Last Monday, Kate Lesmeister, was named American Rivers Conference Softball Position Player of the Week. As a sophomore at Buena Vista University, Lesmeister comes from Omaha, Nebraska where she attended Millard West. She plays infield for the Beavers, typically at third base.

Last year as a freshman for the Beavers, Kate appeared in 30 games and started in 28. She batted a .319 and had a total of 29 hits throughout the year. She was second on the team with four home runs and 27 RBI’s. Her big game last season was against Coe, where she went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, and 3 RBI’s.

Already this season, Lesmeister has had a home run, 8 RBI’s, two stolen bases, and a batting average of .333. Lesmeister also reached base 10 times over the course of four games and hit a team leading, .625 for the week with a pair of doubles  

Lesmeister has loved softball for as long as she can remember. Helping people out in the sport she liked made her realize that she indeed, was in love with the sport. 

“I’ve loved softball my whole life, but the first time I really fell in love with softball was when I was hitting at a baseball/softball facility that I used to work at,” shares Lesmeister. “This little girl had her eyes up against the cage watching me hit and just looked so happy to be there watching me do something that I do every day. She asked me if I would be willing to help her with hitting, and that’s when I really understood that these younger kids really do look up to you. That’s when I knew that I loved softball.”  

According to Lesmeister, memories really set in for her during her first year as a Beaver, her favorite being the team’s trip to Arizona because she bonded with the other girls through activities that were outside of softball. This made the team’s chemistry better than ever before, which Lesmeister says made them play really well.

Coach Mandie Berneking says her expectations for Kate are just the same as all the softball girls, and further hopes for Lesmeister to be a role model for some of the younger girls.   

“Just like all of our athletes, I expect Kate to continue working through the process and adjust through adversity as faced. I would love to see her continue to build on the foundation she has started in being a great leader for this team. That transition can be tricky at times, but she has made great strides from day one,” says Berneking.  

Berneking’s desire to see more sophomores filling key leadership roles on the team is something Lesmeister has shown success at.  Berneking says that Lesmeister has done a great job of making the transition from follower to potential leader. As a young team, Berneking is excited to see Lesmeister help lead their nine freshmen, and has already seen growth in the first two weeks of season this year.

Coach Berneking has also been delighted with Lesmeister’s performance herself on the field.

“Kate has a lot of pop offensively, when she’s on she’s dangerous. Her explosive swing puts us in a great position to score runs offensively,” Berneking says.

As for biggest influences for Lesmeister, her parents are the first people that pop into her mind, and she is very thankful that they are always there supporting her. She attributes her success in the game to the sacrifices her parents have made for her to be able to play the game she loves.

Watch for scores and live stats as Lesmeister and the team head down to Arizona during spring break to play a series of games in the warm weather!