Junior pitcher and outfielder Kori Lincicum has helped the third-ranked Ankeny Centennial softball team to a 23-9 record, including a 15-5 mark in the CIML Conference.
Lincicum is batting .418 with nine home runs, eight doubles and 31 RBIs. In the circle, she has compiled a 7-4 record with a 2.27 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
Here is some inside info on Lincicum:
Congratulations on an outstanding season thus far. What has been the key to the team’s success?
I think that the key has been working together. We have all been there for each other when we need it, picking each other up and cheering everyone on. Our motto of the year is #asone, and we are doing everything we can to ensure we are living by that this season.
You hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give your team a 5-3 victory over Ankeny in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday. Did you get a pitch that you were looking for, and did you know that it was going to be a home run as soon as you hit it?
The pitch that I was looking for was middle away because she had been throwing it all game. I knew it was coming so I got right on the line and was ready to swing first pitch. When it first came off my bat I thought that it was going to be somewhere in the outfield, but I had no idea that it was going over. My goal was just to get a base hit.
Your teammate, Jordyn Kennedy, leads Class 5A with 14 home runs and became the school’s career home run leader earlier this season. Are you glad that she’s on your team so that you don’t have to pitch to her?
I am very glad that Jordyn is my teammate because I would never want to pitch to her. I’m so thankful that she is on our team because she does a lot of damage to our opponents. Jordyn is one of those people where I have no doubt she will hit the ball and get on base.
Your team has hit a total of 37 homers, which ranks second in Class 5A and sixth in the entire state. Do you think that’s a product of your team’s approach at the plate, or is it simply a matter of having multiple power hitters in the lineup?
I think that it is moreso power hitters rather than our approaches. When we go up to the plate we are thinking ground balls or line drives, and most of us hit it so hard that our line drives end up going over the fence.
Your team dropped an 8-0 decision to No. 1 Waukee Northwest on Thursday in a battle for first place in the conference. Do you think the Wolves, who have since extended their winning streak to 21 games, will be the team to beat in Class 5A?
I think Waukee Northwest will make a run this year and will be the team everyone is trying to win against. They have a good pitcher and good hitters with lots of speed on their team so it definitely makes them a difficult team to beat.
It marked the second time this season that Northwest pitcher Sophia Schlader held your team scoreless. What makes her so effective?
Sophia has good spin and great speed. Her ability to place the ball where she wants and to have good movement is very effective, and it keeps all of the hitters she faces (including our team) off balance and not be able to square anything up.
You’ve thrown several shutouts of your own this season. How many different pitches do you throw, and do you throw one of them more than the others?
I have five different pitches that I throw. I have a fastball, rise ball, curveball, change up, and a two seam. My most commonly used pitch is my two seam.
The Class 5A regional pairings were announced on Friday, and your team will host either Urbandale or Des Moines North in a semifinal game on July 12. What do you think of your team’s draw?
From our team’s draw I think we have a strong chance at making it to state, but we can’t take any of the teams lightly.
You have committed to play for Drake along with your teammate, Mady Ott. Did you get a chance to watch the Bulldogs play very much this spring?
I got to watch a couple games on TV and one in person. It was hard to make it to most of them because of my own practices and school.
With your success both at the plate and in the circle, do you think you’ll be a two-way player at the next level? Or do you think you’ll be focusing on just one of them?
After talking with my coaches at Drake, I am very lucky to be able to pitch, hit, and play the field. Not very many people get this opportunity, and I am beyond thankful to be one of them. It’s not going to be easy to do everything at the next level, but it is something I am very excited to do.
Drake is also known as a strong academic school. What are you planning to study there?
I know for sure at Drake I am going to study biology, but I am thinking about possibly doing something in business at the same time.