Junior Kennedy Frank is not your average varsity softball player; she has three colleges offering her scholarships. Drake, Evansville, both giving her a full ride, and Western Illinois, offering her a 70% scholarship.
“Kennedy deserves these scholarships because she has worked extremely hard for eight years of her life to get where she is now as a softball player. My husband and I have helped further Kennedy’s softball career by making sure she was challenged as an athlete,” Frank’s mother Miza Frank said.
Frank’s softball career began when she was eight years old. She currently plays for St. Louis Eserit, a select team, and she has been on the varsity team for three years.
“The team here is really awesome. I love hanging out with my teammates. We had our team sleepover and we went to Creepy World together. It’s never awkward and we always find something to do,” Frank said.
Frank’s position is shortstop but batting is her favorite part of the game.
“I love batting because it feels good when you make contact with the ball,” Frank said.
The college Frank is most interested in is Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. She has already visited the campus and met the team and coach in June and Sept.
“The coach and the team are really nice. They took me around the campus, I ate breakfast with them, and I watched one of their games. I also met the pre-vet teacher because I want to be a vet,” Frank said.
Along with varsity softball, Frank participates in varsity track and field although she does not plan to continue this in college.
Frank’s parents are some of her biggest supporters.
“My husband and I are extremely proud of Kennedy! We are thrilled that colleges want her to play softball for them. It has been exciting and stressful to receive offers from various colleges. It’s a great feeling to see that all of her hard work and dedication as a softball player as paid off with scholarships,” Miza Frank said.
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![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
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![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
