“She did a great job [at catcher], threw out runners and was a solid defender for us,” Prep Coach Julie Jaime said of Kay, who hadn’t caught since the eighth grade. “And, she offered just great leadership in both those roles, as a pitcher and a catcher.
“Offensively, she was always a threat.”
Kay batted .463 in league with team-highs in runs batted in (20), doubles (five), total bases (30) and slugging (.732). She also had a league record of 4-1 in the circle, where she led the team with 32 innings pitched, started six games, took three to completion and finished with 46 strikeouts to 13 walks.
“It felt really nice to be recognized by the league,” said Kay, who was a first-team selection last year as the Rebels’ primary hurler. “[Playing catcher] was challenging in the beginning, because I had been working all offseason to pitch, but I recognized that if I really wanted our team to do well and for us to have a good chance of being successful, I had to be able to move around.
“Then, once I started catching again, I realized I really did like it.”
Vine provided some firepower in the lineup, batting .404, slugging .489 with 23 total bases and driving in 14 runs in league while scoring 13 times.
“She has power and was one of our most consistent players offensively and defensively,” Jaime said of Vine, who also logged time at catcher when needed. “You hardly ever see a ball get past her.”
Bathke missed some league games while competing on the Rebels track team. But when she was in the lineup, the speed that carried her to a league championship in the 100- and 200-meter races translated well to the base paths.
“She easily could have been on the first team had she been there more often,” Jaime said of Bathke, who batted .345 in league, scoring 10 runs and stealing four bases. “She’s a phenomenal athlete all the way around. ...Any time she was on first base, she would automatically be on second.”
Van der Goot pitched 27 1/3 innings in league this season and had a record of 2-3 with 32 strikeouts to 17 walks. Opponents batted .239 against her. Van der Goot also batted .500 (10 for 20) and drove in five runs in league.
“She’s a great pitcher, she throws so hard,” Jaime said. “She has several different pitches. …Her rise ball, her curve, her drop, they all work very well.”
Khodadian hit .316 with nine RBIs, five doubles and two stolen bases in league.
“We’ve got some big shoes to fill there,” Jaime said. “She just makes plays because of her athleticism and learned the game very well.”
