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Here’s our TLI for Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: KENNEDY PROCTOR
Utah-committed C/OF Kennedy Proctor, #11 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Extra Inning Softball about Firecrackers Brashear, lifting weights, Alliance Nationals, Alliance Super Cup, OC Batbusters-Stith, Utah, environmental engineering, Terra McGowan, Metro Boomin, “Gilmore Girls” and clumsiness.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Kennedy Proctor
Hometown: Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
High School: Tesoro High
Club Team: Firecrackers Brashear 18U
Graduation Year: 2024
Height: 5-foot-8
Position: C/OF
Nickname: Kendawg
Twitter: @ProctorKennedy
Honors: Honor roll sophomore and freshman year and #11 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100.
Travel Ball Highlights/Fall Stats: Tier I Alliance All Tournament; Extra Inning Softball All-Summer Team; .478 AVG, 12 home runs and 43 RBIs.
High School Highlights/Stats: 1st Team All-League; Offensive Player of the Year; and .585 AVG.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? Firecrackers Brashear is known for being a competitive program, which plays at high levels against some of the best teams, having amazing coaching and winning national titles. I became involved with the Brashear program when I was playing on a younger 14U Firecrackers team (Firecrackers Brashear/TDR) when we became a part of the Brashear program. After my last summer in 14U, I went to the Brashear tryout and was placed on Firecrackers Brashear 16U where I played on that team for one year. After that, in late summer of 2022, I was moved up onto the Firecrackers Brashear 18U team.
Do you have any suggestions for training methods or apps and why? For me, when I began lifting weights and growing stronger that really improved my performance on the field in defense and offense. My pop time was faster, I hit harder, my throws were stronger, I ran faster and my endurance increased; I really believed that by lifting and growing stronger it improved my abilities on the field tremendously.
Can you tell us about your experience at Alliance Nationals this summer? This (past) summer, my team and I played in the Alliance Nationals in Indiana and it was by far one of my favorite tournaments that I have ever played in. I love the dynamics of the tournament and how the brackets work. It is not just any double-elimination tournament. It is set up similar to the NCAA College Softball World Series, which personally just makes it more fun and competitive. I also love how Alliance makes it more personal to the players and teams by setting up competitions, the All-Star Game, etc. My team placed 3rd in Tier I 16U and every single game we played was awesome. The energy, the competition and our resilience made the tournament one to remember.
What was your favorite fall tournament/event and why? My favorite fall tournament was the Alliance Super Cup. I love the competitive games and the drive that comes from every game in order to make it to Stage 2. That was our first event that was not just a showcase, so it was the first time we played in a tournament since the Alliance Nationals the previous summer.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? I think (OC) Batbusters-Stith was our toughest opponent. They play the game well in every aspect and were our only loss in the Alliance Super Cup. I think that by cleaning up the little things in our performance it should be a good game the next time we play them.
Can you tell us why you decided to commit to Utah? I decided to commit to Utah for many reasons. Utah checked all my boxes for what I wanted in a college. I already knew that Utah has a very strong and competitive softball program and competes against high-level competition in the Pac-12. When I first came, I fell in love with the natural beauty of Utah and the campus. Coach A, Coach Paige, DJ, and the team are amazing and were so welcoming, I knew that I would be happy and well taken care of by these people. After my visit, I could see myself at Utah in a uniform playing for them in the future.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am interested in environmental engineering. Math and science have always been subjects that I have been interested in and when I took a chemistry and environmental engineering class last year, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I think that our environmental issues are very prominent and I want to do my part in helping these issues.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero is Terra McGowan because I took catching lessons from her and her dad for a couple years and hearing all about Terra and all her accomplishments at Oregon inspired me. She grew up and played softball about 15 minutes from where I live and went to high school at one of my neighboring high schools, which made me realize that all this is possible because she grew up playing softball similar to the way I did.
What’s the best hype song and why? Personally, the best hype song is “Superhero” by Metro Boomin, Future & Chris Brown because it makes me feel like I am the best softball player ever.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? My favorite TV show to binge is “Gilmore Girls” because it is funny and relatable.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? My secret talent is being clumsy if that counts as a talent.
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