Katelyn Robinson is a do-it-all force for the Stansbury High softball team, and is set to play at Salt Lake Community College next season.
Photo by John Coon
Good hitting is second nature to
Katelyn Robinson. How many other softball players can say they began their high school career with a home run?
That exact scenario unfolded for Robinson in her first at-bat for the
Stansbury (Tooele) Stallions. She stepped to the plate as an unproven freshman and offered up a tantalizing glimpse at her potential. Robinson connected perfectly on a pitch and smacked the ball over the outfield fence for an emphatic home run.
"As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going over because it felt that good," Robinson said. "That's probably my most memorable one too. How can you forget that?"
Unforgettable is a term that could easily be applied to Robinson. She played as the team's designated hitter the rest of her freshman season. Since that time, Robinson has proven to be a consistent force at the plate for the Stallions.
She has been the team's leading hitter since her sophomore season. Through 18 games into her senior season, Robinson has compiled career totals of 20 home runs, 24 triples and 30 doubles.
Part of her effectiveness comes through patience. Robinson has developed a knack for recognizing pitches and she never misses a chance to make a big play.
"You've got to visualize what you want to do before you get in the box," Robinson said. "Once you get in the box, you can't really think about it or else it becomes a mental thing. You want it to be easy. You think about the pitch you want and wait for it."
The best part of Robinson's game is she has more than one trick up her sleeve. Stansbury coach Bridget Clinton described Robinson as the quintessential five-tool player. She can do a little bit of everything when it comes to hitting, pitching and fielding.
"She's got a lot of attributes that you don't usually have in every player," Clinton said. "You're lucky when you get that. You don't usually have five-tool players that can play defense, have great arms, have speed, can hit for power and pitch well. She has all of those (tools)."
It has allowed the Stallions a rare luxury of plugging Robinson into whichever spot best fits the team's needs. She alternates between the outfield and the pitching circle when she isn't smacking a crucial run or driving in an RBI. Her pitching is almost as good as her hitting, too, as Robinson has a career record of 16-7 as a pitcher and is undefeated in the circle as a senior.
Clinton credits her senior's penchant for putting in extra work in practice and the offseason for making her all-around contributions possible.
"I knew when she was a freshman that she was going to be really good," Clinton said. "She puts a lot of time and effort into it. She works really hard."
The hard work has paid off. Robinson has signed to play with Salt Lake Community College, one of the top junior college softball programs in the nation, after she graduates. She has also had a hand in helping Stansbury morph into one of the state's top teams.
The Stallions finished fifth in the Class 3A softball tournament a year ago and are poised to make more noise in 2013. Stansbury is off to a 16-2 start that includes a 14-game winning streak and a 6-1 record versus Class 5A opponents.
Robinson feels some satisfaction in seeing her team get better and better each season.
"It's a really good feeling," Robinson said. "It's really cool to see how much we've improved."
Early in her high school career, Robinson alternated between swimming and softball. She swam for Stansbury until the end of her sophomore season. At that time, she decided to shift all of her focus to softball.
It is a decision she has never regretted – for good reason. Softball is her true passion.
"Softball always has been what I wanted to do," Robinson said. "It has taken up a lot of my life. I don't really have much of a summer because all I'm doing is playing softball every weekend. But I don't mind it because I love it."
John Coon has covered sports in Utah since 2004. He previously worked as a prep sports reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune for 2 1/2 years and then spent 3 1/2 years as a prep sports reporter with the Deseret News.
