By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Picture Ichiro Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners' brilliant center fielder. Watch the lefty leadoff hitter slap a base hit or beat out a slow roller, then quickly steal second base. See him flash power with a line-double or a home run. Marvel at his outfield speed and rifle arm.
Take one more look and you have just seen Katie Schroeder, a vivid version of Ichiro in a softball uniform. The left-handed-hitting leadoff batter has just completed her senior campaign at Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) with a lofty .493 batting average. In 28 games, she hit four doubles, one triple, five home runs, walked 19 times, scored 21 runs and drove in 21. She stole 24 bases in 27 attempts.
As a junior Schroeder batted .424 with eight doubles, one triple, 18 runs and 11 RBIs. She also drew 13 walks and stole 17 bases.
"Offensively she can do anything from bunting to hitting away," says Esperanza coach Ed Tunstall. "She is a very smart player. She takes what is given to her and knows what the situation requires. You really can't set up a defense for her. She's very fast and a very good base runner. She also has a good, accurate arm."
The 5-10 UCLA recruit is far from your average softball star. In fact, she is extremely unique.
For example, she emphasizes, "My strength comes from my mental game. I go to sleep thinking about the (next) pitcher I will face. That gives me the advantage before my first at-bat. I'll already have 100 at-bats (in her mind). I kind of see each pitch and put an at-bat through my head."
When she finally faces that pitcher in real life, she admits, "I don't even have a plan. I'll read the defense. If they're up, I can hit away, or slap - whatever I need to do to get on base."
Example Two: Asked about her greatest thrill, Schroeder replied, "As weird as it is - failing - and then working on it and getting better. This game just gives back everything I put into it."
And if those aren't enough, here's Example Three: Southern California teenagers live at the beach, but not Katie. "I love to go to the (Colorado) river," she says. "It's four hours away in Needles, Calif. It's not salt and there are no sharks."
The Schroeder family has softball in its blood and it was only natural for Katie to follow older sisters Jennifer, now a redshirt junior catcher at UCLA; and Michelle, a freshman right fielder at Stanford. Trailing her is Nicole, a 12-year-old second baseman.
"We're really competitive with each other," Schroeder acknowledged, "but in a loving way."
Schroeder played shortstop for three years before being moved to center field. She is a natural right-handed hitter, but when she was 13, she began hitting left-handed to take advantage of her great speed (she goes from home to first in 2.6 seconds.). Following a string of strikeouts she finally mastered the switch.
She started as a freshman at Mater Dei (Santa Ana), but transferred to Esperanza and had to sit out softball as a sophomore. However, she was allowed to run track where she competed in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and ran a leg on the 400-meter relay.
Schroeder is a four-year member of the Batbusters travel team which last summer won the ASA Gold Nationals in Oklahoma City. The Batbusters compiled a 58-6-2 record and Schroeder contributed a superb .525 batting average from her leadoff slot.
The sweet swinger also batted .491 for the USA Junior National Team which went 10-0 and won the gold medal last summer in Puerto Rico. "It was one of my dreams," she said. "We killed everyone."
This summer she again will return to the Junior National Team for the World Tournament June 20-30 in The Netherlands.
Schroeder noted, "I've gotten a lot stronger this year. The Junior National Team put me on a five-month weight program. I have a page filled with exercises and I have to chart them. Each week you find yourself getting stronger."
In the classroom, Schroeder carries a 3.8 GPA, with language arts being her favorite course. Outside of school she enjoys helping to coach a 12-and-under softball team.
She said her college choice came down to Arizona and UCLA. It was hard to turn down Arizona, because its center fielder, Caitlin Lowe, is her idol and a close friend.
UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez is thrilled to have Schroeder coming on board in the fall. "Her greatest strength is her knowledge of the game," the Bruins coach says. "She is a tough out. You don't like to be a defender against her. It will be really exciting to get her in a Bruin uniform. She is going to be an impact player.
"Katie has a passion for the sport. She is a warrior and always ready to go to battle. The sky is the limit for her college game. She should start and either lead off or bat in the No. 2 spot. I see her being the quarterback of our outfit right away."
Softball Notes
* Stephanie Speierman went out in a blaze of glory while pitching Columbia Hammond to a 4-0 victory over North East to capture its first Class 2A Maryland state championship. The 5-8 sophomore pitched a perfect game, tied the title-game record with 19 strikeouts and set a state single-season record with 427 strikeouts for the 24-1 Golden Bears. Speierman, who threw 62 of her 78 pitches for strikes and also drove in three runs, pitched five-straight playoff shutouts to tie another state record.
* In Maryland's Class 3A title game, Huntingtown blanked Northeast, 4-0, as senior pitcher Kerry Hickey completed a dazzling career. The University of Maryland recruit compiled a 53-4 career record and did not allow an earned run in her last 48 games.
* Goodrich, Mich., senior center fielder Kelsey Krych is the Rickey Henderson of high school softball. She recently broke the national career record for stolen bases, stealing seven in a doubleheader to run her total to 259. The record of 246 was set by Kristy Roberts of Danville., Ala., from 2002-05. The 5-foot-2 speedster has been thrown out just once and that was during her freshman year. The Oakland University recruit is batting .509 and has scored 68 runs. She also is a standout in cross country and track.
