LANCASTER — Naturally gifted athletes don’t come around that often, but when they do have natural ability and add in a work ethic and relentless effort to get better, that’s when they set themselves apart from their peers and become elite.
Lancaster sophomore catcher Kendall Brown is one of those types of athletes. She fell in love with the game at an early age and realized she was better than most of her peers, and that’s when the lightbulb went off. She knew at a young age If she put the work in, she could garner a college scholarship by playing the game she loves.
Brown’s level of play continues to rise, and because of that, she has several Division I colleges interested. They are not allowed to contact her until September 1, but she is allowed to receive mail and has received plenty from some big-time colleges.
“Kendall is a natural athlete, and she has gotten stronger and plays with a lot of confidence,” Lancaster coach Allie Kinnaird said. “You would never know she is a sophomore because of her maturity behind the plate, and her maturity at the plate. Even though she is an underclassman, she never gets nervous. I’m not sure she realizes how talented she is.
“She loves playing the game and doesn’t take anything for granted, and she loves being a part of this team. She is friends with every one of her teammates. The sky is the limit for her.”
Catching the bug at an early age
When Brown was 8 years old, she played on a travel team that went 45-7. Not only did she enjoy winning at that age, because winning is fun, but she realized if she worked hard, she could take things to the next level.
“That is when it all started for me,” Brown said. “Winning that many games, and even the losses, you learned from them, but as I progressed, I just fell in love with it even more and that’s when I started working and putting the work in to get better.”
When she was 10 years old, Brown tried out for the Bandits, rated as one of the top softball travel teams in the country, and made the team. By being on that team, each year, she would play against the best competition in the country, and slowly, but surely, she started to become better and better, so much so that college coaches started taking notice.
“When I made the Bandits team, that’s when I realized I could do something in this sport,” Brown said. “It was awesome playing for them, not only in recruiting and getting your name out there, but the Bandits name helped so much. When you are a Bandit, everyone knows every player on the team is good.”
Brown didn’t start as a catcher. She pitched and played shortstop.
“I started as a pitcher, but I was always fascinated by how people could catch because it’s a hard position,” Brown said. “I wanted to try it and I quickly realized I liked playing catcher. I remember when I was 10 and playing for the Bandits, we had this left-handed pitcher and she threw gas. I was able to catch her, and that is when I realized I wanted to be the best catcher I could be and started to put the work in to accomplish that.”
Big-time expectations
Fair or not, Brown had huge expectations coming into the Lancaster softball program. Playing for a top-notch travel team like the Bandits will do that. She also was coming in off the heels of her sister, Rylan, who was a four-year starter for the Lady Gales.
Then the unthinkable happened. Brown injured her knee right before the season started and was unable to catch the entire season. She was able to play third base and bat. It certainly derailed a possible big year for her, but she was able to produce, just not to the level she had grown accustomed to.
Coming in as a freshman, I was nervous because my sister Rylan had been here four years as a varsity player and she was amazing,” Brown said. “I felt like I had high standards to be held to because my sister was a good player and I played on such a high-level travel team. The pressure was there for me to perform even though I was only a freshman, and then I got injured.
“It was hard dealing with it because I was really excited to play for Lancaster. Just getting injured took a toll on me because I wanted to play so bad, and I felt like I wouldn’t come back as good as good as I was before the injury.”
In the offseason, Brown went to work, lifting weights, hitting every day, going to college camps, getting catching lessons, just anything she could do to make herself better, and this season, all that work has paid off.
She is batting over .500, and while she usually hits line drives for base hits, she has gotten stronger is now hitting more home runs.
“It was a lot in the offseason,” Brown said. “I tried to hit every day, I went to college camps where I learned so much, and even though it was nerve-wracking at times at those camps, it has helped me improve so much. It has been a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it.”
Maybe the most impressive stat for Brown is in over 70 at-bats this season, she has not struck out once, which is an unreal stat for any player, let alone a sophomore.
“The fact that she plays high-level elite travel ball is huge because she has faced the best competition in the country,” Kinniard said. “Because of that, she doesn’t feel that pressure in high school ball. It gives her a carefree mindset because she has been in those pressure situations before.”
While plenty of college coaches are coveting Brown, she still has two more years to continue to improve and take her game to an even higher level. With her natural talent and work ethic, the future is certainly bright.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
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