Northern State softball's Katie Uittenbogaard gets her shot

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1 Make BIG Money With Our Aberdeen location has a GREAT business opportunity for you to own & operate your own Box Truck delivery service! -- BIG Income Potential with small startup costs -- Be home E...MORE FEATURED Northern State softball's Katie Uittenbogaard gets her shot Longtime Wolves dugout presence making her chance count on the field in final season By Cuyler Meade cmeade@aberdeennews.com 6 hrs ago Northern State University s Katie Uittenbogaard holds off on a pitch during Wednesday night s first game against the University of Mary in the PC Dome. American News photo by John Davis taken 4/11/2018

2 For three years, her ever-hoarse voice and her ever-effulgent energy were her main contributions to her softball team. This year, her senior season, Katie Uittenbogaard gets to add her left-handed bat, her glove and her "gun." Uittenbogaard, or "KU" as she's referred to almost exclusively around the Northern State softball team, is, it turns out, a pretty good softball player. Her.270 average at the plate this year isn't tearing the cover off the ball at this level, but it's more than enough to keep her in the lineup, where she's started 26 games this season for the Wolves. +50 A look at this year's Northern State softball team 6 hrs ago Check out some of the early season games for Northern State University's softball team. And her 17 hits this season are even more impressive when one considers her first hit of the season was also her first hit of her collegiate career. "Yup," Uittenbogaard smiled. "First hit, senior year." So what kept the Apple Valley, Minn., native going from the beginning of freshman year through to her final season of college when she wasn't able to play on the field? She found a role she could play. "I think the biggest part is I really had to step into my roles before," Uittenbogaard said. "I just embraced the fact that my role is to be positive, keep everyone upbeat and be ready to go. This year I'm getting my opportunity to show what I can do on the field." For three years, Uittenbogaard was and remains this season the Wolves' head cheerleader. That's in a literal sense, not the pom-poms and stunts sense. She literally led the cheers, which on a collegiate softball team is a full-time job.

3 Whether it's getting the "We want some more, we want some more, we want some more" chant going or "We love free bases," or "I feel a shock coming on shock, shock coming on," Uittenbogaard gets the cheers, of which there are dozens more, started. "Ever since I was a freshman," she said. "I'm very loud and out there with my personality. It's very natural for me to lead in some way. If that's being the loudest, I'll be the loudest. If someone tries to 'out-loud' me, if they try to beat me in volume, I'll go louder and lose my voice. Because I want to be the loudest." It might be hard for some to be that vociferous in her support of a team that plays on a field where she rarely gets to play herself, but Uittenbogaard didn't seem to have that problem. "It's this team," she explained. "We're a family here, and you don't get jealous of other people, because we're so happy for each other when someone does something well. You just embrace where you are. It's happened each of the four years I've been here. You see people's joy of whatever their role is and they take it." That's not to say she isn't happy to be on the field, though. When the Wolves coaching staff changed and Jenny Fuller took over as head coach, there was a blank slate from which the Wolves players could work their way onto the field. Uittenbogaard took advantage. "When we came in, I told everybody I'd give them a chance," Fuller said. "And she's one of those kids that has really taken that opportunity and shown us what she has."

4 Uittenbogaard runs well and is tall and strong enough to hit for some power she's got five doubles on the season but has kind of a funky swing and doesn't walk a ton. But she's got enough talent to combine with her most abundant resource. "She is one of the most confident kids I've ever met," Fuller said. "I think her confidence takes her to the next level." Uittenbogaard, unsurprisingly perhaps, finds that to be a fairly apt description. "I do think that's accurate," she said of her coach's commentary. "I just think there's nothing stopping me. If I see something I want to do, I'm going to do it. No matter what it is." It's in talking about her successes that Uittenbogaard gives a glimpse of the reality of her battle to get to this point, though. "Being able to persevere in those bad times gives me that confidence," she said. "I've seen everything. I've seen all of these pitchers from the bench. I've charted them. I know what to expect." But the bat is just part of what Uittenbogaard contributes now that she's on the field. She's also a strong defender, demonstrating that strength with a sniper-shot throw from the corner of right field last week to gun down a runner trying to tag and advance from second base to third. "Every outfielder will tell you their favorite play is throwing someone out," Uittenbogaard said. "The diving catches are cool, but when someone thinks they can move a base up on you and you show them the gun, like 'No, no no, not today.' It's such an adrenaline rush."

5 Fuller has an appreciation for the significance of what Uittenbogaard is bringing to the field after so many years cheering from the dugout. "I think it's really neat," Fuller said. "It kind of gives me chills. I think she's maybe somebody who had a chip on her shoulder, too. I think maybe she always thought she could do it, and now she is, and I'm really happy for her." It's hard not to think about what you'll leave behind when you're faced with the last few weeks of a career. Uittenbogaard is no exception. "I hope my legacy is embracing your role," she said. "Because we are a family. If you're going to be on the bench, you've got to do it positively. You've got to give what you can give to the team. If it's a pinch hit or a pinch running situation, or a defensive substitution, you have to embrace it because every single person is important to the team. I feel like I really learned that not playing and then getting my opportunity." on Twitter. Cuyler Meade You May Like Sponsored Links by Taboola Bayer s scientists have developed a substance to treat patients with prostate cancer. magazine.bayer.com China will build a highway that will recharge of energy solar electric cars traveling on it Top 10 Most Expensive Cat Breeds In The World The-best-info.xyz Where Digital Transformation Begins

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