* White Lake Lakeland senior right-hander Lauren Memmer set a Michigan record for career softball victories with 140 (against 15 losses). She is 37-0 this year with a 0.25 ERA, 295 strikeouts and 13 walks in 171 innings. The 5-foot-4 hurler will pitch for Detroit Mercy next year.
* Berkeley Heights Governor Livingston senior Capri Catalano tied the New Jersey record with 1,281 career strikeouts as she fanned 11 in a 10-0 victory over Roselle Park. She is expected to break the record in her next start against Shore Regional. She has a 20-1 record this year and is 62-12 during her career.
* Lemont senior Suzie Rzegocki set two Illinois state records during a 19-0 rout of T.F. North. The Purdue recruit (20-3) fanned 14 of the 16 batters she faced for her state-record 14th no-hitter this spring. She also set a career strikeout record with 1,457.
Track Notes
* Uniontown Laurel Highlands senior Breehana Jacobs made history in the Pennsylvania state track meet by becoming the first girl to win the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes in the state's largest classification since the metric system was initiated in 1979. The 5-foot-2 University of South Carolina recruit, who is noted for her rocket-like starts, broke a 22-year-old record in the 100 with an 11.64 clocking. Her other times were 24.10 in the 200 and 53.58 in the 400.
* Salt Lake City Judge Memorial won Utah's Class 3A state title in both the boys and girls divisions. The two teams combined to set a spectacular seven state records. Senior Samantha McMillan set an 800-meter run record (2:12.02) while also winning the 1600- and 3200-meter runs.
* Hollywood High star Gyasi Rivers broke a 30-year-old Los Angeles city record when he soared 49 feet, 4 _ inches in the triple jump during the City Section finals. Now he has a shot at becoming his school's first state track champion since eventual Olympic gold medallist Lee Barnes in the 1920s.
* Annapolis Broadneck senior Matt Centrowicz, who will attend Oregon in the fall, sparkled in the Maryland state track meet. He won the 1600-meter run in a sizzling 4:04.09, which was a state record and a personal best.
Basketball Notes
* Indiana Elite defeated King of the Court, 71-50, to win the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. Seven-foot rising senior Tyler Zeller, brother of former Indiana Mr. Basketball Luke Zeller, scored 13 points and was named MVP. It was the Hoosiers' third major title this spring. Rising senior Delvon Roe scored 27 points for the losers. In the 16-and-under division, Team Breakdown defeated the Marquis Daniels Showtime Ballers, 83-71, as 6-7 David Loubeau poured in 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Brandon Knight added 18 points.
* On the recruiting front, rising senior point guard Brandon Jennings (Oak Hill Academy) has switched his verbal commitment from Southern Cal to Arizona. Another Oak Hill player, 6-8 rising senior Howard Thompkins, has announced he will attend Georgia and he also will return to Wesleyan (Norcross, Ga.) for his final prep season. Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) rising senior Larry Drew Jr. announced that he will attend North Carolina. The 6-foot Drew, son of Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew Sr., averaged 14 points and six assists as a junior.
Golf Notes
* Brothers Tony and Gipper Finau have chosen to give up a possible college golf career and turn pro. Tony, age 17, was Utah's Class 4A state tourney medallist last fall - playing for Salt Lake City West - and he also is Utah's reigning State Amateur champion. Gipper, age 16, who is forfeiting his final year of prep golf, was the youngest player ever to make the cut at a Nationwide event last year at the Energy/Solutions Utah Classic.
* Though just a sophomore, Chandler Hamilton star Richard Lee has elected to pass up his final two years of high school eligibility to take a shot at the PGA tour. The 16-year-old Lee won Arizona's Class 5A state medallist honors this year and is one of the nation's top-ranked junior golfers.
Football Notes
* Notre Dame has received a verbal commitment from Brandon Newman, a 6-1, 305-pound defensive tackle from Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park. As a junior he made 68 tackles - 22 for losses - and he carries a 3.8 scholastic average.
* Nathaniel Montana was the most impressive performer at the recent All-American Combine at the College of DuPage, according to national recruiting guru Tom Lemming of CSTV. The rising senior quarterback (6-4, 190), who will be playing for perennial powerhouse De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), is the son of former NFL superstar Joe Montana. After transferring from Santa Rosa Cardinal Newman last fall, Nathaniel played only basketball as a junior. This coming year he will battle talented returnee Mike MacGillivray for the starting position Montana also has a younger brother, Nick (5-10, 170), who played freshman football last fall.
Potpourri
* Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) junior Aaron Hicks is one of the most talented baseball players in the country. He has great speed - having stolen 39 bases in 41 tries - and a tremendous arm. He has thrown out seven runners this year from right field - two of them at first base. The 6-2, 164-pounder also has an excellent .353 batting average.
* Orange (Calif.) junior Steve Johnson made a fantastic comeback to defeat Santa Monica Pacifica Christian junior Alex Brigham, 0-6, 6-2, 6-1. That made him the first repeat winner of the Southern Section tennis singles championship in 41 years. Corona del Mar's Fabian Matthews and Dustin Hladek defeated Fullerton Troy's Brian Fang and Jeff Kamei to become the first doubles team to win back-to-back titles in 31 years.
