Women in Baseball
New Jersey Baseball Feature Story
A Flower, A Leader, Blooms in Ewing
If the major leagues represent the pinnacle of achievement for ball players, you would never know it from watching 14 year-old Stefanie Fox grace the girls’ softball fields in Mercer County, New Jersey. In addition to anchoring championship caliber recreation teams for Ewing Township at second base and shortstop, this budding star completed her second year at shortstop for the Hun School of Princeton’s Middle School team in 2008. In fact, you might say that this spring blossom has in many ways already bloomed.
A natural born leader by any definition, Stefanie "executes well anything you tell her to do while up at the plate, according to Middle School Coach Keri Marino. "The younger girls look up to her, she is aggressive on the base paths, and she has great knowledge of the game," Coach Marino explains. Even when she had an injury and could not practice at the start of the season, she attended tryouts in support of her team.
A Leader at Work
As the Hun Middle School’s starting shortstop, Stefanie "batted second in the batting order for her speed and ability to get on base. Her on-base percentage was very high, getting on base 19 times in 22 at-bats this past season." That stratospheric .860 on-base percentage helped her team score enough runs to go undefeated.
Coach Marino continues that "As Stef develops her skills more as a player she will be very successful at the varsity level in the future. Her overall positive presence and leadership on our team will be missed next year" as she moves on to Hun’s high school.
Stefanie has always been involved in sports. Mom Kathy accentuates the obvious in calling Stef a "natural athlete." As early as 5th grade Stef won a basketball foul shooting contest for boys and girls. The fact that she won the girls’ foul shooting contest every year that she attended elementary school would rank high on anyone’s list of memorable, childhood achievements. For an accomplished young athlete like Stefanie, though, facing down the same challenge year-in and year-out must have become a bit commonplace.
Taking Charge in the Field... Naturally
Still, that 5th grade championship will always loom special to her, because that victory marked her first co-ed championship.
Naturally, she ran track and played field hockey in 6th grade for Fisher Middle School, and she played basketball and soccer on the Hun Middle School’s 7th and 8th grade teams. "In April 2008 she completed her 7th year in the Curtis Lanes Junior Bowling League, finishing with a 146 average and receiving various trophies for high game and high series scores for girls," Mom continues.
"(She’s) a typical teenager in some ways, but overall a good kid," says Mom, beaming with just the right amount of pride.
In September 2008 Stef will enter ninth grade at the Hun School. New Jersey Baseball Magazine fully expects this flower to grace that picturesque campus as never before. Judging from her sports resume to date, she will grace the sports fields at Hun as a leader as never before as well.
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