Eagles hit it, and hit it hard

CEDAR RAPIDS - When Lexie Biehl was a senior on the Maquoketa High School softball team, she hit one home run.

As a collegian, she has changed her grip, switched schools and hit the weights. Now, she's the key member of the Kirkwood Bomb Squad.

The Eagles (43-8) host North Platte, Neb. (19-27) in an NJCAA Division-II best-of-3 district softball series beginning at 2 p.m. Friday. Take care of business, and they'll advance to the national tournament.

'It's really exciting,” Biehl said. 'I've never been on a winning team like this.”

And she's never exhibited this sort of power. After a nine-homer season last year at Marshalltown Community College, she has gone deep 25 times this year, second most in the nation.

Biehl isn't the Eagles' lone power source. The Eagles have hit 109 home runs (more than 2 per game) and average 10.2 runs per contest.

'I had no idea we would hit like this,” Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge said. 'One through nine, every kid in our lineup can hit the ball out of the park.”

Brooke Prior has added 18 home runs, Alicia Crivaro 12.

Chasney Jenkins is a mixture of strength and speed, with nine home runs and 66 stolen bases.

'I like to recruit power, girls that have some pop, then get them here and start making them lift weights the right way,” Yegge said. 'It really has taken off.”

Biehl switched to a 'split grip” on the bat last year at Marshalltown and improved her power and batting average. After the MCC coach left, Biehl transferred to Kirkwood.

'It's a nationally ranked program, and (Yegge) is a great coach,” she said. 'The lifting and hitting sequence have made a big difference.

'The home runs we hit aren't pop-ups. They're line drives.”

The Eagles own a team batting average of .414, a collective on-base percentage of .482 and a slugging percentage of .748. Those are slow-pitch numbers from a fast-pitch team.

'We've got kids that are a tough out. They put the bat on the ball,” Yegge said. 'And they hit it hard.”

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