The stage is set for Brinkley Kita.
And the Crown Point senior is prepared for it.
Kita excelled in the circle when she was a freshman and a key part of the Bulldogs’ run to a Class 4A semistate final.
After her sophomore season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, she was more in the background as a pitcher last year, although she flourished offensively.
This season? Kita is the clear centerpiece for Crown Point.
“I’m so excited for that kid to get a chance to be in the spotlight all by herself for once,” coach Angie Richwalski said. “Not that she was overshadowed, but she never had to step up. So having the opportunity to be the big dog is going to be awesome for her. She’s absolutely capable.
“She’s super athletic and super strong. She’s everything you want in an athlete. She’s a great player. It’s going to be cool to see.”
By the time the postseason arrived her freshman season, Kita had earned the distinction of being Crown Point’s starter on a loaded staff. She went 6-2 with a team-best 0.97 ERA in 64 ? innings with 97 strikeouts and 26 walks.
But she was fourth in innings pitched last season, when all-state first-team pick Madi Elish led the way. Elish, now an Arizona freshman, was backed by all-state second-team pick Grace Lucka, now a freshman at Wayne State, and Madi Young, now a freshman at Bowling Green State.
Kita made her impact mainly as an outfielder and hit .400 with seven homers — tied with Elish for the team lead — and 20 RBIs.
“It was good to kind of get a break from pitching,” Kita said. “I can really come out and prove myself this year and show that I can help this team.”
Kita went 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA, 50 strikeouts and 16 walks in 24 innings last year. She had issues with her command.
“I definitely have been working hard on getting my control back,” Kita said. “I’ve been working out pretty much every day to get it back. I feel like I’m working hard for this season to get ready and be ready so I can be in that No. 1 pitcher role.
“I was just really in my head. So I really had to work on the mental side of this game. I went back, worked out what the problems were with the pitching and then I worked out the mental side. I feel like I have it down.”
Kita committed to play at Lipscomb in Nashville, Tennessee, in September and signed in December. She called the recruiting process “very stressful” and said having her college future secured is “a big weight lifted off my shoulders.”
“I had to not worry so much about what other people are thinking and not worry so much about recruiting,” Kita said. “I really don’t have anything to worry about. Just go out and have fun in the sport that I love.”
Crown Point will be counting on her after a talented class — including all-state first-team pick Anna Holloway, now a freshman at Notre Dame — graduated last year.
“We definitely have some potential to go all the way to state,” Kita said. “Everybody works really well together. I obviously want to pitch well and help my team make it to state. That’s the goal every year.”
With Kita as “that dominant team leader,” Richwalski believes it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.
“If she puts up like she did as a freshman, we can make it really far,” Richwalski said. “And I don’t have any reason to think she shouldn’t. Whether or not she will, we’re all going to find out together.”