Sandites alumna Kimi Presnell resolves `unfinished business’ with national title | Sports
When Kimi Presnell performed softball at Sand Springs, the Sandites were usually in the hunt for a point out title.
The Sandites innovative to the condition tournament all four years of her high faculty career and even made it to the finals her freshman calendar year but never acquired to hoist the gold ball.
On May perhaps 31, she bought to take care of some of that unfinished small business.
The sophomore heart-fielder played a essential role in propelling Rogers Point out College to its first NCAA Division II national championship, and Presnell gained an all-match nod for her functionality.
“I was not anticipating that,” she mentioned. “It was such a terrific sensation to be able to make the all-tournament crew as well as many of my teammates. It just proved that we worked hard to get in which we were.”
The Hillcats had a great over-all year but weren’t the favorites. They concluded 3rd in the MIAA standings and entered the Environment Series as the No. 5 seed.
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“There were highs and lows, but we all just saved a very good attitude during,” Presnell explained.The Hillcats knew they needed to get the MIAA event to host a regional.
“Our frame of mind heading into the convention tournament was to play absolutely free and not engage in limited, and that is precisely what we did,” Presnell mentioned. “And we ongoing to do that during the postseason, which was brilliant.”
The Hillcats paid again a pair of standard-season losses to Washburn in the match finals collection, profitable 2-1 and 4-2 to get paid their very first MIAA title and the ideal to host the Central Regional.
In the next activity of regionals, the Hillcats were being upset 3- by Minnesota Condition, but following a loser’s bracket rout of Winona Condition, they bought a wild rematch with the Mavericks.
The activity went 15 innings in advance of the Hillcats exploded to an 8-2 get. Presnell hit an RBI double in that video game, and RSU won the “if necessary” sport 4-.
At Super Regionals, the Hillcats received 3-1 and 12-1 versus Central Oklahoma and punched their way into the World Series in Denver.
Then it was Presnell’s time to shine.
Over the tournament’s 1st 3 video games, she was 8-of-11 at the plate and experienced a excellent fielding share during the overall event.
In a 7-2 gain about Southern Indiana, Presnell was 3-for-3 with a run and RBI. In a 10-2 earn around Cal State Dominguez Hills, she was 3-of-4 with a operate and four RBIs, and in a 9-3 gain over UT-Tyler she was 2-of-4 with two runs and RBI.
In the ideal-of-three finals rematch with Cal Condition, the Hillcats gained 6-5 and 6-1 to make their initially national title.
This 12 months was additional specific for Kimi due to the fact it was her first time looking at significant setting up action. Her freshman year was canceled midway via due to COVID, and final season she did not get a entire lot of options at the plate.
“Last yr I was constantly tremendous timid at the plate. I did not have a lot assurance,” she stated.She made a decision that this yr, she did not want her function to be confined to simply cheering for her teammates from the dugout.
Above an 18-game extend from February via April, she strike only .150 as opposed to her year normal of .280.
“Whenever I was in the slump, I sort of altered up my swing,” Presnell said. “I was just focusing on my mechanics.”
Prensell determined simply to strategy the postseason with assurance and swing tough. She finished up hitting .355 more than the postseason and was .314 in the NCAA event.
“The factor about Kimi is she’s tough to beat,” RSU coach Andrea Vaughan said in one particular postgame interview. “She’s a competitor. Which is why she’s in our lineup.”
So significantly, the university expertise has been a ton different from her higher college times.
“In higher university, you do not observe movie or something,” Presnell claimed. “In faculty you put together, you enjoy movie, you see what the pitcher’s pitching. It’s just a complete distinct match.”Presnell has also transitioned from second foundation to center discipline.
“I basically enjoy the outfield,” she stated. “I truly feel it’s far more my calling. I have way a lot more time to respond to the ball. If I took a ground ball appropriate now, I never think I’d know what to do.”
In simple fact, the final time she took a ground ball it gave her a black eye, so she’s incredibly significantly savoring managing fly outs in its place.The greatest improve has been wondering of Rogers Point out as dwelling just after remaining a Sandite for most of her lifetime.
“It’s exactly in which I’m intended to be,” she mentioned. “I’ve created the greatest pals. I have good coaches.”
Vaughan advised all of her recruits from the incredibly commencing 7 many years back that Rogers State would quickly be competing for national championships, and Presnell bought into the hype as a Sandite senior in 2019.
“Every sport I went to, they gained,” Presnell stated. “She was pretty intimate in her coaching, and it just drew me in correct absent. I had absolutely nothing but self-assurance in what she mentioned.”Presnell credits a whole lot of her accomplishment to her time at Sand Springs, a perennial softball powerhouse.
“Sand Springs certainly prepared me,” she explained. “We had been usually a excellent workforce we just experienced unfinished company. I experience like that surely well prepared me for college or university ball.”
“Coach (Shelli) Brown attained out to me during the Earth Sequence. She’s often supported me. She’s the explanation why I went to Rogers State, for the reason that we played there in the competition each individual 12 months. Mentor Vaughan requested her about me, and I ended up scheduling a stop by, and what do you know? I ended up profitable a countrywide championship.”
Presnell is not the only Sandite competing for national titles. Sydney Pennington, a 2017 graduate, is at this time competing with the Oklahoma Condition Cowgirls at the Division I Earth Series in Oklahoma City.
“She truly attained out to me just after profitable the nationwide match,” reported Presnell. “I mentioned, ‘Well, it’s your transform now. Go Pokes!’”