Kate Crombar is one of the area’s top softball players. A senior leader at Carbondale, Crombar played first base for the Terriers. She set a school record with 14 home runs in 2019.
She has been named an All-Conference athlete in her previous three seasons, an All-South selection in two of her seasons, and she was named All-State last year. Crombar has also played in the SI Select Softball Game in every season of her high school career.
“Kate Crombar would be a four year starter. She has a tremendous work ethic and is without question a student of the game,” says Carbondale Softball coach Kim Wheeler. “It has been a pleasure watching her grow as a great person and a terrific softball player. I have had the privilege of coaching Kate since she was in 4th grade. While it breaks my heart for her that she is not able to end her Carbondale career on the field, I could not be more excited to see what her future holds!”
Crombar is an Illinois State Scholar and high honor student. She plans to play for John A Logan College Softball in the fall and will academically enter as a sophomore. She plans to study elementary education.
A Look At The Numbers:
Kate Crombar’s 2019 season looked like this:
Batting Average: .494
On Base Percentage: .541
OPS- 1.658
Slugging: 1.118
Home Runs: 14
RBIs: 43
Runs Scored: 33
Games Played: 26
From Kate Herself:
Q: What moment in your high school athletic career sticks out most to you?
A: The moment of my high school athletic career that sticks out most to me would be playing in the sectional championship game last softball season. Even though we lost, I’ll never forget the thrill of playing for a championship and the bond that my team had. Nobody played for themselves. We worked together and played as a team, which is something we worked on all season and progressively got better at it. I’ll never forget the energy that we had and the experience as a whole.
Q: How have you and your teammates tried to keep in contact despite the Coronavirus?
A: Our team messages each other quite often through the week. We often encourage each other to try and stay positive throughout this whole thing. We have been doing weekly workouts together and getting better each day. We’ve never experienced anything like it, but it’s bringing us together in hopes that we’ll get to step on the field again.
Q: How has the coronavirus affected your view on sports?
A: My view on sports has been completely changed because of the Coronavirus. I’ve grown up both playing and watching sports. I’m used to a baseball game on TV in the summer, or a hockey game on in the winter. Personally, I’ve never had a sports season suspended before. Now, I realize how much I’ve taken athletics for granted. Even though I will continue on to play college softball, it’s still hard not to be able to have a senior softball season. Playing for Coach Wheeler and the Carbondale Terriers has been such a wonderful experience, and knowing that I probably won’t get another chance to do so breaks my heart. I’ve learned to not take things that you love for granted because you never know if they could be taken away.
Q: Once the pandemic is over with and life gets back to normal, what are you most looking forward to?
A: When things return to normal, I think I’m most excited to simply have a normal routine back. I’m beyond excited to hit a ball in a game again, sit in class, to go to hitting lessons, to walk in a grocery store without worry, etc. These times are tough, but they’re teaching all of us how to overcome adversity. I’ll be so glad when I can see my family, friends, and coaches again. I know that the first softball game that takes place after this ends will feel like a dream. For now, we just have to stay focused on remaining healthy and keeping others safe.
Q: What goals do you have for yourself post-graduation, sports-related or life-related?
A: I have a lot of goals set for myself. In college, I want to maintain a 4.0 GPA and finish school early. For softball, I have a lot that I want to accomplish. To keep it short, I simply want to be the best player and best teammate I can be. I’m ready to push myself to help make the team better, and I’m super excited for what’s to come. In the future, my goal is to be a successful elementary school teacher. I’m super passionate about kids and helping them to gain knowledge. There’s a lot that I want to accomplish in a small amount of time, but I’m determined to do it and I’m full of excitement.
If you know a senior athlete (high school or college!) who’s season was cut short due to the Coronavirus please nominate them on our Senior Hot Shots page for a chance to be recognized!