Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Kim Moore

Barry Faulkner

Kim Moore treats diamond superstition the same way she does

opposing hitters: with disdain.

So, while protocol calls for teammates to ignore mention of a pending

no-hitter, as well as consciously avoiding all dugout interaction with

the pitcher, no such rituals took place as the Newport Harbor High junior

kept chalking up outs and scoreless innings last week against Northwood.

Moore, in fact, admitted to being completely clueless that anything

other than a victory was at stake in the March 5 nonleague road game

against the Timberwolves.

“I was too focused on the game to realize I had a no-hitter,” said

Moore, who completed the deed, her first no-hitter on any level, to key a

1-0 victory. “When I’m pitching, I don’t even know what the score is.”

The Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week struck out six, walked two, then

released one huge sigh of relief, before being confronted with the

significance of her performance.

“I struck the last batter out and I was like ‘OK, drop the ball and

get off the field, because we just beat Northwood, which is a very big

team,’ ” Moore recalled. “Then I heard about the no-hitter and I think it

bounced right off me. It took a little while to sink in and I thought

‘Wow! I did that against Northwood!’ ”

Moore then followed with a one-hitter Saturday, a 5-0 victory over

Anaheim in the championship game of the Costa Mesa Invitational at

TeWinkle Park.

It was a dominant week for Moore and a breakthrough week for the

program, which has struggled in recent years, particularly against

respected programs like Northwood.

“I really have an awesome team in back of me,” said Moore, among five

juniors who began on the varsity as freshmen.

The Sailors (5-0 after beating Anaheim) alternate Moore and Sabrina

Couch in the circle. When Moore doesn’t pitch, she plays second base.

But pitching is Moore’s passion, which led to her decision to give up

basketball this past season, in order to concentrate on working more with

longtime pitching coach George Ortiz.

“I didn’t miss basketball at all,” Moore said. “It was a really easy

decision (to give it up), because softball is where my future is. And I

love it so much. I really feel like I’ve grown as a player. Working with

George has really paid off. He’s a very very big help.”

In addition to weekly sessions with Ortiz, who helped her develop a

more effective change-up and rise ball, Moore added seasoning by playing

for a travel ball team called the Blaze.

“She decided to focus on softball and it shows,” Newport Coach Jess

Martinson said. “She’s moving the ball around really well and

consistently hitting her spots. She’s not overpowering, but she keeps

hitters off balance.”

Martinson also believes Moore balances the mental and physical aspects

of the game.

“Once she’s out there, she’s basically focused on her pitching,”

Martinson said. “She’s not really a good-time kid in the circle. She’s

focused on what she’s doing.”

In addition to the defense behind her, Moore credits longtime battery

mate Amanda Campbell for helping keep her relaxed in the center of the

diamond.

“Amanda is one of my biggest backbones,” Moore said. “She’s been one

of my best friends ever since I was little and we’ve played softball

together all the way through Bobby Sox and now high school. She really

knows how to call a game.”

Moore said she enjoys playing second base, though she relies on

shortstop Athena Vasquez and first baseman Shelby Crisp for instruction

on where to play and what to look for.

But, with the ball in her hand and her foot on the rubber, instruction

and the occasional superstitious cold shoulder are simply unnecessary.