McGoldrick is Sterling’s do-it-all shortstop

If Kylie McGoldrick were a ship captain, she'd be comfortable in the center of a storm.

From McGoldrick's shortstop position with the Sterling softball team, her job is to calm the waters before the ball is struck. So she calls out adjustments to her infield teammates and positions herself to be in the best spot to intercept a speeding missile.

"It's all about knowing exactly what's going to happen before the ball is hit," said McGoldrick, a senior who has played the position since she was 10. "You have to act on instinct, you can't think twice, and you have to be vocal with the rest of the team.

"I like playing shortstop because it's being in the center of things. There's a lot to do, a ton of action."

And the 17-year-old honors student with a 3.9 GPA does it well, with the glove as well as the bat. Her fielding percentage last season, when the Silver Knights charged to a 23-5 record, was .715. Her on-base percentage was .733.

Getting on base is important to a leadoff hitter, and no one on the team does it better than McGoldrick, who batted .535 last season, when the Knights bowed to West Deptford, 7-2, in a South Jersey Group 2 quarterfinal.

"I've always been a good hitter because I've always worked on it, doubles, triples, line drives," McGoldrick said. "I hit for power or slap or drop down a bunt."

The only starter remaining from the school's last Group 2 state-championship team, McGoldrick believes that the present squad can make it back to the big dance and win.

Senior Sarah Almasy, who went 5-1 and had a 1.23 ERA last year in a part-time role, will see more circle duty. Junior Amanda Gardiner is back at catcher. Junior Kate Biasi can handle second base, and another sensational senior, Kylie O'Donnell, will cover center field, adding strength up the middle for the Knights.

A three-year starter and close friend of McGoldrick, O'Donnell hit .394 last season and had an OBP of .400.

"Kylie has been the heart and soul of our team for four years," said O'Donnell, who is an officer with McGoldrick on student council. "We call her a vacuum because she gets to everything and she has an unbelievable release to first base.

"As a hitter, she can do lots of things, but it's mostly power. We love her in the [leadoff] position because, most of the time, she ends up on base. She knows how to work a pitcher."

Sterling coach Kelly Tallant, who marvels at McGoldrick's fielding and hitting, calls her the hardest-working girl at Sterling. McGoldrick said she had to work hard in the classroom to be recruited by Virginia Tech, which gave her a full athletic scholarship to play softball.

Her labor on the diamond is well known as a travel-team player for Rock Gold in Newtown, Pa. McGoldrick is in her fourth year with the team and has played in states from here to California. She said she is one of 10 girls on the travel team to have been recruited by Division I schools.

There's another diamond that keeps her busy: The 17K Diamonds for All charity, which the Stratford resident started.

"Seventeen is my number, K is for Kylie, and Diamonds for all is for giving everyone the opportunity to play [softball and baseball]," she said.

"I take collections of used baseballs and softballs, bats, helmets, uniforms. Last year, I donated it to the Boys and Girls club in Camden. It's all about giving back."