MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Lexi Carpenter, Northern Cass

Every time Alysha How has filled out a lineup card in the past 3 1/2 years, the Northern Cass (Hunter, N.D.) softball coach instantly plugs in Lexi Carpenter.

Her name is always near the top of the order, but her position has been known to switch. The senior will play wherever her coach needs her.

In a recent tournament, Carpenter was in left field until How changed pitchers and Carpenter found herself at shortstop. A couple innings later, another pitching change moved Carpenter to first base.

"She did it all with a smile on her face and no questions asked," How said. "That's what we love about Lexi."

Over her four years at Northern Cass, Carpenter has been a Swiss Army knife of sorts. She's capable of playing every position except pitcher and catcher. It's that versatility that has made her such a valuable asset to the Jaguars' program.

"I would say she really takes in our belief of ‘We before me' for our team," How said. "She's definitely willing to do whatever she needs to do that's best for her team rather than herself first."

Carpenter's diligence on the field and knowledge of the sport allows her to be successful at whatever position she finds herself playing.

"When we practice I try to watch other players, ‘OK, they're doing this, I need to remember to do that,'" Carpenter said. "Just paying attention when other people are playing helps me a lot so I know what to do."

Carpenter, who is in her second season as a team captain, is having a strong senior year and is leading her team into the postseason on a high. She's hitting .349 with a .451 on-base percentage. Seven of her 15 hits are of the extra-base variety and she has a team-leading 14 RBIs.

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Coach How keeps Carpenter at either the No. 2 or 3 spot in the order because she can swing the bat so well; she is also one of the team's most consistent bunters.

The left-handed hitter really flipped the switch last season and peaked at the plate, said her coach. Carpenter carried that into her senior year.

"I've been doing better hitting," Carpenter said. "My batting average might not say so, but I think I'm more confident when I go up to bat. And I've also been doing better fielding and have more confidence that if there's a play that's close, I'll dive after it -- just because I know it's my last time."

Carpenter has openly grasped the role of being a senior leader. She's always willing to go out of her way and offer reassurance to any of her young teammates. That's something the seniors did for her when she was a young freshman on a roster stacked with upperclassmen.

"When I was a freshman, one of the seniors had written a letter to me and that really impacted me," Carpenter said. "So I've kind of tried to be like her and tried to look out for the younger players and make sure they were comfortable coming to me if they ever had anything that was ever going on. I tried to be that person."

Carpenter's impact on the program has been immeasurable. Her standout career at Northern Cass includes All-Region honorable mention as a junior and being named a SCHEELS All-Star this year. In 64 career games, she has a batting average of .339, on-base percentage of .438, scored 64 runs, laced 60 hits and driven in 33 runs. Carpenter holds six school softball records: runs scored in a season (34), stolen bases in a career (53), stolen bases in a season (27), walks in a career (47), walks in a season (22) and walks in a game (five).

"It's just incredible, her impact not just on the team as a whole but individually with other players on the team being a mentor," How said. "I don't know how many girls on our team have said, ‘Oh, I look up to Lexi.' Or, ‘Oh, that reminds me of Lexi so much.' She's definitely been a role model to a lot of our younger players as well during her time with Northern Cass softball. If you could have nine Lexi Carpenters you could start at each position, that would be the perfect team."

Carpenter hasn't just made her name at her high school as a solid softball player, she's an accomplished basketball and volleyball player as well. In the fall, she started for the first time in volleyball as a right side hitter. She was a three-year starter on the basketball team, proving to be a reliable scorer and defender at shooting guard. During her career, Carpenter averaged eight points per game and was named Maple River Valley All-Conference twice and team MVP as a senior.

Carpenter dreamed about playing college basketball as a youngster. She'll get her shot at the next level when she heads to nearby Mayville State University, which is an NAIA Division II school. Carpenter, whose dad Ben is an athletic trainer for the college, has been a regular attendee of basketball games for years at the college.

"I always thought it was cool to see how the team acted like a family," Carpenter said. "I always wanted to be a part of that."

The 18-year-old would like to pursue dentistry as a profession and plans to major in biology.

Carpenter received an academic scholarship to Mayville State after posting a 4.059 cumulative grade point average in her high school career. This year, she has posted a 4.46 GPA. Carpenter is enrolled in three advanced placement and dual-credit courses in her final semester of school.

"She always tells me, ‘I'm so busy, I have this tonight and this tonight and I've got this for homework,'" How said. "And yet she finds a way to balance it all and she is well above a 4.0 GPA."

She ranks No. 2 in her class of 43 students and will walk through the school's commencement ceremony May 28.

Carpenter has been very active over the years in school clubs, including Philanthropy and Youth (PaY), president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), vice president of the National Honor Society, and Student Council class representative.

Coach How has witnessed first-hand how dedicated Carpenter is in the classroom. She regularly helps How's first-grade students, and the kids really enjoy having a senior in their class.

"They look forward to her coming every day," How said. "They see her in the hallways, ‘Hi, Lexi.' And they're all waving at her. She waves back, and it's just amazing how somebody who may not know you that well can have that big of impact on other people or leave that sort of memory with those little kids where they look forward to seeing her every day."

Outside of school, Carpenter is just impactful in the community. She makes time to volunteer, teaching sixth-grade Sunday school and being a part of an MS Walk through the years.

But Carpenter's most unsung acts are usually behind the scenes.

When any of her athletic teams are on the road, Carpenter will make sure she's the last person out of the locker room and pick up items accidentally left by her teammates. On the bus ride home, she is the last one off as well.

"Sometimes people leave a lot of trash and as a bus driver to have to spend their evenings driving for how many ever hours, I don't think they should have to clean up after us," Carpenter said. "I just kind of step up so the bus drivers don't have to do extra work."

Her coach is constantly amazed by Carpenter's willingness to go above and beyond what's expected of a high school student-athlete.

"That's where the role model comes in," How said. "She is always the last one off the bus checking for garbage, checking for any equipment left behind. Instead of just taking one thing equipment-wise carrying to the bus, she takes probably three or four. It's like, ‘Lexi, let me help you.' That's her personality. She wasn't taught to do anything differently, and that's to be a good person, not just a good athlete."

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