WEST POINT — Kenzie Jukes looks quite stylish in her hot pink Crocs.
Adorned with a button of a yellow smiley face with sunglasses and another of Piglet, the best friend of Winnie the Pooh, Jukes is feeling more comfortable every day she wears the synthetic fiber clogs with a strap around the ankle and holes in the front.
Judging from her performance at the start of the season, the Oak Hill Academy junior appears to be equally at ease in the circle.
Jukes pitched three innings Friday in a 6-3 victory against Heritage Academy. She scattered three hits and struck out 10 in a 7-1 victory against Hebron Christian in the first game of the Oak Hill Academy tournament. She suffered her first loss later in the tournament against Newton County Academy, and then rebounded by going four innings to get the victory against Kemper Academy. She allowed three hits and struck out six in that game.
For her accomplishments, Jukes is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“She probably threw the best game a pitcher at Oak Hill Academy has thrown since I have been here,” Oak Hill Academy fast-pitch softball coach Mitch Bohon said after Jukes’ effort against Hebron Christian.
Jukes showcased command of her fastball and changeup to keep Hebron Christian off balance. She recorded her first strikeout in the first inning on a changeup. Jukes continued to have confidence in the off-speed pitch and was able to use it in any count to get ahead or to end an at-bat.
Jukes said she purchased the Crocs two weeks ago on a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama. The getaway likely was the last chance to take time away from softball and school now that the calendar has turned to August. That’s fine with Jukes because she is ready to focus on fine-tuning her skills in the circle to help Oak Hill Academy realize its goal to get to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AA State tournament this season.
“It’s a good compliment,” Jukes said of Bohon’s praise following the game against Hebron Christian. “I was really nervous because this is my first year playing varsity.”
Jukes said the 2016 season actually was her first to play softball in about six years. She said she used to play city league ball and that she also played travel ball for about two years. Jukes admitted she thought she was going to “grow out of playing softball,” but all of her friends still played the sport, so she decided to return to it. She discovered she still had the love for the sport and is happy she opted to come back.
“Last year I didn’t tell (Bohon) that I used to pitch because I didn’t really know if I wanted to do it,” Jukes said. “I used to play shortstop, too, and he just put me at shortstop. Then I told him I used to pitch and I wanted to try it. When he put me in a game, I think I did pretty good.”
The return to softball means Jukes has had to regain the feel for throwing changeups. She said she used to throw the pitch when she first played, but she said she had to re-learn the hang of it this season.
Bohon said Jukes’ strong start to the season comes after a 2016 campaign in which she threw a lot of innings in junior varsity and maybe only seven in varsity, according to Bohon, who also is the school’s baseball coach. In that sport, changeups are crucial to a pitcher’s success, which is why Jukes has worked hard to develop a better feel for the pitch. Bohon said Jukes and Anna Grace Reed, the varsity team’s other primary pitcher, are starting to trust their changeups more because they have worked on it in practice.
“If they are leaking forward, we are going to get them out in front even more,” Bohon said. “She established it really early and did really well with it.”
On Monday, Jukes allowed three hits in five innings to lead Oak Hill Academy to an 8-1 victory against Calhoun Academy. She struck out two to improve to 4-1 on the season, while Oak Hill Academy moved to 5-2.
Jukes knows she and Reed will log most of the innings for the Raiders. She enjoys working with Reed, who is the team’s primary catcher, and feels they help each other do their jobs. She also is excited about her opportunities to continue to grow as a pitcher.
“It is a good feeling to be able to go out there and throw strikes,” Jukes said. “I have my good days and my bad days. Thank goodness (Saturday) was a good day.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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