Columbus North’s Kirsten Danford bats against Floyd Central at the Southside diamonds, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Paige Grider for The Republic
Submitted photo
The Columbus North softball team has been known for its power and hard hitting at the plate, and Kirsten Danford is one of the reasons for it.
Only halfway through the season, Danford is well on her way to having the biggest campaign of her career. The Bull Dog senior has also been reliable behind the plate as the team’s catcher.
She and the rest of her teammates are off to another historic start to the season, reaching No. 1 in the MaxPreps state rankings for the first time. It’s without a doubt they all have high hopes of making another run at trying to capture a state title.
Danford has been one of the strongest bats in the lineup as complementary piece to top hitter Maddi Rutan. So far this year, Danford is second on the team behind Rutan in home runs (two) and RBIs (19) and is third on the team in hits (20), doubles (four) and with a batting average of .442.
“The offseason played a big part in why I’ve gotten a lot better,” Danford said. “A lot of the weeks, I was hitting, working on getting better and working on my strength a lot, too. Also, I’ve been trying not to pop-up. In the past few years, I wouldn’t strike out as much. I would hit the ball, but it just wasn’t very powerful. The biggest thing was trying to keep my bat level and really work hard to get stronger.”
Danford has hit three home runs for her high school career in 2 1/2 seasons. Her freshman season never happened due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her best memory at the plate is hitting her first grand slam in a game earlier this season against Seymour.
“Mentally, she’s relaxed, she’s calm, she’s on every pitch up there. You know that she’s going to give you your best bat when she’s up there,” North coach Ron McDonald said. “She’s been outstanding for us in power and regular hitting.
“She’s been very consistent. She doesn’t get rattled. Her approach is so much better this year,” he added. “She’s so smart when she goes up there, too. By doing the things she’s doing, she’s become a great leader at doing that, too, especially with the way she handles herself.”
Columbus North’s Kirsten Danford throws the ball back to pitcher Maddi Rutan against East Central at the Southside diamonds, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Paige Grider for The Republic
Submitted photo
Also being the catcher, Danford has built great chemistry with Rutan over the past three years when Rutan has been called upon to pitch.
“The biggest thing that works out for us is that we’ve played together for so long. We’re into a rhythm. Whenever I’m catching her, I get into a rhythm,” Danford said. “I already have an idea of where I think she’s going to go. Sometimes, she surprises me, but for the most part, it’s really just playing together for so long. We also work together, too, in the offseason and catching for her a lot of the times. That’s really the biggest thing is being that close with her and growing up with her. It’s really helped a lot.”
Kirsten Danford
The Bull Dogs are 13-1-1 and ranked No. 3 in the Class 4A state coaches poll heading into today’s Franklin Central Invitational.
Danford is glad to see her hard work in the offseason paying off.
“Knowing that it is a game, and this is my last season, I really want to be like, ‘Go big or go home,’” she said. “I’m really trying to keep a positive mentality. Everyone is going to strike out every once in a while, so I’m trying to keep that in mind and trying to go out of the season on a good note.”
