Koolbeck helps J-Hawks 'kiss' Wash goodbye
On the back of her left hand, right at eye level when she’s at bat, Jefferson’s Maddie Koolbeck has big, bold letters that spell “KISS.”
“It stands for ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’,” she said, explaining that her big brother Jake, an assistant coach at Clear Creek Amana, suggested it early in the year when she was struggling at the plate.
“I’ve had an up-and-down season,” noted the senior first baseman, her .342 batting average notwithstanding. “The problem is I think too much. I sometimes overthink things instead of just going up there and hitting the ball.”
Koolbeck broke out of her perceived slump in a big way in the fifth inning Saturday night as the 10th-ranked J-Hawks belted Washington, 11-0, in five innings in the Class 5A regional semifinals at Larry Niemeyer Field.
