Kendall Lenz would be considered a star even if she hadn’t changed her approach at the plate.
The Naperville Central senior ranks among the decade’s defining two-sport athletes at the school, excelling in both softball and girls basketball.
“It’s pretty special that someone can be involved in more than one sport at the varsity level,” said Andy Nussbaum, who coaches both sports. “Kendall has done a great job juggling basketball, softball and studies.”
But after her sophomore year, Lenz, a right-handed hitter and an everyday outfielder, decided on a drastic switch: She’d become a left-handed hitter.
For all her life, Lenz has held a pen, eaten food and thrown a ball using her right hand. For 16 years, she hit righty too.
“My hitting coach always told me that since I’m a fast runner, I could use my speed to get on base more,” Lenz said. “After my sophomore season, I went to her and said, ‘I want to try this.’”
The move, jarring to some, is more common than many casual fans realize. With just 60 feet separating home plate and first base in softball, speedy left-handed hitters can slap-hit and sprint to first in a flash.
“Being left-handed in softball is such a major advantage,” Nussbaum said. “Those kinds of players are valuable to have, and that fits Kendall’s skill set.”
Lenz’s home-to-first time clocks in under three seconds, so the concept of the switch was loaded with game-changing potential. But making that transition can be a frustrating and grueling task.
Lenz toiled away. She attended numerous hitting lessons each week and spent hours in her driveway practicing her new lefty swing with her mom, Katie, and dad, Jason. On weekends, she tested herself in games with GenuWIN Reign, her summer travel team.
“It was more of a mental challenge to stay confident in myself,” Lenz said. “I had to not get down on myself. I wanted to prove to myself that I could make the switch. I knew it would pay off.
“It was hard physically, but practice made it a lot easier, and I caught on quickly. My confidence really grew by the end of the summer, and I just wanted to keep getting better.”
Lenz did. While balancing softball with basketball, she has blossomed into one of Naperville Central’s most valuable players. As of April 10, she was hitting .433, and her greatest asset to the Redhawks (5-6) has been her reliability in center field.
“We’re confident in Kendall,” Nussbaum said. “Sometimes when a fly ball goes into the outfield, we’re like, ‘Ehh.’ You always have different levels of confidence in different outfielders. But we always know that if Kendall is out there, she’ll catch it.”
Throughout summer 2021, Lenz came into contact with the softball program at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which is just a five-hour drive northwest of Naperville.
“Those coaches showed a lot of faith in me,” Lenz said. “I really pursued them, and I think I stood out more to coaches because I had made that switch.”
The coaching staff at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which includes former Naperville Central softball player Abbey Place, offered Lenz a spot on the team. She committed to the Blugolds on July 17, 2022.
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“I always knew it would be Eau Claire,” Lenz said.
Speedy left-handed hitter, sure-handed outfielder and college commit, Lenz defines versatility for Naperville Central. But her impact stretches wider.
“If we did a poll on who is everyone’s favorite teammate, they would all vote for Kendall,” Nussbaum said. “She’s just a tremendous person.
“Everybody irritates someone else at some point. We’re all human beings. But I don’t think Kendall has ever irritated anyone ever.”
What’s the secret?
“I just have fun with it,” Lenz said. “I don’t want to take it too seriously. Softball is supposed to be fun.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
