Rookie Dakota Kennedy doesn’t look like one at the plate

The AUSL has some very talented rookies who have quickly made their presence felt in the first week of the season. One rookie in particular doesn’t look like one in the batter’s box, and that person is Dakota Kennedy.

Kennedy is on a blazing hot start. She’s slashing .583/.615/.917 with a home run, a double and six RBIs with three runs scored. The approach at the plate is great to watch. She never gets sped up, nor does she let anyone get her out of her game.

“I think it’s just being really adjustable and just learning from every at-bat that I have,” Kennedy said after Sunday’s win over Texas. “My first at-bat didn’t go my way, but just not letting that dwell into my second at-bat, and then obviously just watching the hitters in front of me and seeing what they get as well.”

For a player who is fresh out of college, the transition does not seem tough. Reading the strike zone and facing veteran pitchers have gone well for Kennedy so far. Blaze head coach Kara Dill has already noticed the rarity of Kennedy’s poise.

“It’s been great,” Dill said after Monday’s game. “When you talk to her, she keeps it very simple, and I think that’s what makes her so successful. She doesn’t ever let one pitch get her too high or too low. If she takes a swing at something, she just moves onto the next pitch very quickly.

“She doesn’t complicate anything, and I think that is such a rare skill set to have in our game, especially with, you know, some youth coming in or a rookie coming in, but I think that’s also what makes her great.”

Kennedy is coming off back-to-back multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 night in the Blaze’s nine-inning walk-off win over the Volts. One of her more impressive at-bats, in my opinion, came in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kennedy battled back from a 0-2 count to work a walk. Even if Volts pitcher Rachel Garcia’s pitches weren’t on the money, it is still impressive to see a young professional hitter totally unfazed in the box.

“Dakota’s just so tough,” Dill said after Sunday’s win. “I think with her joining us here recently, what you notice about her is she’s super athletic, and she can swing and miss at a pitch, and then immediately make an adjustment. But she never gets too high or too low … She’s just such a competitor out there.”

Being a true competitor is deep in the fabric of this Blaze team. That meshes well with Kennedy, and things are just getting started.