AURORA | Yvette Hendrian has pitched to a lot of fearsome hitters in her softball days, but the Eaglecrest softball coach won’t even think of throwing to sophomore Kailey Wilson.
The Raptors’ infielder quite simply hits the ball too hard. That’s when it doesn’t soar over the outfield fence.
A left-handed swinger with staggering power, Wilson has stung the ball with regularity in the early stages of the 2015 season and appears to be only getting better.
“I wouldn’t pitch to her, even through the hole with the net in front of me,” Hendrian said in all seriousness. “The ball just comes back way too fast.”
Hendrian also shied away from pitching to 2015 graduate Mikayla Faulkner because of her penchant for line drives, but it’s different with Wilson.
Only one player comes to Hendrian’s mind when it comes to the package of power and ability to turn on pitches: former Olympic star Crystl Bustos.
“I haven’t seen hands that quick since Crystl Bustos,” Hendrian said, referring to the power-hitting infielder who won gold medals with the U.S. in 2000 and 2004 and a silver in 2008.
“The girl has such quick hands, it’s crazy…I’ll be honest, I’ll be surprised if anybody pitches to her. this season.”
Last season when teams pitched to Wilson, she hurt them. She homered seven times last season, including one in both games against eventual state champion Grandview, and hit a three-run blast to help Eaglecrest to a 5A state tournament upset of Legend.
The trend hasn’t stopped this season, as Wilson homered in three straight games against quality competition in Rock Canyon (Aug. 27), Brighton (Aug. 29) — off Bulldogs’ ace Melissa Rahrich — and Dakota Ridge (Sept. 1). With at least one hit in all six games she’s played, Wilson has hit a robust .556 with three homers, three doubles and eight RBI thus far.
So does Wilson get a thrill when she hits one over the fence? Sure, but that’s not what gives her the most satisfaction.
“I think the most-satisfying thing for me is having a long at-bat against a good pitcher,” Wilson said. “It shows you are patient.”
Patience leads to more pitches thrown and more chances for pitchers to make mistakes. Against Dakota Ridge, Wilson hit a foul pop-up that the catcher dropped to give her new life. She homered on the next pitch.
Wilson mashed 23 home runs over a variety of fences across the country during the summer. She played club ball facing mostly 16-under teams, but she had a 15-game stint with the Colorado Styxx U18 Gold team for a strong national tournament in Reno, Nev.
Last season when teams pitched to Wilson, she hurt them. She homered seven times last season, including one in both games against eventual state champion Grandview, and hit a three-run blast to help Eaglecrest to a 5A state tournament upset of Legend.
Styxx coach Pablo Severtson came away immediately impressed with her composure and knowledge of the game, but the raw power definitely stood out.
“She hits some serious bombs, I can tell you that,” Severtson said. “The first time I saw her, she probably hit one 300 feet-plus and in Reno she short-hopped a 320 sign. It sounds different off her bat.
“I’ve had girls with power, but she has that unique sound and that true long-distance power.”
Across the board, Wilson and coaches agree that when she learns to hit the ball more to the opposite field, she will be even more dangerous to pitch to. Most of her home runs travel to right field or right center.
Also making her difficult to deal with is the lineup surrounding her, as Hendrian has been able to sandwich her in between seniors Tayler Mashburn (.433) and Alexa Romero (team-high .593 average) to force teams to choose who they avoid.
Wilson is prepared to wait until she sees a pitch she likes.
“I think I’m going to be really patient this year; if they do pitch to me, I know it’s going to be outside or offspeed,” she said. “I think I’ll have less pitches to hit, but coach puts me in a good place in the lineup.”
That lineup and how close Eaglecrest played with Grandview last season before its championship run is encouraging for the senior-laden Raptors’ chances of making their own run.