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"I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance because I’ve only been on varsity for two years. It was incredible,” Baker said.
Kira Baker had no idea she was about to go down in school history.
“I did not think I was anywhere close,” the senior pitcher said.
Yet one more pitch broke the Eudora High School varsity softball record for the most career strikeouts.
Baker threw a whopping 17 strikeouts Tuesday night against the Ottawa Cyclones to break the record in just her second season on the varsity team.
“It was, it was everything. I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance because I’ve only been on varsity for two years. It was incredible,” Baker said.
As she heard the announcement over the PA, it came as a major surprise for the senior, but worked out well in the eyes of her coach.
“I didn’t want her to think about it—I didn’t want her to focus on it. And she was kind of surprised when I walked out. Didn’t know exactly what was going on when I grabbed the ball, so I thought that was pretty neat,” head coach Bill Finucane said.
After missing the freshman season due to Covid-19 and spending a year on the JV team, Baker is one of the bright spots for the now 13-2 Cardinals team.
And while the team continues its winning ways after a 3-0 shutout victory against the Cyclones on Tuesday, Baker’s teammates are just happy to see her enter the record books.
“I was really excited for her, just because I know she’s really fought and she does an amazing job on the mound and I can always trust her having the ball, but I knew she was super excited to break that,” senior infielder Emma Durr said.
With a win and new school record all on senior night, Baker said this moment will stick with her as an unforgettable memory.
“That just made it even better. It’s something I’m never gonna forget,” Baker said.
This story was corrected to fix the team’s season record.
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