Kelsey Stevens ’11 Named Prep Softball Player of the Year by Star-Ledger

Player of the year: Raised in an active, athletic family, Kelsey Stevens was always good in sports. She started playing softball at age 10 and became good enough to play varsity shortstop at Blair Academy as a freshman. But it was not until her sophomore year that she decided to get serious.

The Blairstown native took action to improve her skills and joined a traveling team. Her strategy worked as five Division 1 teams came calling with offers. But she turned down Minnesota, Sacred Heart, Delaware, Lafayette and Mount St. Mary's and chose Division 3 Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.

“I wanted to stay close to my home and to my family,” Stevens said. “I didn’t think I was ready for the level of competition at a Division 1 school. Maybe in the future I will be.”

She will also play soccer at Moravian. As a midfielder, she was captain of the Blair soccer team, and at 5-9, she played guard/forward on the Blair basketball team that won the Prep A championship in March, playing alongside McDonald's All-American, Temi Fagbenle.

She credits her father, Gary Stevens, with giving her a love of sports and teaching her how to play. He also taught her how to hit.

“The best advice he gave me was mental. He told me to stay focused, and that's what I try to do. I stay focused on the moment and wait for the pitch,” Stevens said.

In 17 games, she batted .539 with eight doubles, four triples and two home runs. She had nine RBI and 19 runs scored. Her on-base percentage was .610.

“She was often intentionally walked,” Blair coach Carolyn Conforti-Browse said. “She is an amazingly unselfish kid, who works the hardest every day. She is a great teammate. She made amazing plays at short and had one error all season.”

“She’s a great on-field leader,” Peddie coach Tim O’Reilly said. In the Prep A Final with Blair, which Peddie won, 6-5, “We couldn't get her out. I wish she had been on my team. I’m glad she’s leaving.”

Stevens went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in the Prep A Final. O'Reilly noted that earlier in the season, he thought he knew her weakness.

“She is a very good inside hitter. She will hit those down the left field line, but she was weaker on outside pitches,” O'Reilly said. “A few games later, we saw her again and she made some adjustments. She hit outside pitches into right field.”

“Going up against a hitter like her, I realize how other teams felt when facing Jamie Boccanfuso.”

Posted 7/5/11