Birkenstock notches milestone as Marlboro tops Warwick
It has to be one of the more unsettling things for a defense, watching Kalista Birkenstock stride to the plate. Because there is a tacit acknowledgment that, even if a quality pitch is made and it produces a soft grounder rolled toward an infielder, there’s a good chance it still will result in a hit.
Her lefty slap-hitting style combined with dynamic athleticism is almost a cheat code at the high school softball level.
“It causes a little chaos for the defense,” Marlboro coach Andrea Schoonmaker said of Birkenstock’s skills. “They’re wondering if you’re gonna soft slap or drive the ball, how it’s gonna come off the bat, and they’re worried about getting the throw off quickly.”
And, so often, it hasn’t been quick enough to beat the speedster racing forward first.
It came as little surprise but was no less remarkable that the senior notched her 100th career hit on Tuesday, while helping lead Marlboro to a 5-0 win over Warwick in the teams’ season opener.
“She’s the hardest worker in the room, but she’s quiet about it and leads by exBirkenstock ample,” Schoonmaker said of the Florida Gulf Coast commit. “We’re incredibly proud of her because she’s an awesome kid and she really deserves it.”
went 2 for 4, including a bunt single in the first inning, and reached the milestone on a single in the third.
Schoonmaker is in her first season as the varsity head coach at her alma mater, but she once starred there and at SUNY Cortland as a slap hitter. She previously coached Birkenstock as a seventh-grader on junior varsity, and helped her early development, so there is a thorough appreciation of the accomplishment.
The victory, too, of course.
“It was very important to us to win our first game,” the coach said. “The girls came in extremely motivated and they’ve gotten after it from the first day of practice. They’ve improved and they know the expectations are high.”
Understandably so. Marlboro last spring won a second straight regional title and reached the Class B state final. Getting that far but coming up just short would fuel them throughout the offseason, the players insisted then.
It helps, too, that the Iron Dukes graduated only one senior and returned with their roster almost entirely intact.
Leah Gunsett picked up where she left off. The Oswego commit pitched a
two-hitter with five strikeouts, stifling a Warwick team that averaged more than eight runs per game en route to the Section 9 Class AA final last season.
“She’s even more locked in than before and is so focused on succeeding,”
Schoonmaker said of the right-hander. “She wants to be great; wants to lead this team back to the state tournament.”
Emma Jackson went 2 for 2 with a double and her sacrifice fly scored Birkenstock for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Sam Maleck was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI, and Kaitlyn Gordon went 2 for 3. As well, the coach said, the defense was “stellar” and committed no errors.
The most significant change to this team was coach Ray Leduc stepping down and being succeeded by Schoonmaker, who served as the assistant last year.
The 2014 Marlboro graduate described herself as a laidback coach who wants players feeling comfortable speaking to her, but said accountability and high standards will be maintained.
“There are things that have worked for us and I want to keep those, but I’d like to add my little flair,” she said of her coaching style. “It’s always been a successful program and we’re looking to further that... They’re an awesome, talented group and I can’t say enough good things about these girls. I’m grateful to be their coach.”