A BUNDLE OF ENERGY; HIGHLAND STANDOUT GONZALES GOES NONSTOP.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News Katy Gonzales of Highland High has garnered the nickname ``wiggles'' from her teammates for the junior third baseman's movement of her posterior in the batter's box Noun 1. batter's box - an area on a baseball diamond (on either side of home plate) marked by lines within which the batter must stand when at bat baseball diamond, infield, diamond - the area of a baseball field that is enclosed by 3 bases and home plate . Gonzales seems to be in perpetual motion Perpetual motion The expression perpetual motion, or perpetuum mobile, arose historically in connection with the quest for a mechanism which, once set in motion, would continue to do useful work without an external source of energy or which would produce more in all facets of her game. The Bulldogs' leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. , she has scored a team-high 38 runs for Highland (24-5), the Golden League runner-up which will play host to No. 4-seeded Camarillo (20-5) in the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals today. ``I am there to get on and help my team,'' Gonzales said. ``I try to talk a lot and keep people up. I'm pretty much the mouth of the team.'' A right-handed switch-hitter, Gonzales is also batting .434 despite hitting predominantly from the left side. She is one of four Highland players who are batting over .400 along with shortstop Jennifer Smith There are at least six prominent individuals named Jennifer Smith:
n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Jennifer Durost. Gonzales leads the team with 12 stolen bases and has been nearly flawless at third base with only two errors. Highland coach Glenda Potts said she doesn't hesitate to send Gonzales home on a squeeze play or from first on a single. ``She's hard to keep off the bases with her speed,'' Potts said. ``She has been our spark plug spark plug: see ignition. spark plug Device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and carries two electrodes separated by an air gap, across which current from a high-tension ignition system discharges, creating a spark . She is like the Energizer Bunny The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries. It is a pink rabbit that beats a bass drum and wears sunglasses and blue sandals and has been appearing in television commercials since 1989. . She is a bundle of energy and it shows on the playing field.'' Potts' only predicament is keeping Gonzales occupied. In practice, she often hits extra grounders to Gonzales in between drills to keep her attention. Potts had to improvise when heavy rains confined practice to the gym earlier this season. ``We were limited to what we could do indoors and we had to keep telling her to go up and hit again after one or two batters,'' Potts said. ``She is always laughing or smiling and and working hard 100 percent.'' Although softball is her favorite sport, Gonzales, who plays on the softball and volleyball teams at Highland, is also eager to try new endeavors. Gonzales is an avid water skier and snow boarder. She has also gone surfing in Hawaii. In the future (after she turns 18 and no longer needs parental permission), Gonzales would like to try bungee jumping and skydiving skydiving Sport of jumping from an airplane at a moderate altitude (e.g., 6,000 ft [1,800 m]) and executing various body maneuvers before pulling the rip cord of a parachute. Competitive events include jumping for style, landing with accuracy, and performing in teams (e.g. . Football and wrestling are also under consideration. ``I totally like football,'' Gonzales said. ``Wrestling would be my kind of sport, but I heard you could get ringworm ringworm or tinea (tĭn`ēə), superficial eruption of the skin caused by a fungus, chiefly Microsporum, Trichophyton, or Epidermophyton. from all the gross things from the sweat on the mat.'' For now, Gonzales is content to lift weights in the gym or go jogging to maintain her conditioning. ``I like to keep active and be doing something productive,'' Gonzales said. Gonzales was named to the Golden League first team as a sophomore in softball and was chosen to the all-tournament team in the High Desert Classic this season. Her contributions haven't been limited solely to her bat and glove. Gonzales maintains a 3.50 grade-point average and helped Highland win the Southern Section all-academic award for softball. As a freshman two years ago, Gonzales and her older sister Kristina were teammates on the Highland softball team. Kristina, now a sophomore on the Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. softball team, was a two-time all-league outfielder at Highland. Katy also plays with Smith on the Bulldogs' volleyball and soccer teams. Gonzales didn't play soccer this season. She was busy helping her family move from Acton to Quartz Hill. Gonzales, though, plans to return to soccer next season. ``She is never bored with anything, even if it's picking up balls,'' Smith said about Katy. ``She is always energetic and cheering somebody on.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Katy Gonzales is a prime reason why the Highland High softball team has advanced far into the playoffs. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion