‘If I get her to second, we’re scoring.’ Two ACL tears didn’t slow softball senior.
Frederick Douglass center fielder Kasia Parks had already established herself as one of the state’s best softball players, having last summer garnered a college offer to play at Western Kentucky.
But she feels like she’s gotten even better this season and might owe part of that to one of her dad’s crazy ideas.
“We actually hit pinto beans in the backyard,” Parks said, laughing at the thought of it. “And it’s been working.”
It’s not easy. She doesn’t like to think about how many she missed at first. “They are tiny. I don’t know where he got this idea, but it works.”
Parks’ .516 average attests to that, as does a grand slam she hit against Bryan Station a couple of weeks ago. Parks has a pair of home runs this season, displaying power not usually associated with left-handed, slap-hitting batters with blazing speed.
‘Play for 6’
But the pinto bean hasn’t been Parks’ biggest obstacle.
She tore the ACL in her left knee at a basketball tournament in the eighth grade. After recovering from that, she tore the ACL in her right knee in P.E. class at Douglass as a freshman.
“It was pretty hard, but I had my teammates and my dad and my family and they’ve always pushed me through it,” Parks said.
After Parks’ freshman-year injury, a 9-16 Douglass team rallied around her with a “Play for 6” motto (her jersey number) the rest of the season. Douglass pulled a shocking upset over Bryan Station in the 42nd District playoffs to earn a spot in the 11th Region Tournament in the program’s first season.
As a sophomore, Parks returned to lead the team in hitting with a .411 average to go along with 31 stolen bases and eight homers.
She’s also returned to basketball, earning All-City honorable mention recognition for Douglass this year as part of the team that broke Scott County’s 40-game district winning streak.
As a senior, she already has 27 stolen bases as her team has begun hitting its stride with eight regular-season games to go.
Against the odds
In Douglass’s third full year as a program, it has 16 softball players, total. By comparison, across town, No. 1 Lafayette, has 16 players on its freshman roster, and the Generals also field a full junior varsity team.
Coach Donald Murphy doesn’t mind the challenge. He put his team up against the likes of Lafayette and No. 3 Ballard, No. 4 Butler, No. 13 Estill County and more because he believes he has a winner.
“I knew those teams were better than us on paper, but I wanted the girls to face those big-time programs,” Murphy said. “I think the toughness of the early-season schedule that we played has really put us in a good spot.”
Murphy has supreme confidence in his team.
“They’re tested and we don’t get rattled,” he said. “They faced the best competition in the state, I think it’s only going to help us when we move toward districts and regions.”
That confidence starts with Parks.
“If I can get Kasia on with a walk or a single, I can steal her twice to third,” Murphy said. “There are very few teams who are going to throw her out. She’s just that quick and smart on the bases. So, if I get her to second, we’re scoring. I don’t care who we’re playing.”
Rachael Harris, a senior pitcher/outfielder committed to Walters State, carries most of the duties inside the circle with an 8-8 record and a 3.55 ERA.
“I think we’re really starting to hit our peak where we’re being consistent with how we’re playing,” Harris said.
After losing eight of their first 10 games, the Broncos finished this past weekend with an 11-11 record and won back-to-back games Saturday against Paul Laurence Dunbar and Meade County.
“From the beginning of the season, we’ve definitely come a long way,” Parks said. “We’re always pushing each other. I feel like it’s going to pay off and we’re going to end up with a great season.”
Inspiring others
Harris counts Parks as one of her biggest inspirations with what she’s been able to overcome.
“She’s been such a role model to me,” Harris said.
For Tee Parks, the dad who’s spent countless hours with Kasia in the backyard helping her become the player she is today despite the obstacles, that’s part of what makes his daughter special.
“I told her, ‘You can set an example for all other girls,’” said Parks, the brother of Frank Parks, formerly of Bryan Station and now the head football coach at Berea. “You hear about an ACL injury and a lot of girls and boys get nervous and think, ‘Maybe my dream won’t come true.’ But just fight through it. That’s what she did. I’m very proud of her. I’m a proud father.”
