With her parents and Brownstown softball coaches looking on, Kelsey Schneider recently signed to play softball at DePauw University. In front are James Schneider, Kelsey and Kim Schneider, and in back are assistant coach Catelyn Campbell, head coach Darren Bryant and assistant Catherine Caudill.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
BROWNSTOWN— Kelsey Schneider has had a lot of success on the softball field while playing for Brownstown Central and in travel ball.
Because of that success, she knew she wanted to play softball at the next level and last Friday she took the first step of reaching that goal by signing a letter of intent to play at DePauw University, Greencastle, beginning this fall.
Schneider said, “I really like the coaches. The coaches are my travel coaches, and very competitive. They like to win and I like to win so it’s going to be a good fit for me. It’s a small campus, but it feels like a bigger campus. It just feels like home”
Erica Hanrahan is the head softball coach and the Tigers were 23-21 last spring.
Schneider said she began playing softball in the youth leagues in Brownstown, and when she joined the Lady Braves she played shortstop and pitched.
She likes that both of those positions are leadership positions.
“I like that at shortstop you’re the leader of the infield. I like to get throw downs from my catcher. She makes really good throw downs, so that is really nice and also being able to be a leader in the infield.”
Schneider said she is confident with her range that she can throw runners out at first base.
When she is on the mound Schneider said, “I like being in control of the game. Pitching makes or breaks the game, so if I’m in a bad game hopefully I can get it together because it’s not going to end very well.”
Schneider said she throw five different pitches, and the screwball is her favorite pitch. “It will go toward a right-handed batter.”
Braves head coach Darren Bryant said spoke on her journey in high school for Brownstown.
“She has been huge for us since her freshman year. She has batted first or second in our batting order, most of the time first,” Bryant said. “She is one of the fastest kids on the team always, if not the fastest. She is an excellent base runner, an excellent hitter. She is good defensively wherever you put her.”
Pitching has also been a staple in Schneider’s game.
“If not our top pitcher, she has been one of our top pitchers here all four years,” Bryant said. “The offense starts with her and the defense starts with her. She has been key to a lot of our success. It’s a whole lot easier to get her around the bases than most. She is difficult to strike out.”
Schneider spoke about her approach when she’s at the plate.
“I like being a triple threat. I can bunt, I can slap and I can swing. I can do it all,” she said. “Keeping everybody on their toes is kind of funny. I just like to hit it on the ground and beat out the throws because I can usually beat out the throws.”
She broke the school record for runs in a season with 40 runs last spring.
Coach Bryant spoke about Schneider’s defensive tools.
“She has very good range, a strong arm,” he said. “She’s played third a little bit as well, but shortstop is probably her main position if she is not pitching.”
Bryant said in a recent intra-squad game she pitched seven innings of shutout ball.
“I know she has thrown 63 (MPH) in the past,” he said.
Last spring Schneider was named Mid-Southern all-conference first team, and received Brownstown’s pitching award, and her sophomore year Schneider was the Braves’ leading hitter.
Bryant said he feels like Schneider can help DePauw.
“She can play about anywhere they want her too.She is fast with a strong arm,” Bryant said. “She can play either middle spot on the infield, or third base and she can pitch. I think she is planning on getting quite a bit of pitching in with them from what she has told me, and you know she’ll have to be in the batting order with that kind of speed. I think she’ll do real well there.”
Schneider said in order for the Braves to have winning season it is going to take commitment from the players.
“We need a lockdown defense, and being able to get control of our at bats and be able to run around the bases and get a positive effort from everybody,” Schneider said. “I like our home games. A lot of people come out and support us. Just being able to play at home is always a nice feeling.”
“I just like being able to get the warm weather,” the senior added. “I’m an outdoor person and just growing up in softball I’ve made a lot of connections with my friends and my teammates.”