27140477
The Cabrini College softball team might want to send a thank-you note to Kathy and Joe Sandefur.
They’re the godparents, as well as aunt and uncle, of clean-up hitter Kristie Sandefur, who has set a new school record with 15 home runs. As of April 29, the 20-year-old sophomore was ranked No. 5 among NCAA Division III softball players.
Joe is the one who signed his niece up to play T-ball with the South Philadelphia Sabres, Seventh Street and Packer Avenue — without discussing it with her parents.
Several years later, Sandefur is extremely grateful.
"I am so thankful," she said during a recent phone interview. "I’ve gotten so much from softball."
That includes showcasing her skills on the college level. The 2005 Neumann-Goretti grad has wasted little time putting out a potent swing that compelled head coach Martine Susko to move Sandefur to No. 4 in the batting order, a spot reserved for the team’s best power hitter.
"She started out as the No. 5 hitter behind an established upperclassman, but Kristie’s skills forced us to move her into the No. 4 spot 10 to 12 games into our season," Susko said.
The third baseman didn’t fold under pressure, leading the Cavaliers in home runs, hits (54), runs batted in (47) and total bases (104). May 8, she was named First Team All-Pennsylvania Athletic Conference. Add a .432 batting average, and Cabrini seems to have the clean-up spot secured for two more seasons.
Like most second-year players, Sandefur had her doubts about whether she could live up to the performance of senior Megan O’Brien, a returning Second Team All-PAC selection, who moved to No. 5 in the batting order.
"It was kind of like huge shoes to fill," Sandefur said. "I knew my team was looking for me to produce a lot of offense. I just hoped I would be able to do as well as [O’Brien] did."
The home-run results caught both Susko and Sandefur by surprise. The coach said she didn’t find out until after the season ended her infielder had broken the school record.
Sandefur, of 17th and Jackson streets, didn’t know until late April she was ranked in the top-20 nationally.
"I didn’t really believe it until one of my teammates told me," she recalled. "I was [ranked] 16th then, and hit four more over [that] weekend.
"It was a crazy feeling. I almost cried."
Cabrini’s softball program might not get the same national attention as the player, but the school offers everything the student-athlete, a former Second Team All-Catholic, was seeking. It was the perfect "small-school atmosphere," she said, over Temple and St. Joseph universities.
"I fell in love with the [Radnor] campus," Sandefur, a psychology major, said. "I spend most of my time at the King of Prussia Mall."
She also is excelling academically, making the dean’s list and the Cabrini and Psi Chi (which is for psychology students) honor societies.
On the field, Sandefur’s success dates back to her Catholic Youth Organization days at St. Monica, where her team went undefeated for three seasons. It included grabbing three CYO Region Six titles. At Neumann-Goretti, winning was a lot tougher, as the program failed to make the postseason.
"We went out there and basically played for fun," Sandefur said of her high school days. "The Hallahan games were always big and we were really into them."
The home runs didn’t come quite as frequent, as Palumbo Playground, Ninth and Fitzwater streets, didn’t have an outfield barrier. "This is my first time dealing with a fence," Sandefur said.
The softball enthusiast also played travel ball with the Philadelphia Spirit, New Jersey Explosion and Washington Township Wildcats.
Being the most feared hitter in the lineup comes with pressure to produce, especially with runners in scoring position. Mentally, Sandefur tends to be her toughest critic.
"I am too hard on myself sometimes," she said. "Sometimes when you’re the No. 4 batter, if you don’t produce, it kind of just adds a lot of pressure because you’re kind of letting the team down."
This year, Cabrini finished 16-23 overall and 14-6 in the conference. The ’07 season closed May 2 with a 7-3 loss to Eastern in the first round of the PAC playoffs. The upside is Cabrini is extremely young, losing just leadoff hitter Jennifer Euganeo and O’Brien to graduation. Sandefur is one of six sophomores and seven freshmen are expected back next spring.
Come ’08, Sandefur knows Cabrini will be counting on her to set the winning tone, and she is up for the challenge.
"Over the next two years, I want to at least win the PAC Conference," she said. "We have a lot of talent, and the team is young."
Susko sees a bright future for the clean-up hitter.
"I think Kristie is going to be a dominant force for us for two more years," the coach said. "I would hate to be any other team in the PAC and have to defend her. It’s huge for us and is truly going to make a difference.
"We’re happy to have her back [on the team]."
