Softball Player of the Year: St. Charles East's Katie Arrambide chose softball over cheerleading, gymnastics – and hasn't looked back - Kane County Chronicle

June 14, 2019 at 12:31AM

Softball Player of the Year: St. Charles East's Katie Arrambide chose softball over cheerleading, gymnastics – and hasn't looked back | Kane County Chronicle SectionsMoreMarket PlaceDigital Access

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Saints' sophomore led team to second place in Class 4AST. CHARLES – Katie Arrambide calls it a blessing in disguise.Arrambide, the St. Charles East sophomore pitcher, was apparently quite the former competitive gymnast and cheerleader in third grade."The only reason I play softball now...I got a super bad mental block from tumbling," Arrambide said. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]At a Cheer Alliance Inc. practice session, Arrambide remembers a high school-aged tumbler suffering an injury near her head and neck."She was doing some kind of run across the floor," Arrambide recalled. "I just heard her yelp. I looked over and [people] were all running toward her. She was in the ball...she was holding her head close to her."At the time, she played softball as well as doing gymnastics and cheerleading. Arrambide admits she probably was going to choose competitive cheerleading and gymnastics over the sport she now dominates."I became so afraid that I was going to get a head or neck injury like she had, that I wouldn't do it anymore," Arrambide continued. "It was actually after that, that I decided I wanted to put all my energy into softball."Arrambide's decision ultimately became St. Charles East's gain, eventually helping lead the program to a Class 4A state championship game appearance. The Saints placed second, matching the 2013 team's runner-up finish for the best in program history.Arrambide, nothing short of incredible, struck out nine in a 1-0 loss against Huntley in the final game. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]For the season she posted a 17-8 record with a 1.67 ERA and smashed the program record with 234 strikeouts.The strikeout record was previously held by Haley Beno from the 2013 runner-ups, who had 204 in 185 innings pitched.Arrambide, when told of the strikeout record, was not aware."I usually don't count [my strikeouts]," Arrambide said. "I try to out-compete myself every game...I can feel when I'm 'on' and when I'm doing things right. But, I don't try to put pressure on myself to [for example], if I got 10 strikeouts last game, but I need 11 this game because there's things more important than that in a softball game."Eventually, Arrambide wants to see her record fall in the future. She does, though, hopes it stands for a couple of years. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]"It'll be really great for the person who breaks my record because they'll probably do really well that year," Arrambide said. "I feel like for the sake of the school it'd be cool if it was broken, it means we're getting better."The box score can already spell out Arrambide's dominance in the circle. It's her impact beyond it that helped fuel the Saints to grand heights."Katie is a phenomenal pitcher," Saints teammate Krista Sbarra said following their regional title victory over Schaumburg on May 24. "She really helps the offense with a lot of confidence. When she's [in the circle], we never have a doubt that she's going to be striking out girls. She really carries this team." [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]St. Charles East pitcher Katie Arrambide is the Kane County Chronicle Girls Softball Player of the Year. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]St. Charles East pitcher Katie Arrambide is the Kane County Chronicle Girls Softball Player of the Year.You might be interested in...

Softball Player of the Year: St. Charles East's Katie Arrambide chose softball over cheerleading, gymnastics – and hasn't looked back | Kane County Chronicle SectionsMoreMarket PlaceDigital Access

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Saints' sophomore led team to second place in Class 4AST. CHARLES – Katie Arrambide calls it a blessing in disguise.Arrambide, the St. Charles East sophomore pitcher, was apparently quite the former competitive gymnast and cheerleader in third grade."The only reason I play softball now...I got a super bad mental block from tumbling," Arrambide said. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]At a Cheer Alliance Inc. practice session, Arrambide remembers a high school-aged tumbler suffering an injury near her head and neck."She was doing some kind of run across the floor," Arrambide recalled. "I just heard her yelp. I looked over and [people] were all running toward her. She was in the ball...she was holding her head close to her."At the time, she played softball as well as doing gymnastics and cheerleading. Arrambide admits she probably was going to choose competitive cheerleading and gymnastics over the sport she now dominates."I became so afraid that I was going to get a head or neck injury like she had, that I wouldn't do it anymore," Arrambide continued. "It was actually after that, that I decided I wanted to put all my energy into softball."Arrambide's decision ultimately became St. Charles East's gain, eventually helping lead the program to a Class 4A state championship game appearance. The Saints placed second, matching the 2013 team's runner-up finish for the best in program history.Arrambide, nothing short of incredible, struck out nine in a 1-0 loss against Huntley in the final game. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]For the season she posted a 17-8 record with a 1.67 ERA and smashed the program record with 234 strikeouts.The strikeout record was previously held by Haley Beno from the 2013 runner-ups, who had 204 in 185 innings pitched.Arrambide, when told of the strikeout record, was not aware."I usually don't count [my strikeouts]," Arrambide said. "I try to out-compete myself every game...I can feel when I'm 'on' and when I'm doing things right. But, I don't try to put pressure on myself to [for example], if I got 10 strikeouts last game, but I need 11 this game because there's things more important than that in a softball game."Eventually, Arrambide wants to see her record fall in the future. She does, though, hopes it stands for a couple of years. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]"It'll be really great for the person who breaks my record because they'll probably do really well that year," Arrambide said. "I feel like for the sake of the school it'd be cool if it was broken, it means we're getting better."The box score can already spell out Arrambide's dominance in the circle. It's her impact beyond it that helped fuel the Saints to grand heights."Katie is a phenomenal pitcher," Saints teammate Krista Sbarra said following their regional title victory over Schaumburg on May 24. "She really helps the offense with a lot of confidence. When she's [in the circle], we never have a doubt that she's going to be striking out girls. She really carries this team." [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]St. Charles East pitcher Katie Arrambide is the Kane County Chronicle Girls Softball Player of the Year. [Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com]St. Charles East pitcher Katie Arrambide is the Kane County Chronicle Girls Softball Player of the Year.You might be interested in...

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