What Kaley Frank is doing on the softball diamond isn’t surprising to Edwardsburg softball coach Randy Brooks.

Brooks has a long history with Frank and what she can do as an athlete.

“I knew her when she was my next door neighbor so I’ve know her for awhile.,” said Brooks. “When she was a little girl she’d come over and we’d hit. I didn’t know I’d coach her someday. The opportunity arose and it’s kind of neat.

“She’s been a solid hitter her whole career. She works really hard at it.”

Frank has been a four-year starter for the Eddies. She was a first team all-conference selection as a sophomore and junior and appears headed for more honors this year.

Frank, who batted .402 with a homer and 32 RBIs as a junior, went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Edwardsburg’s 6-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday against Lakeshore.

In game two, she hit a solo homer against the wind in a 14-4 loss to the Lancers.

“I was hoping it would be a homer when it came off the bat,” said Frank. “But, with the wind, I didn’t know.

“The past week in practice I hit about seven homers.”

The bad news this year for opponents is that Frank thinks she can even put up better numbers at the plate.

“I feel like I’ve made the most improvement in my hitting,” Frank said. “I’ve learned to wait for the ball more on change-ups and take the outside pitch down the right field line. I’m really proud of my hitting so far this year.”

Frank, who plays third base and catches, did well against Lakeshore despite not being 100-percent healthy.

“She’s a little banged up right now,” Brooks said. “She has a hamstring issue so she didn’t catch (against Lakeshore). But, she will catch.”

Frank was asked what position she prefers playing.

“During high school games I prefer third base because I catch during travel ball,” she said. “Just reading the ball (at third base) is a challenge because you don’t want to get nailed in the face. I’ve gotten nailed a couple times.”

Frank, Teryn Williams, Delaney Peters and Bailey Thomas are the lone seniors on the team.

Frank is Edwardsburg’s vocal leader.

“She’s the one you here out there on the field,” Brooks said. “She’ll get on the girls if they need it. She means a lot to us.”

“I don’t see my role changing much from last year,” Frank said. “Last year, I was the communicator on the team and I still want to step up and be the communicator and help lead the team and help everyone get better.”

Frank likes the talent on this year’s team.

“We’re a power hitting team,” she said. “I feel that is really going to help us win games. We’ve got some good pitching also.”

Frank started playing softball when she was five years old and participating in t-ball. The past seven years she’s played travel softball.

“I just love the competitiveness of the sport,” Frank said. “I’m a very competitive person so being able to come out everyday and compete is amazing.”

Frank is also competitve in the classroom. She owns a 3.8 grade-point average in advanced classes and she plans on majoring in chemical engineering at Calvin College. She will also play softball there.

“She’s a nice girl and she gets good grades,” Brooks said. “It’s a pleasure to coach her.”