Sophomore Kinsella shows plenty of savvy

Updated: June 9, 2011 7:55PM

Ashley Dobson had thrown only a few pitches before Andrean’s Savvy Kinsella smacked the Kankakee Valley pitcher’s next offering over the center-field fence.

Kinsella’s leadoff home run — against one of the state’s top pitchers — provided a tremendous boost of confidence for the 59ers in their 2-0 win over the Kougars in the Class 3A Griffith Sectional title game two weeks ago.

“That was probably one of the most memorable games for me,’’ Kinsella said. “To be able to do that against such a good pitcher — one of the best pitchers we faced all year — made it even better. I was just so happy I was able to help my team.’’

A week later, Kinsella played a big part in a five-run rally, leading to a 5-3 win over Columbia City in the Twin Lakes Semistate semifinal game.

Her clutch, two-run single with two outs and two strikes gave Andrean a 4-3 lead.

“We were down three runs, and I think a lot of people thought that was going to be our last game, but we ended up pulling together and scoring five runs to win,’’ she said.

The sophomore second baseman hopes to help the 59ers (25-8) create some everlasting memories in the Class 3A state title game against Indianapolis Roncalli (27-7) at Ben Davis High School on Saturday.

“I would honestly say her homer against Dobson turned on this end-of-the-season run at state,’’ Andrean coach Henry Ryan said. “I’m still high-fiving her coming around the bases. For Savvy to come through for us like that, in her leadoff at-bat, was huge. It gave us the confidence we needed to beat a great KV team. Savvy’s just a come-through-in-the-clutch kid.’’

Kinsella is not only a clutch performer, but is blessed with toughness and the will to win.

She suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during basketball practice her freshman year.

She went to a local doctor, but said the injury wasn’t originally diagnosed correctly.

Even though her knee gave out a lot, Kinsella ended up playing her entire freshman year with the injury.

After the 59ers lost to Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger in the first game of the semistate, Kinsella opted to have surgery last summer and skip her travel ball season with the Orland Park Sparks.

“It was hard to miss the whole summer last year and not be able to play,’’ she said. “I’m really pumped to play this summer. It’s my first season of 16U.’’

Kinsella’s surgery was performed by Dr. John Bach at Chicago’s Rush Hospital on June 15.

“When I went in for the surgery, the doctor discovered my ligament had dissolved,’’ she said. “They couldn’t even find it.’’

Though Kinsella faced a difficult rehab, her goal was to be ready to participate in Andrean’s offseason conditioning program for 2011.

While she still wears a brace to protect the knee, it’s enabled her to play without pain this season.

“I wear it in games and practices,’’ she said. “It’s not fun to wear. It’s not really that comfortable. It really gets hot at times. It’s hard to bend my knee all the way with it, too. I’d be really excited if I could get it off for Saturday’s game.’’

Kinsella, who hasn’t made an error, has been very productive for the 59ers offensively. She’s batting .366 with 18 RBI and three homers. She’s has four doubles, two triples, and has scored 21 runs.

“She’s a great behind-the-runner hitter, and a great two-strike hitter,’’ Ryan said. “When the game’s on the line, she comes up with the big hit. She’s just that kind of a gamer.’’

Kinsella said her ability to hit well with two strikes can be attributed to Colleen Kilduff, who coached her Orland Park Sparks travel ball team a few years ago.

“She would take you out of the game and sit you on the bench if you took a called third strike,’’ Kinsella said. “Taking a called third strike was the one thing she hated. She would rather have you swing at a crazy pitch and strike out, then not swing at a third strike. I was shocked when I first saw her do it, but as the season went on, we had a lot less hitters taking third strikes. It actually improved our team. I think it really worked. I looked up to her as a coach. She probably changed my hitting around more than anyone.’’

Kinsella said her approach with two strikes is pretty simple.

“I just try to focus on the pitch, keep my eye on the ball, and try to make contact,’’ she said. “I’ll fight off pitches until the pitcher gives me something that I can hit. I just always try to get the bat on the ball.’’

Ryan said Kinsella is a scrappy kid, who just loves the game.

“Savvy is just so game-savvy,’’ Ryan said. “She’s just in the right spot at the right time, all the time. She goes out every time and lays it on the line.’’

An excellent student, Kinsella has a 4.1 grade-point average in mostly advanced placement classes. Her goal is to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, or higher.

If she does, it will go a long way toward helping her realize her dream of playing for either Northwestern or Notre Dame.

In the future, Kinsella plans a career as a physical or occupational therapist. She also wants to coach softball at Andrean.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.