," Morris coach Amy Barr said of Kirkpatrick. "She's a great hitter, so you have to be smart when you're pitching to her or she will hurt you, and she's done it time and time again. Plainfield's a good team, but I really thought that she carried them."

Trailing 4-0, Plainfield rallied as Kirkpatrick got carried away with the go-ahead homer in the 6-5 win over Lincoln-Way Central. Her leadoff homer in the first inning, the blast that unbelievably topped the scoreboard in Plainfield's cavernous park vs. Minooka, amazed observers.

"Both home runs either brought us to win the game or ended up tying up things, like the Lincoln-Way Central game," Kirkpatrick said. "There were so many fans at that Lincoln-Way Central game and I loved that one, but I've never seen anybody hit it over the scoreboard here. That one felt pretty good."

Better than good was the offseason boost Kirkpatrick received in working with hitting coach Steve Ball. Combined with playing an 18 Gold schedule with the Bandits, what Kirkpatrick noted as "the highest level" in the summer, the result emerged with doubles that split the gap sailing over the fence.

"In my hitting lessons once a week in the winter with Mr. Ball, he tweaked stuff about my swing," Kirkpatrick said. "It looked like I had the power in me the whole time, but I was just a little bit off on everything. I think that really increased my ability to hit the home runs."

"Stephanie always had hit the ball really hard," Campbell pointed out. "And I always thought, for her size, she had a lot of power. If she gets an inside pitch, that's typically where she generates her power because her swing is so compact, and she started taking those inside pitches over the left-field fence."

One after another, the doubles or triples of years ago remained. Particularly with two strikes, Kirkpatrick's swings were a thing of line-drive beauty. But evolution being part of the equation, she kept her singles-hitting mindset as her base even as rounding the bases became the norm rather than an exception.

"I never go in thinking that I'm going to hit home runs," Kirkpatrick confirmed. "Because then all you do is pop up."

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Junior second baseman Taylor Tooley, Kirkpatrick's likely replacement at shortstop next season, batted third for Plainfield. A two-time first team all-area pick, she hit .450 with 14 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers and 43 RBIs, nearly matching her sophomore totals of .473 with 11 doubles, 7 triples, 7 homers and 46 RBIs.

As the leadoff prong in front of Tooley, senior first baseman Julia Fink and senior pitcher Brittany Adcox, Kirkpatrick played to the perception in the seasons preceding her senior sojourn. The initial cracks of 2008 imploded a three-tier mold.

That definite role.

That definite reputation.

That definite stereotype.

"I've always been told that I'm small, I'm the singles hitter, I'm the leadoff hitter," Kirkpatrick said. "I'm supposed to get on base and the Taylor Tooleys of the world will bring me home.

"Going for the singles, going for the doubles, going for the hits to the outfield, it advanced into home runs. I'm not going to say it was lucky, but if you hit the ball hard and if you hit the ball solidly, good things happen."

What happened after the homer vs. Lincoln-Way Central and an impressive performance at the Elgin Slugfest -- "The fence there is 325 feet," Campbell said, "and she hit one that landed about three feet in front of it" -- turned predictable.

"That was my first thought, to intentionally walk her," Lincoln-Way Central coach Dick Mandella said afterward. "I didn't do it, so that was a goof on my part, and if I had to do it over, yes, I would intentionally walk her."

By the semifinals of the 4A Bolingbrook Sectional, Naperville Central collated the message. In a 2-0 defeat that lasted 11 innings, Kirkpatrick finished 0-for-1 with 4 walks, at least one intentionally, and stole 3 bases. Top-seeded Plainfield departed the playoffs, Kirkpatrick walking away with a Barry Bonds feeling.

"It was tough," she said. "It's the first time I ever had to deal with something like that. I've always been pitched to, and you know, everyone looks at me saying, 'She's small.' It made me feel good that they didn't want to pitch to me, but at the same time, all I wanted to do was to help my team win that game."

Pausing, Kirkpatrick explained that "once you're on a roll, people want to stop you." It was a roll that began with the Wildcats' third win, a 1-0 decision over Minooka on a home run that caused as much excitement as the fireworks celebration at the old Comiskey Park.

"Absolutely," Campbell said. "It's about 208 when you measure it straight down the line, and the elevation you need to get the ball over that scoreboard, it takes quite a hit."

"I'm just so proud we put Plainfield on the map over the last few years," Kirkpatrick said. "We're considered one of the bigger programs now, and it's good to be ranked at the beginning of the season, to be ranked No. 1. It gives you the confidence and makes you work harder, strive harder, to be a better player and a better team."

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The pride of the Plainfield softball program: defense. Traditionally, the Wildcats will have varying degrees of success on the mound and at the plate. They have overachieved on many an occasion, pitching no-hitters and parking opponent's pitches, but the alphabet in the soup under Campbell usually spells defense.

Home runs catch the attention of everybody involved, from players to coaches to fans to media. Making the difficult catches, to the tune of a mere 5 errors, put Kirkpatrick in exclusive company. She snuffed grounders like a blanket over a fire and courted popups like a jester seeks a king's laughter.

One.

She's one in a million.

"Defensively, with her and Tooley, there were no holes," Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec said. "Those two covered a ton of ground. They have incredibly strong arms, they're incredibly fast. They were phenomenal defensively, and it all starts with your shortstop."

"She has the arm, she has the range, but the other thing that makes her so appealing is how she chases down the bloops with over-the-shoulder catches," Barr said. "She takes away base hits, she's very smart, she plays with confidence and she's a leader."

For three years, Kirkpatrick deferred shortstop leadership to Tricia Nelson, a first team all-area selection last year and the conference MVP. Whether the moves were from third base or this year at her natural position of shortstop, Kirkpatrick roams like could-be Bulls draft pick Derrick Rose plays point guard.

"She has such terrific range," Campbell said. "She was so fast on bunts at third base, and as the shortstop, she could cover that whole area around short and to third with her speed. And she has the arm to get up and get the ball to first base. Plus, she's a great all-around athlete with raw strength. As a libero in volleyball, she was all over the court."

Soon enough, fall ball at Michigan will beckon. After playing libero for Plainfield's volleyball team and point guard for the basketball team, all of Kirkpatrick's plans center on wearing the Wolverines' maize and blue for softball. The desire to drive pitches over the fence that served her so well in 2008 should suffice in '09.

One.

To be one among the best.

"I am pumped," Kirkpatrick said. "I cannot wait to go. If I wasn't so pumped, I probably would be nervous. I'm not going to think about it. This is what I've been working for, so I'm going to go in there with all that I've got, hope I can make a big impact on the team and win some games.

"It's the highest level, one of the best teams in the Midwest, and I can't wait. I'm excited, and my hope is that, one day, we'll be able to win a World Series. I've made it this far, anything is possible, and all I want to do is work my hardest to be in that lineup."

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