Player of the Year: Stephanie Kirkpatrick

Plainfield Central's Stephanie Kirkpatrick is the Sun-Times' Softball Player of the Year.
(Ray Luna/For the Sun-Times)

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A year ago, Plainfield Central shortstop Stephanie Kirkpatrick was a great softball player and a good hitter.

In the last year, she has become a great hitter and the Chicago Sun-Times softball Player of the Year.

‘‘Steph is the best shortstop I’ve ever had, at the pro or the club level,’’ Chicago Bandits owner Bill Conroy said. ‘‘She has great range and a cannon for an arm.

‘‘There is a need to be the best at whatever she does that drives her. She needed to improve her hitting, and that has made her the entire package.”

In more than 20 years, Kirkpatrick is just the third non-pitcher to earn Player of the Year honors, following Morton’s Dawn Viti (1987) and Elk Grove’s Jessica Evans (2003).

‘‘I knew when she walked through the door her freshman year that she would be a big-time player,’’ Plainfield Central coach Anne Campbell said.

Kirkpatrick, who committed to Michigan more than a year ago, batted .510 with a slugging percentage of 1.094. She stopped swinging for the fences but wound up with 12 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs. She walked 13 times, was hit by pitches twice, stole 23 bases and only struck out three times in 112 at-bats.

‘‘When I came to the [club] Bandits, I had my defense down, but I learned that you can’t just be looking for a home run; you need to get singles, too,’’ Kirkpatrick said. ‘‘By looking for singles, the home runs came.

‘‘I had to work on the other side of my game if I want to break into the Michigan lineup.’’

Kirkpatrick, who also played volleyball and basketball for the Wildcats, played third base for three years because Plainfield Central had a shortstop.

‘‘I had played shortstop my whole life when I got to high school,’’ Kirkpatrick said. ‘‘Learning a new position came pretty fast, and I’m glad I did it.’’