More power to Conner
Northern Illinois recruit has 9 homers and 47 RBIs in historic season for Lake Central
Kiley Conner uses FaceTime every day. The Lake Central senior says she “lives through pictures.”
But Conner still hasn’t met her nephew. Her parents only recently did, with COVID-19 protocols in place.
Conner said her sister’s son was born prematurely at 24 weeks and has been in the neonatal intensive care unit for the first six months of his life. But she said “he’s doing great,” and there’s optimism he could come home within a month.
He is never far from Conner’s mind, an underlying source of inspiration during her historic season for tradition-rich Lake Central.
“He’s another reason why I play,” she said. “I play for him every game.”
Conner, a Northern Illinois recruit, has been playing the game at a record-setting level this season. Through Wednesday, she was hitting .474 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs for the Indians (19-6), who are ranked No. 11 in the Class 4A state coaches poll and begin the postseason on Tuesday with a game against Merrillville in the first round of the Lake Central Sectional.
Conner has tied the program’s single-season record for homers; Alexus Reese also hit
nine in 2019. Perhaps even more impressive: Conner has been knocking on the door of Lake Central’s 30-year-old record for RBIs, Denise Szany’s 49 in 1992.
Conner has been attempting to process the company she’s keeping.
“There are so many players before me who I look up to — Hall of Fame players, amazing players,” she said. “I think about that a lot. It means a lot. Lake Central never had a bad team, and there have been so many great players.
“I just have so much support from my team, the coaches and my teammates. Each person I run into gives me a pep talk, and that’s a big reason I’m having success.”
Jeff Sherman is in his 13th season as Lake Central’s coach. He offered perspective on Conner’s production.
“I’ve seen some really great offensive seasons in my time here — lots of home runs, great batting average,” Sherman said. “But I don’t know that I’ve seen one this wellrounded. She’s also an elite outfielder, a plus defender. It’s kind of crazy.
“When I took the job, I took a look at the record book. There were some records, I was like, ‘Wow, I don’t know about anyone ever touching that one.’ I really thought RBIs was a pretty tough one. And here she is poised to get pretty close to it.”
Conner was an integral player last season, when Lake Central was the Class 4A state runner-up. She hit .393 with four homers and 24 RBIs.
She tweaked her training regimen as she’s taken on an even more central role this season.
“It really started in the weight room,” she said. “I’ve been doing more explosive workouts instead of regular lifting — not as heavy, just more explosive.
“If we don’t have a game, we’re always in the weight room. It’s helped me get stronger and more explosive and more powerful.”
On the surface, “powerful” might not necessarily be an adjective associated with the 5-foot-4 Conner. But she has become accustomed to being able to deceive.
“It’s actually pretty funny,” she said. “You look at me my freshman year, I weighed 110 pounds. People thought, ‘This girl is a bunter, or they use her for her speed.’ My physical appearance, I get that a lot, like, ‘I never would’ve guessed you hit for power, you hit home runs.’ I like hearing it. It means I’m doing something right. I’m a pretty small girl, but I have a lot of power.”
Sherman has seen Conner’s development over the years.
“I remember her coming to our camps in third, fourth, fifth grade,” he said. “She was just a scrawny little kid. But she loved to play, and she played hard. It’s cool to see what that’s become.
“You don’t look at her and think she’s super-duper strong. But she has some strength to her. Pound for pound, she’s one of our stronger kids in the weight room. She takes it seriously, and she has some serious physical strength that a lot of people don’t realize.”
After so many years around Lake Central’s program, Conner has been preparing for her time at Northern Illinois. She connected with the players and coaches and committed in August.
Conner, who said she is leaning toward pursuing a career as a neuropsychologist, also chose the university in DeKalb, Illinois, because it has a home-away-from-home feel for her and is relatively close to her actual home.
“I have very mixed emotions right now,” Conner said. “These four years flew by, especially with my sophomore year taken away (due to the coronavirus pandemic).
“Hopefully we have a few more weeks and we make it all the way to state again, and we won’t have to worry. But you never know when it’s going to be your last game . ... This team is like my family. They’ve gone through everything with me, including my nephew. But at the same time, I’m excited for the next chapter too.”