You don’t have to listen very closely to hear how good Oak Lawn’s Kamya Feigl is in softball.
Her bat hitting the ball loudly will tell you everything you need to know.
When the sophomore infielder/catcher started playing at offseason workouts last spring, Spartans coach Shawn Neubauer had heard about her. Then he heard what he liked to hear at practice.
“We knew a little bit, but I didn’t get to see her until the workouts,” Neubauer said of Feigl. “When she would hit, you would hear the ball. There’s just a different sound when you hear the ball.
“And she has that sound.”
Feigl certainly had it Wednesday afternoon, scorching three doubles and driving in five runs for host Oak Lawn in a wild 11-10 nonconference win over Stagg at the Spartan Athletic Complex.
An error allowed Teagan Krzystof to score the winning run for Oak Lawn (11-9). It was the fourth run of the game she scored for the Spartans, who trailed 10-9 entering the bottom of the seventh.
Earlier in the inning, Krzystof tripled home Zoe Lepe with the tying run.
“A win like this is really going to help our confidence,” said Krzystof, who has committed to playing both basketball and softball at Moraine Valley.
Lexie Blanco added three hits, including two doubles, for Oak Lawn. Kaitlyn Berkery had two hits.
Stagg (3-13) put four balls over the fence as freshman shortstop Gabby Janski hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Willow Beakley followed with a two-run homer in a four-run fifth.
Rachel Lacina then hit a solo homer in the seventh and Sofia Padilla, who bats ninth, hit a dramatic three-run homer later in that inning to give the Chargers a 10-9 lead.
“If you said the other team was going to hit four home runs and we would still win, I would be shocked,” Neubauer said.
But timely hitting from Feigl helped the Spartans win their fourth in a row.
Feigl acknowledged being in a slump recently, but her outburst on Wednesday lifted her batting average to .354. She’s second on the team with nine doubles and second in RBIs with 16.
“I was just trying to focus on the game,” Feigl said. “I knew I was going to get out of it eventually.”
Last spring, Feigl was brought up to the varsity shortly after the season started and made a huge impression, hitting .481 with 10 doubles and 21 RBIs in 22 games.
“It was weird being the youngest player on the team with all of the juniors and seniors we had,” Feigl said. “I think I got comfortable knowing that I knew what I could do.
“I got a chance to get to know everybody over the course of time and that helped a lot with my overall confidence.”
Neubauer has been using Feigl at third base and behind the plate.
“She’s always been a great hitter, but she’s a great third baseman and a great catcher,” Krzystof said. “She will play anywhere they tell her to. She’s a great add to the team. She’s awesome.”
Feigl pointed out how when she started playing softball in her younger years, she wasn’t very good. She struck out a lot and made errors. But she started getting better when she was 10 under travel coaches John and Danielle Velenti.
“They taught me basically everything I know,” Feigl said.
And from that point on, she has been hooked on the sport.
“I love the intensity of softball,” Feigl said. “It’s a big mental game. There’s a lot of energy and your teammates help you a lot by supporting you.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
