Published: June 27, 2009 02:56 pm      

Southwestern P Kosmecki plays big for All-Star team

State’s best softball players sweep Tennessee squad

For the past six seasons, Southwestern’s Shelby Kosmecki built a reputation for herself as being one of the top pitchers to ever come through the 12th Region, or from this part of the state for that matter.

Kosmecki began her softball career for the Lady Warriors as a seventh grader, and was bound for greatness almost from day one.

Just this past season in 2009, Kosmecki finished off her outstanding and brilliant prep career leading Southwestern with a 25-5 record on the mound, fanning a mind-boggling, 372 hitters in her 195 innings of work, good enough for an average of just over 13 K’s per contest.

In short, softball coaches throughout the Commonwealth knew all about Shelby Kosmecki and her exploits on the mound for the Southwestern Lady Warriors.

Now, you can add softball coaches from the state of Tennessee to the list that know first hand, just how tough Kosmecki is on the mound.

Last Thursday from the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, Kosmecki suited up for the Kentucky All-Stars in their annual battle against the Tennessee All-Stars, and the Southwestern pitching ace performed in that series on the big stage just as she did for six seasons with the Lady Warriors; she mowed down the competition in impressive fashion.

Kentucky, behind the pitching of Kosmecki, won game one in the best of three series against Tennessee with an impressive 8-3 win, and for good measure, the Lady Warrior pitching ace came on in relief in game two and picked up another win; a 5-4 Kentucky victory, giving Kosmecki two wins on the day on the hill, and giving the Kentucky All-Stars an impressive, two-game series sweep.

“It might have been the hottest day of the year down there — it was just miserable,” stated Southwestern softball coach Jim Woodall, who was part of the Kentucky All-Star coaching staff.

“It had to be close to 100 degrees on the field, because it was just a scorcher, but Shelby went out there in game one and just pitched super,” added Woodall. “She got some key strikeouts with runners on base, and after five innings, especially with the heat, I decided to pull her and rest her, because I thought we might need her later, which as it turned out we did.”

Kosmecki allowed just the one earned run in picking up the victory in game one, and in game two, she came on in relief for the Kentucky All Stars and picked up the win in that contest, pitching the final three innings.

“We were down early in game two 2-0, but fought back to go back on top 4-2 after four innings, and that’s when I brought Shelby back in for the top of the fifth,” said Woodall.

“Tennessee fought back and tied things up at 4-4, but then we won it on a walk off hit in the bottom of the seventh, giving Kentucky and Shelby the win,” continued the Southwestern head coach. “Tennessee was absolutely loaded with girls all up and down the lineup that could hit, and hit for power, but Shelby more than held her own against them.”

Kosmecki wasn’t the only story of the day for the Southwestern program.

Her Lady Warrior teammate and fellow senior in ‘09, Bethany Beatty, was a catcher on the Kentucky squad, and just like Kosmecki, Beatty more than held her own against some pretty stiff competition.

“Bethany went 2 for 3 for the day at the plate and scored a run, and she really did a nice job for us behind the plate,” said Woodall.

“You know, I’ve been with both Shelby and Bethany way back since Little League, and I was with them in middle school and then in high school, and they’re both just like daughters to me,” Woodall remarked. “To look back at my coaching career, and to be able to coach those girls for that long, and then get a chance to coach them in the Kentucky-Tennessee All-Star game, it’s just one of the biggest highlights of my coaching career. And the great thing, both Shelby and Bethany did something special this season, because they went undefeated in the Kentucky East-West All-Star Game, and they went undefeated in the Kentucky-Tennessee series, and that’s the first time I believe that’s ever been done.”

As far as the crowd that attended the Kentucky-Tennessee All-Star Game on that hot and muggy day in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Woodall stated he couldn’t say enough about the fans from the Commonwealth that came down to support the team.

“The fans from Kentucky were absolutely super,” said Woodall. “I mean, you could look up in the stadium and all you saw was a sea of blue. I bet we had the Tennessee fans outnumbered by a 3-1 margin. I was really proud of our Kentucky fans and the way they showed up and supported our team.”

With the way the Kentucky All-Stars performed last week, we can all be proud of coach Woodall, Shelby Kosmecki, and Bethany Beatty too.