JEFFERSON TWP — Mackenzie Craig has spiked a ball and shot a ball.

Now she's trying to hit and catch one.

The Karns City graduate has already excelled at the next level in volleyball and basketball, setting a Butler County Community College record for career points for the Pioneers' women's basketball team.

Now, she's branching out into a new, unfamiliar realm in a third — and unlikely — sport.

As a softball player.

“I kind of joked about it at first — 'Yeah, maybe I'll play softball,'” Craig said. “But I don't play softball.”

The Pioneers, though, were in danger of not having a team when three players were lost for the season before the snow of winter had melted.

Former Moniteau coach Dan Beebe and his Pioneer assistant coach, Jim Jones, went into full recruiting mode.

Craig was one of the players snared.

Craig hadn't played softball since the sixth grade.

“I'm pretty clueless when it comes to softball,” Craig said, chuckling. “I know to hit and catch the ball. That's about it.”

Craig did both last weekend, collecting two hits and three RBI in a doubleheader sweep of the Community College of Allegheny County.

She also recorded a pair of putouts in the outfield.

“So surprising,” Craig said, smiling. “I was so stinkin' nervous.”

Craig, who will play basketball at Indiana (Pa.) University next year, is one of the rare college athletes to play three sports.

She isn't foreign to it. At Karns City, she was on the volleyball, basketball and track and field teams.

“I feel so lucky to not only play two sports, but to play three,” she said. “It's fun to do — not that I'm just doing it for fun. I want to help the team. I'm a very competitive person.”

Craig isn't the only player on the Pioneer roster to have little softball experience.

Knoch's Casey Kretzer, Abby Kopac and Gracie Cornetti also joined the team after long softball layoffs.

“I think all of the new girls have been a good asset to the team,” said Knoch graduate Abby Black, who played four years for the Knights. “They all give 100 percent effort and that's what we really look for.”

Kretzer didn't play in high school at Knoch because of back surgery and work obligations.

Kretzer was the starting point guard for the BC3 basketball team this winter. She hadn't picked up a glove since the eighth grade.

“You'd think she had,” Beebe said.

Kretzer said her athleticism has been a big reason why she's been able to hit the ground running on the softball field.

“I was kind of nervous to play again, she said. “I played when I was younger, but I was nervous how it would all come back to me. Just being an athlete kind of helped me joining in.”

Cornetti said her road back to softball after a two-year hiatus as seen a few more bumps.

“I had to shake off a lot of rust,” she said, chuckling. “Especially hitting. Hitting isn't my strongest point.”

Beebe said the newcomers have helped the team beyond just what they have been able to do on the field for the undefeated Pioneers this season.

“They understand the concept of being on a team and winning,” Beebe said. “They bring that winning attitude and that leadership. They're natural leaders. They may not know as much as the others in that circle about the sport, but they know what it's like to be a part of a team and a leader. They've been a huge addition for us.”

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