Charter Oak’s Evans Is a Ball of Fire : Senior Outfielder Uses Her Speed, Skill to Earn Scholarship to UCLA

Ever since she first started playing softball at the age of 6, Kathi Evans says she has been enamored with the game.

“I just love to play,” she said. “It’s always been a lot of fun for me because you get to meet a lot of people and travel.”

It wasn’t until Evans entered Charter Oak High in Covina that she realized that there could be other benefits from playing the sport.

“When I first started out I thought nothing about scholarships,” Evans said. “I was just playing for fun. Until my freshman year, I didn’t know I could get a scholarship from playing softball. But since my freshman year, it’s been kind of a dream for me.”

For the 17-year-old Evans, the dream has become a reality. As a senior at Charter Oak, she is regarded as one of the top players in Southern California and has signed a national letter of intent to attend UCLA next season.

Playing center field for the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section 4-A Division, Evans has a .379 batting average with 11 stolen bases in 11 attempts.

“It’s her speed undoubtedly that’s been her biggest advantage,” Coach Joey Davis said. “She just puts the ball in play and doesn’t really worry about where it goes. As long as it doesn’t go right to the first baseman or the third baseman, she’s got a good chance of getting on base.”

Evans said her speed is something that she inherited from her mother, Vicki, who was a good slow-pitch softball player.

“She played in slow-pitch leagues when she was in her 20s and everyone always made comments on how fast she was,” Evans said. “It’s kind of strange that I inherited that from my mother but it’s always come natural for me. My speed has always been my best weapon.”

She is also a slap hitter, which she picked up from playing with the Cerritos-based Gordon’s Panthers in winter and summer league play.

“She will bunt the ball sometimes but what she really does best is the slap,” Davis said. “She just tries to hit down at the ball hard enough that it’s hard to field.”

Evans then uses her speed to reach base.

“Her on-base percentage last year was .700 and her batting average was over .400 and no one can compare to that,” Davis said. “I think she is just a step ahead of people as far as that is concerned. With good placement and luck, there’s no way you can get her out.”

But Davis said Evans can improve her game.

“I think she could help herself if she could become a natural left-handed hitter but I think that might take away from the rest of her game,” he said. “I think the thing she could improve is her strength as a thrower. She’s a good defensive player already but she could improve her arm strength.”

At 5-foot-2 1/2 and 105 pounds, Evans could also benefit from a weight training program, Davis said.

But for the most part, Davis says Evans already has the ingredients to be a successful college player.

“There’s no player in high school softball that I’ve seen who’s more ready,” Davis said. “She’s got all the tools. Mentally and physically she’s got what it takes.”

Evans and Davis agree that much of the credit in her development goes to coaches on her teams outside of school, such as Larry Mays of the Panthers. That is also where promising players usually attract the most attention from college scouts.

“College coaches don’t recruit (much) during high school season because it’s also their season,” Davis said. “They see the kids on their traveling teams. That’s when they can see all of the good players at once.”

Evans may have made her biggest impression last summer when the Panthers won the 18-and-under national title.

After the summer season, Evans said she was actively recruited by about 20 schools. She made recruiting trips to Cal State Fullerton, Arizona, Iowa and UCLA before settling on the Bruins during the NCAA’s early signing period in November.

“I think UCLA was where she wanted to go all along,” Davis said. “She really knew where she wanted to go so that wasn’t much of a problem for her.”

The only difficulty has come with the attention that she has received since signing with the defending NCAA champions Bruins.

“It’s been harder only because of the pressure people put on me,” Evans said. “People say, ‘Oh, she’s the one who’s going to UCLA.’ It’s probably more of a plus because you know where you’re going but now you have to live with it. But I’m very glad I did it already.”

Evans said receiving a scholarship from UCLA is probably the crowning accomplishment of her high school career, although she says she was also excited when her Charter Oak team won the 4-A Division title last season.

“I think the biggest thrill of being a softball player is earning a scholarship but as a high school player it was to win the title,” she said.

Evans has developed more as a player competing on traveling squads, but she said there is a special feeling about playing for a high school team.

“It’s not like playing for your traveling team because you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for a whole school,” she said. “It means a lot to everyone.”

Evans is hoping to finish her high school career with back-to-back titles and she realizes she will play a central role. As a co-captain along with Cyndi Parus, Evans is a player who is admired by teammates.

“The kids have a lot of confidence in her and if they have a question they’re more likely to go to her than to me,” Davis said. “She’s just a really positive person. She doesn’t have any enemies on the team. It’s not that she’s a sweet and syrupy person. It’s just that she has a good personality and a lot of people like her.”

That helps explain why she is also student body president at Charter Oak. With a 3.5 grade-point average, she is also a good volleyball player who earned All-Sierra League honors as an outside hitter last season.

But Evans is one athlete who has come to realize her strength.

“I love to play volleyball but softball’s definitely my No. 1 sport because I’m better at softball than I am at volleyball,” she said.