Kuhlenschmidt Takes Her Turn at Marymount

Grace Kuhlenschmidt knows her best years lie ahead with Marymount High's softball program. On a squad that features six underclassmen, however, there's no time like the present.

The Sailors' season ended with an 8-5 defeat to second-seeded Beaumont in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs last week, but thanks to some talented young players like Kuhlenschmidt, the future looks bright at the all-girls school across the street from UCLA.

"Grace made great strides this year and is one of the players we'll be relying on more heavily next season," Coach Dave Clark said. "She's learned a lot from the seniors and she'll have big shoes to fill."

As the only Palisadian on the varsity roster, Kuhlenschmidt played in all but one of the Sailors' 25 games, finishing with 14 hits, seven RBIs, six runs scored and a .625 fielding percentage.

She had a hit and a strikeout in Marymount's home playoff loss to Beaumont, the Mountain Pass League champion. The Sailors (15-10) finished in a tie for first place in the Sunshine League with Marlborough (16-6).

Kuhlenschmidt showed her prowess at the plate in Marymount's season opener, blasting a triple to drive in two runs. The next day she went three-for-three with one RBI in a 8-3 win over JW North. 

The 5-5 sophomore is also a versatile fielder who plays all over the diamond. She saw action at catcher, third base and in the outfield this spring. 

As a freshman in 2010, Kuhlenschmidt got to experience what it's like to play in a championship game, as the Sailors advanced all the way to the Southern Section Division 6 finals where they lost to La Salle. She had eight hits and five RBIs and fit right in on a team with five other freshmen.

"When you're accustomed to winning, there's the expectation to perform right away," Clark said. "We'd won CIF the year before and got to the finals again, so there was a lot of pressure. It was good for the freshmen to get a taste of that."

Kuhlenschmidt is used to winning. She did plenty of it as a three-sport star at St. Matthew's Parish School, where she played flag football and volleyball and was one of the catalysts for the Falcons' softball team which won six straight Pacific Basin League titles.

Her love and enthusiasm for the sport can be traced back to childhood. Over the summer before her fifth-grade year at St. Matthew's she played third base for two club teams at the same time, leading both her Santa Monica Bobby-Sox and Palisades Ice Ice Baby squads to league titles.