Prep athletes of the week: Blur of a season paying off for Minnetonka softball's Kristy Peka

Kristy Peka has been busy. Not unusual for a softball pitcher in this hectic, weather-condensed season, but it has gotten to the point that games have become difficult to differentiate.

"It's been super busy," said Peka, who compiled a 5-2 record with a save in eight games last week. "All the games are starting to blend together."

She's not complaining, not after the frustrations of April. Peka is adapting. She has been diligent in taking care of her arm. "It's been tiring but I've learned to ice," the senior said. "It does pay off."

She has also asked her coaches to cut down on her workload a bit to stay fresh for the stretch run. In the Eastview Tournaments, she started all three games, gave way in the middle innings, then came back to close out two of the victories.

Overall in the eight games, she struck out 61 batters and contributed at the plate, hitting .500 and clubbing a home run. She's not quite sure about the rest of her stats, however. "Our coach says we can't see them until the season is over," she said.

Which is not far off.

"It's been insane," she said. "Like one of my teammates said, we finished 70 percent of our season in two weeks."

The senior first baseman proved to be a tough out as the Titans split six games over the past week. She hit .643 (9-for-14) and compiled an on-base percentage of .706. She homered five times, drove in 12 runs and scored eight.

The metro's best catcher showed off his offensive skills as the Panthers swept doubleheaders over Farmington and Rosemount. He recorded eight hits in 11 at-bats, doubled twice, homered and drove in 10 runs, seven of them in one game.

Batting at the top of the Mustangs lineup, Koehn spent much of last week roaming the basepaths and helping his team to a 3-2 record. He hit .583 with an on-base percentage of .643, scored five runs and drove in five more.

The game results were inconsistent — three victories in seven games — but the sophomore was anything but. She hit .652 (15-for-23) with four doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, eight stolen bases and 13 runs scored. She is hitting .595 on the year.

MADDIE SCHWARTZ

Schwartz, a senior pitcher/infielder who has signed with Wisconsin, compiled a 4-0 record, giving up two earned runs and striking out 25. She hit .722 (13-for-18) with three home runs and 13 RBI, and leads the Storm with a .622 batting average.

After winning the 100 meters and 300-meter hurdles at the Lake­ville Mega Meet on April 28, the sophomore followed by winning four events at a home quadrangular Tuesday and topping the podium four more times Thursday at the Mankato East Relays.

JIM PAULSEN

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