KUTZTOWN, Pa. (March 18, 2011)—Maybe it's her obsession with the entire New York Yankees franchise from past to present, which includes her favorite athlete of all time, Babe Ruth, or perhaps it's the three home runs she slugged last week in Florida that has junior Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) motivated to keep aiming for the stars.
Whatever it is, let's just say that this girl has game.
Last season she led the Kutztown University softball team with 49 runs batted in and 10 homers. She was also named to the first team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division. This year her role has somewhat switched and she is playing the role of a designated player instead of the third base position she played last season.
No matter what her job on the team is, she tries her best to deliver results.
“If you had to make me choose one specific favorite thing that I love about softball, I couldn't,” Henninger said. “I love the game too much to have just one thing that is my favorite. Every aspect about the game is important. It's the feeling you get when you make a diving catch in the hole, or come up with the game winning hit and your team is there to congratulate you when you cross home plate. Even the little moments at practice when someone does something silly (it's usually me) and we have a team moment and we just laugh. To me that is my favorite aspect of the game, every little thing.”
The little things are what has helped Henninger and the Golden Bears (15-3 overall) to its best start to a season since 2002. KU is currently ranked 11th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll, it's highest of the 2011 season.
Kutztown will take its highest ranking of the 2011 season to the Salem Invitational in Salem, Va., site of the 2011 NCAA Softball Championships in May, on Saturday Mar. 19 and Sunday, Mar. 20. KU kicks off the tournament with three games on Saturday against Seton Hill at 11 a.m., Shepherd at 1 p.m., and Davis & Elkins College at 5 p.m. The Golden Bears will battle Wheeling-Jesuit at 11 a.m. and University of Charleston at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
During the National Training Center (NTC) Spring Games, she ended the game against Limestone College with a walk-off grand slam in the fifth inning to left centerfield to punctuate a 9-0 victory over Limestone. The next game, she had a home run against Alderson-Broaddus and collected two RBI's in an 11-2 victory.
With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, she had a two-run homerun to Kutztown blank eighth-ranked Winona State University, 6-0. Henninger had two hits in KU's 9-6 extra-inning loss to Grand Valley State University. It was Kutztown's only setback during a memorable 8-1 trip to the Sunshine State.
“My main focus is just staying relaxed,” Henninger said. “My issue in the past was being over anxious. I have paid extra special attention to staying focused, seeing the ball from the hip and not trying to swing for the fence. A base hit is all we need on this team to produce bigger things, hits on our team are definitely contagious.”
Henninger couldn't have said it better. Once a Golden Bear player gets in the swing of things, it seems as if the rest follow suit. Eleven players are hitting above the .300 mark and as a team Kutztown has a .326 batting average.
“I feel great about my team's success so far,” Henninger said. “We started off the season great and because of that only good things can come from it. Things can only get better from here and improve even more to put us at a level beyond our own expectations.”
What she loves most about her team is simply being around them. Henninger describes their relationships as being “like family and their great friendships show in everything they do.”
But when one thinks of a good team, they also think of a good coach. Fortunately,
Kutztown has been given a pair of coaches who make magic happen. Head coach
Judy Lawes has been with the program for 24 years. Assistant coach
Don Justus is in his fourth year and both Lawes and Justus have undeniable love and energy for the game.
“We couldn't ask for better coaches. Henninger said. “They go beyond what is expected for a coach and most importantly they want to see us succeed on the field and off the field. Just being the type of people they are, they play a huge role that allows our team to succeed in every aspect.”
The spark in Kutztown is one to watch and take note of. The enthusiasm to work hard together in achieving its goal of being the best team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), Atlantic Region, and ultimately, the nation has been vital in KU's success.
“My motivation to be successful this season is to prove to everyone that we as a team can do it,” Henninger said. “Our capability as a whole is something that should not be taken lightly. My personal motivation is take the success that I had last season and build on it to improve and make this season even better.”
Henninger is headed in the right direction and her attention to detail will help Kutztown in reaching for the top.
--KU--
