Talk about being put on the hot seat. Asked to fill the void of graduated standout Tess Sito and trying to defend its 2009 Division I state softball title with just one senior, Elyria junior Kristen Boros flourished in helping her team compile a 24-6 record, gain a No. 5 ranking in the final coaches state poll, win a...
(Thomas Ondrey / PD)
Talk about being put on the hot seat.
Asked to fill the void of graduated standout Tess Sito and trying to defend its 2009 Division I state softball title with just one senior, Elyria junior Kristen Boros flourished in helping her team compile a 24-6 record, gain a No. 5 ranking in the final coaches state poll, win a conference championship and earn a berth into a regional final.
Boros went 23-4 with a 0.94 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 178 innings.
"I felt a little pressure going into the year, but I knew I had good players behind me, so it wasn't that bad," said Boros, The Plain Dealer's Softball Player of the Year. "I had a very good feeling about this team after we went 4-1 during our Tennessee trip."
Boros was the starting shortstop her first two varsity seasons but was moved to the mound this season.
"Coach [Ken Fenik] told me I'd be pitching most of the games, and I was OK with that," said Boros. "I missed playing short because I feel that's my best position, but you do what's best for the team."
Fenik also had a lot to do with lessening the pressure.
"Winning the conference and district championship was all [Fenik] talked about," said Boros. "He never talked about defending the state championship, and I think that helped all of us.
"If there was pressure, we put it on ourselves because we wanted to exceed the expectations a lot of people had for us. We wanted to be a lot better than people thought we'd be, and I really think we did that. I'm very proud of what we did."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bfortuna@plaind.com, 216-999-4665