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| Kara Van Kooten |
While she was growing up, Kara Van Kooten played a lot of parking-lot
softball. Not that there weren’t any grass fields around; they were
all just frozen solid until some time in May.
Softball is definitely a summer game in Anchorage, Alaska, where Van
Kooten is from. “The first things to defrost are parking lots, so
we start there,” she said. “We play a lot of games in the
summer because it stays light so long.”
Since her school, Grace Christian High School, didn’t have a team,
she played only Little League softball. “I didn’t play a lot
as a junior or senior, though, so I didn’t know what to expect coming
to Calvin.
“I came in on a really good year for pitchers,” she said.
“The team needed them, and Rachelle [Heyboer] and I came in at the
same time.”
In her first two years, Van Kooten came on in relief for the Knights
but became a starter last year.
In league play this spring, Van Kooten compiled a 1.97 ERA, struck out
31 batters and walked just one. She was 7-1 with a pair of shutout victories.
Overall, she was 11-8 with a 1.85 ERA and led the team in innings pitched.
“I came to Calvin because of the strength of its academic program,”
said Van Kooten, “but being on the softball team has been a great
experience for me. I have enjoyed being around people who have their focus
on academics and career goals but also have a great passion for the sport
of softball. It’s been the best of both worlds.”
Twice named to the All-MIAA second team and twice named pitcher of the
week, Van Kooten is glad for the opportunity to have contributed at Calvin.
“My personal goals were to be solid and consistent because I had
a defense behind me that played that way,” she said.
A highlight for Van Kooten this year was beating Alma 2-1 in a conference
match-up.
“That was a huge win for us,” she said.
Unfortunately, the Knights were not able to match that feat in the conference
tournament, falling 3-2 to Alma in the championship game. The Knights
finished second in the MIAA and 25-13 overall, posting the most wins in
a season since 1997.
“What was really fun about this team was the cohesiveness,”
said Van Kooten. “We had 17 players — many of them new to
the team — who dove into this game, encouraging each other to play
each at bat.”
Van Kooten graduated this spring and plans to attend Washington University
in St. Louis to further her education in exercise science.
She does plan to continue to spend time in Alaska, even though her parents
have moved to Grand Rapids. Her father, Gerry Van Kooten, is a professor
of geology at Calvin. “He followed me here,” she said with
a smile.
“I love the mountains,” she said. “It’s a really
hard place to leave. I always want to be going back there because it will
always be a part of me.”
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