Crunch time for Marian Catholic takes on whole new meaning for Purdue recruit Kendyl Rainey. ‘I like Cheez-Its.'

Chicago Tribune

23-05-2025

When she's not on base or in the field, senior shortstop/outfielder Kendyl Rainey isn't hard to find in Marian Catholic's dugout.
Mya Davis, her teammate and best friend, just listens for the crunch.
'She's always eating,' Davis said, laughing. 'She snacks too much in the dugout.'
The Purdue recruit broke into a smile. Guilty as charged.
'I'm hype,' Rainey said. 'I'm real hype. I like Cheez-Its right now. I had some today.'
They were snacks of success Thursday afternoon for Rainey and the host Spartans in an 8-7 nonconference win over De La Salle in Chicago Heights.
Rainey produced three hits, including a triple and a home run. Gracie Jensen also homered for Marian (11-15), while Ella DeNormandie had two hits and Jackie Pollock added a key double.
The Spartans walked it off on a grounder by Morgan McMahon to second base that brought in Abby Gustavson.
Samara Agredano delivered three hits, including a homer, for De La Salle (23-10). Mya Alvarez and Kayla Kamradt contributed two hits apiece.
Rainey has made a major impact during her senior — and only — season for Marian's varsity. Before her junior year, she transferred to Marian from Munster, Indiana. Due to Illinois High School Association rules, she had to sit out a year.
Still, she was an unofficial contributor to the softball team.
'I was a manager, did things like soft toss for them on game days,' Rainey said. 'I still practiced with them and everything.'
Senior year has seen so much more.
She's hitting .471 out of the leadoff spot with nine doubles, five triples, five homers and 15 RBIs. She also leads the team with 18 stolen bases. Marian coach Kelly Murray plays her at short or in center.
Against De La Salle, Rainey started the game at short and finished in center. She led off the first inning with a triple and then drove a home run over the fence in center in the fourth.
'I really just read the defense,' Rainey said. 'When the defense plays me in, that's when I power slap and soft slap. But I can swing away, too.'
Slapping ability. Speed. Power. A good glove. And that sense of humor …
'She is one of my favorite kids to coach,' Murray said. 'She's always joking around. But when it's time to turn it on, she's serious and makes it happen. She's the first one and the last one in the cage every single day.
'That's why she's going to Purdue.'
This weekend, Rainey went to Eastern Illinois to compete at the Class 2A girls track state meet as a member of the 400 relay team.
This spring has seen her succeed with quite a juggling act while being a multisport athlete in the same season. She's had some interesting doubleheaders.
'I've done track meets and softball games on the same day, when they were at the same place or real close,' Rainey said. 'The meets usually start at 3 o'clock and the softball games at 4:30. The track coach will put me in events at the beginning and then I'll go to softball.'
Most recently, Rainey competed in a track sectional at Hillcrest and played a softball game later that day at Tinley Park. She remembers vividly doing double duty at Marist.
'Right after I ran, I went to the softball game and got hit by a pitch,' Rainey said. 'I got hit right on my kneecap. That was a tough day.'
Nothing she couldn't handle, though.