PERFECT DAY: Hun School softball player Lexi Kobryn, right, celebrates after scoring a run in a 2022 game. Last Wednesday against the Hill School (Pa.), junior star Kobryn produced a brilliant performance in a 12-0 victory, pitching a perfect game with 14 strikeouts in a contest that ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule. Kobryn, a Villanova commit, also hit a two-run homer in the win which improved Hun to 5-0. In upcoming action, the Raiders are slated to host Hamilton West on April 15 and the Pingry School on April 17. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

It was a cloudy, chilly afternoon last Wednesday with  temperatures hovering in the high 40s as the Hun School softball team hosted the Hill School (Pa.).

But Hun junior star pitcher Lexi Kobryn was undeterred by the nippy conditions.

“I was really feeling good, it was a little cold but I had my Under Armour on,” said Kobryn with a smile.

The talented right-hander proceeded to bring a lot of heat from the circle, striking out 14 of 15 batters she faced with nobody reaching first base, hurling a perfect game as Hun defeated Hill 12-0 in a game that ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.

“Everything was really working,” said Kobryn, whose brilliant effort helped Hun improve to 5-0. “I threw a lot of curves, my screwball was my strike pitch. I mixed in a lot of rises as well.”

Kobryn has worked hard to improve her pitching. “I have increased my speed a lot; I go to the gym every day. I just feel stronger,” said Kobryn, who also played for the New Jersey Intensity travel team. “That is all I do, I love softball. I am consistently at 63-65 mph velocity, I have definitely increased that from last year.”

In the win over Hill, Kobryn helped Hun get off to a good start, smacking a two-run homer over the center field fence in the first inning.

“That was my first homer of the year,” said Kobryn. “This pitcher was a little faster than the ones we faced in the last couple of games so I just made sure that I had my timing down from the beginning.”

Kobryn’s desire to improve also includes daily work on her hitting.

“It is the same thing with my pitching, I do a lot of hitting off the tee almost every day,” said Kobryn who went 2 for 2 with two runs and two RBIs in the win. “I try to get better and better.”

Kobryn’s pitching and hitting prowess had resulted in her committing to attend Villanova and play for its Division I softball program.

“It was a really exciting September 1st for me,” said Kobryn. “I had a really successful summer with my travel team. We travel the country with Intensity. I went to a lot of camps. On September 1st, I got a lot of calls and with my offers, it came down to Boston College, Princeton, and Villanova. I loved the community at Villanova. It is great softball and a great school. I live close by.”

While Hun has dominated most of its foes so far this spring, it was a five-run seventh inning rally in a 10-6 win over Lawrenceville on March 30 that best reflected its competitive fire.

“They have always been our rival and we just found something in us that got us fired up in that game,” said Kobryn. “It is always a tight one with them. It was a team win. We hit, it was great, it was really exciting.”

Hun head coach Kathy Quirk was excited by Kobryn’s pitching effort against Hill.

“Lexi has been doing well, but not as well as she did today,” said Quirk.

“Today was her best outing — she is throwing with confidence. I was nervous because she threw yesterday and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I said if you get tired, you have to tell me because I am not going to play around.”

Seeing Kobryn do well with the bat was a plus. “I think she needed that,” added Quirk. “I think it was a big something off of her shoulders too.”

Quirk got good hitting throughout the lineup from her squad against Hill as it pounded out 15 hits with Sam Jolly, Kat Xiong, Emma Eisenberg, Nina Amodio, and Anna Murphy each getting two hits in addition to Kobryn.

“Today, we just hit the ball; yesterday we struggled (in a win over Peddie) and we couldn’t hit the slow pitching,” said Quirk. “Today we came out and we talked about it. We have the target on our backs and everyone is after us. Jolly is doing a great job, she has that slap and she is patient. She will draw the walk and she will hit the ball. Kat is doing a nice job. Nina came through with two nice singles.”

With the Raiders slated to host Hamilton West on April 15 and the Pingry School on April 17, Quirk likes how her team is coming through so far this spring. 

“I am pleased with what we are doing; it is hard to say that we are playing excellent defense because they are not hitting the ball off of Lexi,” said Quirk. “They know what they have to do and I think they are confident with each other. I am happy.”

With Hun coming off an 18-1 season in 2022 that saw it win the Prep A state title, Kobryn believes this year’s squad has the talent and chemistry to match that excellence.

“I definitely think we can build on last year,” said Kobryn. “We are such a close group of girls. They are my best friends. We don’t just play softball together, we hang out together. Everything is for the team. It is really fun to be a part of this. I think we really set the tone for what our capabilities are for the year.”