Kaitlyn Dickey leaving big mark on diamond for Bath softball
Kaityln Dickey was busy trying to grow her skills on the court playing AAU basketball during her middle school days.
But that experience wound up opening another door.
After seeing her on the court, Dickey was approached by a travel softball coach about filling in for his team. Dickey decided to do so. And that decision has helped spark a strong softball career.
"(My travel coach) told me to come fill in and I've been with him ever since," Dickey said.
"I never thought this would ever come in my life because I've always been so focused on basketball."
Dickey stopped playing AAU hoops the next summer and returned to that softball team. She continued to stick with travel softball and now the senior first baseman finds herself putting the finishing touches on a record-setting career for Bath.
Dickey matched a single-season record when she hit her 10th home run this week. She is closing in on school records for career home runs, doubles and RBIs and will finish her career among the school's all-time leaders in hits.
"It's very special to me because I've worked so hard for this moment," said Dickey, who was voted the LSJ high school athlete of the week. "I have great teammates behind me, too, that also support me. My freshman year I hit zero home runs so I honestly didn't think (the homers record) would ever be possible. Over the years I've kind of changed my mindset and got really comfortable in the box and been able to make adjustments more easily than I have before in years past."
Dickey, who is slated to continue her softball career at Madonna, is hitting .558 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs this spring while building off a 2023 season where she was named honorable mention all-state in Division 3 by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.
Those numbers include a big stretch of games last week for Dickey, who hit .857 with three home runs, three doubles and 15 RBIs in sweeps of Hastings and East Lansing.
"Kaitlyn works very hard in practice," Bath coach Darren Buck said. "Her mindset is such that she wants to do what she can to help the team and she's been doing it all season. She doesn't get down if she doesn't get the hit. She just looks at the next at-bat and the opportunity to get a hit and she's been coming through very successful for us."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Kaitlyn Dickey leaving big mark on diamond for Bath softball
