A-C Valley sophomore Mackenzie Parks hit .552 with two home runs, eight doubles and 32 RBI in 14 games this season for the Falcons. She was also pressed into pitching duty at times.

FOXBURG — Mackenzie Parks has mellowed a bit over the years.

When she was little, she couldn't stand failure — from herself and especially from her teammates — when she played Little League softball.

“I got really angry with other people because they weren't up to that level yet,” Parks said. “I got to the point where I moved on and played in Karns City because I got so frustrated.”

These days, Parks said she just “goes with the flow.”

She's still as deadly as ever with the bat in her hands.

This season as a sophomore on the A-C Valley softball team, Parks put up eye-popping numbers.

She batted .552 with two home runs, eight doubles and 32 RBI in just 14 games.

Throw out a 1-for-11 stretch against Karns City (twice) and Oil City and Parks hit .700.

“I actually didn't know how many RBIs I had,” Parks said. “I'm pretty lanky and tall and skinny and I think people were surprised I could hit like that.”

Her father and A-C Valley coach Mike Parks wasn't, however.

“The first four or five games, she was No. 1 in the state (in batting average) on MaxPreps,” Mike Parks said. “She's only like 112 pounds, but boy can she hit.”

She can pitch, too, even though it's pretty low on the things she enjoys on the softball field.

When asked if she'd like to pitch more, Mackenzie Parks balked.

“Meh ...” she said. “If anything I'm probably going to work on my pitching more in case I have to do more of it. If I'm going to play there, I probably should work on it.”

Parks had a 7.24 ERA this season, but went 5-1 for the Falcons.

During travel ball with Pittsburgh Power, she pitches rarely, mostly out of the bullpen.

She piles up the hits there, too.

For A-C Valley, she batted third and routinely came up with runners on base.

“It was a little bit of pressure on me because those people need to get in,” Parks said. “But when I knocked them in, it felt pretty good.”

Parks also plays basketball and volleyball and said she has no immediate plans to give those sports up.

Softball is definitely her main sport and one she hopes to play one day in college.

She savors the feedback from the crowd when she makes a big play in the field or gets one of her many hits at the plate.

That's what keeps her coming back for more.

“I love playing with my friends and whenever the team does well and everyone is cheering for us, it makes me feel so good about myself,” Parks said. “Whenever I have a good game, it makes me feel good.”