While much of Monmouth’s infield is a bit green, there’s a seasoned and dominant presence in the pitcher’s circle.
Kristine “Reen” Kahl had already established herself was one of the top hurlers in the Mountain Valley Conference since pitching as a freshman. That was despite missing a sizable part of her sophomore season to a groin injury. Opponents just might be seeing the best yet from the Monmouth senior this year.
“Last year, she was strong but this year, she’s developed into a powerful house on the mound,” said Monmouth coach Rachel Bernier “She’s been doing weights. She’s put in a lot of extra time.”
Monmouth has started the year 4-0 while Kahl has allowed just five runs and posted two shutouts.
That injury as a sophomore might have hampered her a little, but she’s worked through it. She’s been motivated to be at her best and make up for lost time. She throws harder and has even become one of the team’s most potent offensive threats.
“We had a game here (last Saturday) and after the game, she was out here hitting balls and working on her pitching,” said Bernier. “She’s put in a lot of extra time.”
With an infield that is made up of freshmen and sophomores, Kahl’s dominance on the mound and leadership around the team is crucial.
“She knows the game,” said Bernier. “So I ask for her opinion. That’s what I like, being able to converse with my kids and get that knowledge from them.”
While Kahl is on her way to a big season, she also got big plans for after graduation. She’s going to continue playing softball at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
“I decided to go there because I wanted to serve my country,” said Kahl. “It’s a good place to go. I love the campus. It’s nice and small. It’s not too far from home, but it’s not too close to home. It’s a good middle distance. “
Kahl will serve five years as a commission officer after graduating. She’s majoring in environmental science and hopes to get involved in marine inspection.
Pitching change
Dirigo had an unexpected change in the lineup when starting pitcher Alyssa Wade felt pain in her throwing arm. She suffered some kind of strain last week. That forced the Cougars to go to junior pitcher Ambyr Wilson.
“She might have hurt it on some of her follow throughs with her pitches, and she might have just tweaked it enough,” said Dirigo coach Sara Thurston.
It was likely both were going to see time this year, but the injury rushed Wilson to the pitcher’s circle while Wade moved to first.
“With Alyssa being a senior this year, I wanted to make sure I worked with Ambyr a lot this year,” said Dirigo coach Sara Thurston. “She’ll be our go-to pitcher next year.”
Wilson has pitched well in a loss to Monmouth and a win over Spruce Mountain, featuring much of the team the Cougars lost to in the Western C quarterfinals last spring. Thurston says she couldn’t be more proud of how Wilson has stepped forward and performed. It has allowed Dirigo to give Wade proper time to heal.
“We’ll see,” said Thurston of Wade’s return. “If we have a solid other pitcher, why rush her back into that position if she’s not ready?”
All together now
Spruce Mountain is mixing two softball teams this spring with the combining of Jay and Livermore High Schools, but that transition hasn’t been an issue for the Phoenix. Most of the players have already played together in field hockey, soccer or basketball.
What has been a challenge is getting the entire team together. The Phoenix have started out 3-3 but have hardly had their full team through the first two weeks of the season.
“This is actually the first week we’ve been able to play together as a team,” said Spruce Mountain coach Robin Roberts. “School vacation, we had four starters in Florida. Last week, we had two in robotics. So this is the first week we’ve had our regular lineup. We’ll get through it because we’re a better team than this.”
The Phoenix have high expectations for this club. With veteran starter Paula Despres along with proven regulars in Lexi Deering, Ashley Quirrion, Ashley Dorey and Kathryn Ventrella, the Phoenix should be a team in the playoff hunt in Western B.
kmills@sunjournal.com
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