Marist coach Colleen Phelan doesn’t beat around the bush when she asks questions.
Last season, Phelan found out quickly that Lexi Kyros is a straight shooter with her answers.
It happened during an indoor practice at the Marist Sportsplex when the freshman catcher was having a hard time holding onto pitches.
“After she dropped a couple of balls, I asked her, ‘Can you see in here?’” Phelan said. “And she was like, ‘No, coach.’ The minute we went back outside, she was fine.”
Kyros has since seen an eye doctor.
“I’ve been told that I should be wearing glasses inside,” Kyros said with a smile during a break at Monday’s outdoor practice. “Yeah, it was nerve-wracking those first couple of weeks because I wanted to be the starting catcher.”
Kyros wound up having a fine freshman season, helping lead the RedHawks to state in Class 4A.
So far in 2025, she has been a vision of excellence behind the plate for Marist (4-0), throwing out three would-be base stealers.
“Lexi has been stepping up every single day,” Phelan said. “She’s just a ballplayer. She’s a tough kid who expects a lot out of herself, but at the same time, she’s also a ton of fun.
“The girls just really enjoy being around her.”
Kyros is part of a catching team with fellow sophomore Riley Belcik. When one is catching, the other is usually the designated hitter. Belcik can also play in the outfield.
“Me and Riley are good friends,” Kyros said. “It’s all friendly competition, and it’s fun to be catching partners.”
Kyros got an unlikely start in softball when she was 5 years old with a rec team named the Palos Power.
“My family is 100% Greek, so no one knew anything from softball,” she said. “It was all soccer and basketball. But my dad (Louis) saw it and asked if I wanted to play softball. He told me he’d figure it out and coach me and see where it goes.
“I got into it probably because I liked eating candy in the parade that they had. And my dad would put me behind the plate because I wouldn’t pay attention at any other position.”
An Orland Park native, Kyros was on a path to attend Sandburg, but things changed during spring in seventh grade.
“I was playing travel ball with Mary Fortner,” Kyros said. “She said, ‘Why don’t you come and look at Marist? They have a great softball program.’ So I went and fell in love with the school.
“I really liked the community there and wanted to be a part of that culture.”
Kyros and Fortner both enrolled at Marist in the fall of 2023. In the spring, both were brought up to the varsity.
Kyros earned a starting spot at catcher with Belcik when Notre Dame-bound senior Caroline O’Brien moved from behind the plate to shortstop.
“At the beginning, I was a little nervous, but Caroline had my back the whole time,” Kyros said. “She helped me grow into the role of being a leader, being loud on the field and taking control of the plays.
“When I was younger, it was really cool to see her play and Emily Bojan before her. They were stupendous catchers. I would copy them and do all the same things they would do. I wanted to be them.”
As a regular last spring, Kyros batted .343 with four doubles, three home runs and 22 RBIs. She had a great weekend at state, going 3-for-6 with three RBIs as Marist took second place.
Kyros was the primary catcher for junior Gianna Hillegonds. The comfort level, for Hillegonds, came quickly.
“Of course, I was wary having a freshman catching for me,” Hillegonds said. “But she fell into the role very nicely. She put her best foot forward, and if coach told her to do something, she did it.
“I love pitching to her. We all love her.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
