On Thursday, May 31, 2018, Springfield Township senior Mary Kate Smith was recognized for committing to continue her softball and soccer career at Penn State Abington. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f46253080
Mary Kate Smith – Penn State Abington (Softball & Soccer)
Major: Psychology and Social Sciences
Softball coach Josh Ringgold says: “Mary Kate was a great kid to coach, probably the best kid I’ve ever coached as far as – from her freshman year up into her senior year, she always got better, and she always wanted to work and do whatever she needed to do at whatever position I needed her in. She was my leadoff and has been my leadoff the last three years. She had an on-base percentage of .650. She always got on, and pretty much when she got on, she scored a run. I almost was guaranteed a run when she got on base. As far as her skills, she came in freshman year and wasn’t a catcher. I worked with her, and she got better and better and better to the point where she could throw girls out. She actually was an infielder coming in, but she always said, ‘Wherever you need me, coach, wherever you need me. That’s the type of attitude I loved about her. She was the best player in terms of being able to learn and grasp and never complaining. She was a real pleasure to coach and will really be missed. She was a real valuable part of the success we had the last couple of years.”
Soccer coach Suzette Wolf says: “Mary Kate is such a great dedicated athlete. She’s just a great all-around kid. She’s really motivating to the other kids. Her whole heart and soul goes into athletics. That’s the kind of kid she is – she always brings a positive attitude to practice. In soccer, she wasn’t the most skilled player, but she played midfield for us because she’s so fit and gives it her all. She never backs down, she never gives up. She was the perfect person in the midfield to really break up anything that was going on, and she was also always really cheering on the other girls. She wasn’t the type of kid who would come off the field and be angry because someone took her place. She was cheering them on, she was just really positive.”
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