Senior McKenzie Gummersall is lucky number nine

There are some things in life that are hard on the ego. Being picked last for kickball, for example, has a way of putting a damper on one’s psyche.

Another is batting ninth in a game of softball. The nine hole is where teams generally hide their weakest hitter – a fact defenses point out each time the No. 9 hitter comes to the plate. The implication is clear: This should be an easy out.

Senior second baseman McKenzie Gummersall bats ninth for the Central Valley High School softball team.

“I hear them when I come up to bat,” she said. “The coach or scorekeeper is always yelling that I’m the last hitter in the lineup. That always makes me smile.”

Put simply, if Gummersall is her team’s ninth hitter, they must be a pretty formidable squad.

“McKenzie loves batting ninth,” CV coach Jeff Van Horne said. “We put her in that spot and she really uses it to her advantage. She’s batting .448 and I think she leads the Greater Spokane League in triples.”

One of the Bears’ senior captains, Gummersall led her team to the GSL’s second seed into the Class 4A district tournament which opens tomorrow at Whitworth College, and with it an automatic berth into the regional tournament.

Tied with University after Monday’s regular season finale, Central Valley (16-5) cemented its district seed in a one-game playoff Tuesday, knocking off the Titans, 1-0, at U-Hi.

“That was really big for us – we always said that we’d beat ‘em when it counted. And we did,” she said. “It’s always big for us to beat the Titans, but to beat them in a playoff game like this is huge.”

In a season that began with flurries of both snow and cancellations, Central Valley managed to build momentum game after game.

“This is a group of players who love to play the game,” Van Horne said. “The kids probably won’t tell you this, but they have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5. They’re smart, they’re dedicated, and they are all nice kids.

“They work hard and they work together. Most of them played slow-pitch in the fall. McKenzie and the other captains kept them together over the weekend. They kept working out and working on their games so they could make the most of their season.”

The Bears lost in extra-innings to University in the slow-pitch title game last fall.

“I really think we carried over some of that momentum to this season,” Gummersall said. “I believe in every one of my teammates, and I think that’s a big part of this team. We all believe in one another. We just try to build on every game and work to make ourselves better.”

The Bears have a nine-game win streak heading into its first district playoff game. Following back-to-back losses to University, Central Valley knocked off North Central, 4-2, and has not lost since. In those nine games, the Bears have outscored their opposition 114-15.

In that run, CV outscored Gonzaga Prep in two games by a combined score of 46-5, spanked Rogers and Mt. Spokane by scores of 16-0 and 18-2, respectively, and knocked off Lewis and Clark by a 15-1 margin.

Defensively, the team posted three shutouts, including Tuesday’s 1-0 win at U-Hi.

“These kids are already thinking about how they can improve on the game they played today,” Van Horne said Tuesday night. “That’s the way they think. They’re already thinking about getting out there at practice and working to get better for the playoffs.”

The likelihood of a rematch with University Friday is high.

“The only thing I know about districts is that we will not have to play Shadle Park first,” Gummersall said. “These are the games we’ve been playing for. This is where we’ve been working all year to be. This is why we’ve been working so hard every day.”

For her part, Gummersall is enjoying these final games of her high school career.

“I’m planning on going to BYU-Idaho next year,” she said. “It’s a good school and I hear they have a pretty good intramural softball league. I guess I’ll play in that.”

What she will miss, she said, is what made Central Valley the team it is this year: the camaraderie between teammates and the inspiration drawn from a close-knit group of teammates working toward a single goal.

That’s not to say she wouldn’t listen intently to anyone offering her a chance to play college softball somewhere.

“Not every good team has a group of college-bound softball players,” Van Horne said. “I’m not sure this team has anyone who will go on and play. I hope some of them get that chance.”

“Oh yeah – I’d love the chance to play somewhere and would really have to think about it,” Gummersall said. “Even a two-year school. I can always go to BYU-Idaho later.”