Two years ago, Hinsdale South’s Madison Kern was a confident freshman playing varsity softball as a pitcher, outfielder and infielder.
“I’d been playing for so long already, and you have to have confidence if you want to succeed in the field and at the plate,” Kern said.
In her junior year, Kern’s confidence and maturity have now spread toward her teammates.
“She’s an upperclassman now,” Hornets coach Kelly Van Hout said of Kern. “You see that poise on the mound from her even a little bit more now. And I think the team definitely looks at her as a leader.”
Kern is one of eight juniors on a Hornets roster with no seniors, three sophomores and three freshmen.
“We had two seniors last year that were the captains and the leaders,” Kern said. “They’re gone now, so I definitely feel that responsibility this year, along with (junior third baseman) Donna Stevens.
“We try encourage people and show them what to do to become a team player. I feel like I stepped up as a player this year, and I do feel like a bigger part of the team.”
Despite a 4-10 record coming off a 6-2 loss to Leyden on Friday, the Hornets have been competitive in many of their losses, including one-run defeats to Glenbard West and Benet.
The Hornets and Eagles were tied 1-1 through three innings, and Leyden led 2-1 after four innings before scoring four runs in the fifth to build a 6-1 lead.
“We always seem to have one bad inning but once we eliminate that, I think we’ll be pretty strong,” Kern said. “We have stronger hitters and overall, everyone on the team is making contributions to winning.”
Kern has pitched the majority of games with fellow junior Marissa Marrera filling in. Stevens slides over to play shortstop and Kern plays third base when she’s not pitching.
Kern batted fifth her freshman and sophomore years and has batted between third and fifth this year.
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“We’re probably at our strongest when she’s on the pitcher’s mound,” Van Hout said. “But I also don’t want to take anything away from what Marissa has done because she has been outstanding for us.”
Kern added: “(Marrera) has pitched well. My pitches are probably just a little bit quicker, but she throws more pitches than I do and we’re both pretty accurate.”
Kern said she’s hitting ball harder this season, crediting her offseason work with her travel team, and she has also gained strength in the circle. Kern plans to attend Illinois State or Northern Illinois and hasn’t ruled out playing softball at the next level.
“I’m not going out of my way to get noticed for softball but I’ll look into it,” Kern said. “It’s still debatable.”
Van Hout likes Kern’s chances.
“She’s a solid all-around player,” Van Hout said. “She pitches, plays third, has pop in her bat. She’s a very fundamentally sound player, and she’s very versatile.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press