Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – As far back as Sarah Heick can remember she has been playing softball.

Yet as recently as a few months ago Solon’s standout catcher was ready to hang up her cleats for good when her senior season came to an end.

However, Heick just couldn’t picture a future that didn’t feature the sport she loves.

“I love being out here every day and playing the game and it’s brought me a lot of friends,” Heick said. “I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t playing softball.”

After initially passing on playing college softball Heick had a change of heart.

When she started reaching out to college coaches it didn’t take long for Heick to hear back and it is not hard to see why.

Heick has emerged as one of the top catchers and best overall hitters in the state this season ranking sixth in Iowa in batting average and 14^th in RBI.

She will continue her career next season at Kirkwood Community College.

“I didn’t really think that I wanted to play college softball until about halfway through this year and then I decided I wanted to keep going,” Heick said. “I reached out to a few coaches and I went on a visit to Kirkwood and I loved it.”

Heick has shown steady improvement during three seasons of varsity action at Solon.

She showed her impressive power as a sophomore homering five times and driving in 21 runs in 64 at bats before hitting .500 with 12 extra-base hits and 33 RBI a year ago.

“She has quick hands and she gets the barrel to the ball fast,” Solon coach Dave Johnson said. “She has good reaction time.”

As a senior Heick has simply taken things to another level.

Her career-best .590 batting average ranks sixth in the state and is the highest in Class 3A.

Heick has 27 extra-base hits in 122 at bats and leads Solon with eight home runs, 56 RBI and 14 walks while striking out just seven times.

“She is a player that has taken her game to the next level and really is starting to show that she is ready to play at the college level,” Johnson said. “Good for Kirkwood. I think she’s going to do well there.”

Heick possesses a powerful swing that produces powerful production but has also been remarkably efficient throughout her career.

She has struck out just 13 times in 285 career at bats and has never had more strikeouts than walks in a season

Heick is 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI in a pair of postseason wins helping No. 11 Solon (26-12) reach the Class 3A, Region 7 title game where it will face top-ranked Davenport Assumption (36-3) on Monday at 7 p.m.

“I think I was in my own head a lot more last year, now I am just trying to focus and have a good at bat every time,” Heick said. “That has worked better for me this year.”

The same quickness and power combination that makes Heick dangerous at the plate has turned her into a strong defense catcher.

She has also emerged as an important leader for a Solon pitching staff that features three underclassmen

“I like being in on the action all the time so catching is a lot more fun for me than being out in the field,” Heick said. ““I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better defensively especially throwing, I practice that a lot but mostly I’ve worked on being a leader and trying to keep my pitchers positive.”

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