There’s nothing clumsy about the way St. Laurence sophomore Kayla Howard plays defense.
The 5-foot left fielder hasn’t missed anything hit in her zip code. And don’t be fooled by the height. You can hit the ball over her head, but don’t expect that extra base. She’ll track it down.
But there are situations outside of softball that can be challenging. Teammate Demi Lotus provided one pretty humorous example.
“So, basically, Kayla gets a drink from Dunkin’ (Donuts) every day,” Lotus said. “Yesterday, when she came into school, it was dripping down her leg and she didn’t notice. She smelled like coffee.”
Coffee?
“Yeah, coffee,” Lotus said, laughing. “That’s why she’s so short. It stunts her growth.”
Howard had it all covered Tuesday afternoon for the Vikings, however, in their 11-0 five-inning victory over host Mother McAuley in a GCAC Red game in Chicago.
Lotus, Howard, Aoibhe Landers and Vanessa Kates all reached base twice for St. Laurence (14-4, 7-2). Breanna Cahue struck out seven for the pitching win.
Abbey Williams, McKenzie Cerceo, Kayla Syring and Maggie Welniak each had hits for Mother McAuley (8-13, 3-5).
Howard walked and scored in the first inning, and then singled and scored in the second inning as the Vikings pulled away early. She also kept her season fielding percentage at 1.000.
Meanwhile, she pleaded her case on the coffee error.
“It was my sister (Lexi’s) fault,” Howard said, laughing. “I was holding her softball bag, and she ran into the side of my bag and the lid came off. It just went all over my leg.
“She was laughing at me and didn’t help or tell me, so…”
All kidding aside, Howard has a lot to smile about this season. She’s healthy and hitting the ball as well as anybody on the team. She’s batting .457, with 11 walks, 19 runs and 10 RBIs.
She hits second in the order behind Lotus. They form a one-two combination that creates chaos on the bases.
“It depends on the situation what we do,” Howard said. “If Demi is on base, coach will have me bunt. Or she’ll have Demi steal and have me hit.”
It has been a different start to May, for sure.
Last season, Howard was called up to the varsity for the second week. During a game on May 9 against Lockport, she injured her right knee while running to first base.
“I’d had knee surgery before because my knee kept dislocating,” Howard said. “In the Lockport game, I felt it pop again. It was difficult because I thought I’d need surgery again.
“I was kind of scared, but it turned out I didn’t have to. It got better.”
Howard didn’t play the rest of the season. But she still made a major impression on St. Laurence coach Teagan Walsh.
“Kayla has a team-first mentality,” Walsh said. “Coming off of that injury, she didn’t let it deter her. She was so supportive and positive. She was always up on the fence, being a voice for the girls, even though she couldn’t be out there.
“She has become a a great role model as a sophomore. She has come back stronger and faster. And she has a great eye at the plate. She sees a lot of pitches. She’s got it all.”
And looking for more.
“I’ve been working on my swing and getting my timing down,” Howard said. “And if a ball is catchable, I’ll dive, do anything to catch it.
“Since I wasn’t able to finish last season, it kind of made me work even harder. I want us all to get farther.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
