logo
The Times' softball player of the year: Kai Minor of Orange Lutheran

The Times' softball player of the year: Kai Minor of Orange Lutheran

Four years ago, after seeing freshman outfielder Kai Minor for the first time during the first softball practice, Orange Lutheran High coach Steve Miklos remembers arriving at home and telling his wife, 'This girl is special.' And she was.
Minor, headed to Oklahoma after four spectacular seasons at Orange Lutheran, saved her best for her senior season, exceeding even the highest of expectations with 44 hits, a .500 batting average, 34 RBIs and 17 doubles for the Trinity League championship team. Defensively, she was a wizard with her glove.
'She makes plays routine that others wouldn't make,' Miklos said.
For a season of exceptional performances, Minor has been selected The Times' player of the year in softball.
'It was a joy to see her develop not only as a great player but as a mentor to younger players,' Miklos said.
He called Minor 'the best player' in his 28 seasons of coaching.
Her speed was used on the bases and on defense. Opposing coaches who had never seen her play always came away impressed.
'People watch her and they're amazed,' Miklos said. 'They go, 'Who's that?''
She's a five-tool player in the world of softball.
'She hits for power, she's a line-drive hitter, a great baserunner. She's complete,' Miklos said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Aug. 17 #328
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Aug. 17 #328

CNET

time5 hours ago

  • CNET

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Aug. 17 #328

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition is both fun and tough. The purple category was kind of brilliant, actually. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: NFL terms. Green group hint: Maple leaf flag. Blue group hint: Ducks from Eugene. Purple group hint: Fore! Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Deliver the ball to a teammate Green group: Canadian teams, minus the S Blue group: Oregon alumni Purple group: Golf clubs minus the first letter Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 17, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is deliver the ball to a teammate. The four answers are dish, distribute, give and pass. The green words in today's Connections The theme is Canadian teams, minus the S. The four answers are Canuck, Flame, Raptor and Whitecap. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is Oregon alumni. The four answers are Herbert, Ionescu, Nix and Pritchard. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is golf clubs minus the first letter. The four answers are edge (wedge), river (driver), ron (iron) and utter (putter).

Notre Dame football offers 2029 California jumbo athlete prospect his first scholarship
Notre Dame football offers 2029 California jumbo athlete prospect his first scholarship

USA Today

time2 days ago

  • USA Today

Notre Dame football offers 2029 California jumbo athlete prospect his first scholarship

While we have seen Notre Dame football look ahead in its recruiting efforts, and they often don't look too far ahead, they did on Friday. The Irish offered 2029 California jumbo athlete Inokefotu Fakatou, making it his first Division 1 scholarship. Already standing 6-foot, 3-inches and weighing 215-pounds, Notre Dame is trying to get significantly ahead of the curve in his recruitment. Fakatou's class has yet to even begin his high school career, but clearly showed enough for Notre Dame to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer. It will be very interesting to see his recruitment play out, as there most likely will be at least few years until he makes a decision. He will play his first snaps at the high school level for Orange Lutheran, who is set to begin its season on Aug. 23rd. Fatakou's team will play a very tough schedule, as they are set to face off against powerhouses like Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, and Sierra Canyon. If he's able to make some noise as a freshman against those teams, Notre Dame's recruiting staff will look like geniuses with the early offer. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Barbie celebrates Venus Williams' equal pay advocacy with Inspiring Women Doll

time4 days ago

Barbie celebrates Venus Williams' equal pay advocacy with Inspiring Women Doll

The $38 doll will be available at Mattel Shop starting Aug. 15. 1:31 Tennis legend Venus Williams, who's known for a historic fight for equal pay, is now being honored with her own Barbie Inspiring Women doll. Barbie announced Wednesday it will celebrate the seven-time Grand Slam champion and gender equality advocate with a collectible doll modeled after her 2007 Wimbledon victory look, featuring an all-white outfit paired with a green gem necklace, wristband, racket and tennis ball. In 2005, Williams met with French Open and Wimbledon officials, demanding equal pay for female players and publicly calling the tournaments being on the "wrong side of history" in a personal essay for The Times in 2006. Her advocacy led to both events awarding equal prize money by 2007, with Williams becoming the first woman to benefit when she won Wimbledon that year. "A champion both on and off the court, Williams made history in 2007 by demanding equal prize money for women in professional tennis, paving the way for future generations of female athletes to pursue their dreams without limits," Barbie said in a statement. "Just as Barbie remains dedicated to inspiring limitless possibilities, Venus's bravery and commitment to gender equality continues to inspire people around the world – both in sports and beyond." The doll will retail for $38 at Mattel Shop starting Aug. 18, with Barbie Club 59 members getting early access on Aug. 15, according to a press release. This May, Williams was also among nine female athletes made into Barbie dolls to celebrate the brand's 65th anniversary. "Throughout my career, I've always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie's mission couldn't resonate more deeply with that ethos," Williams said in a press release at the time. "I'm honored to be recognized as a sports role model and join forces with Team Barbie to continue empowering the next generation of young girls to never stop believing in their dreams."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store