Former Plymouth star Kim Klonowski still
swinging a potent bat at Youngstown State

BY ED WRIGHT
July 29, 2010, 11:15 p.m.

  Not long after starting her college career at Youngstown State University close to four years ago, Kim Klonowski learned her days as a shortstop were numbered.

  "When you play on a team at this level, every girl on the roster was probably the best player on her high school team and most of them probably played shortstop," Klonowski said. "My sister (Stacey) got all the speed and range in our family, so I knew I'd probably be moving to another position."

  That position was first base, where Klonowski has sparkled for the Penguins the past two springs, finishing among the team's top hitters while mastering the corner-infield spot.

  "I like playing first a lot because you're so close to all of the action," she said. "You really have to be on your toes every pitch."

  Klonowski, the daughter of Larry and Kathy Klonowski of Canton, may not have inherited the foot speed in the family, but she was blessed with plenty of bat speed.

  This past season - her junior year at YSU - she hit .297 with a team-high 35 runs batted in from the No. 3 spot in the batting order. Her seven home runs were good for third on the team and she was second in total bases.

  She's also proven to be ultra-durable, starting 100 straight games at first base the past two seasons.

  As a sophomore in 2009, she was named 2nd Team All-Horizon League after hitting .329 with a team-high .540 slugging percentage and 32 RBI. Klonowski's eight home runs were ninth in the league.

  On March 21, 2009, against Loyola, Klonowski tied two school records by clouting two home runs and four hits in one game.

  Klonowski is well-respected on and off the field by her teammates, who voted her a co-captain prior to last season.

  "Myself and the other captain would get feedback from the players, then we'd meet with the coach weekly to talk about the feedback," she said. "It's the first time they've had captains in a while and I think it went well."

  While the Penguins struggled in the win-loss department last season, finishing 14-36, Klonowski said better days are ahead.

  "We've had a couple of rebuilding years the past two years," she said. "But we have a new pitcher coming in next year who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in West Virginia, so that should help a lot."

  Among the many highlights she's racked up at YSU - including hitting a grand slam in a 14-12 victory over the University of Toledo as a freshman - Klonowski points to a big win against a big school as her most-memorable moment.

  "We beat Michigan State my freshman season," Klonowski said. "That was a pretty big deal because teams from the Horizon League don't beat teams from the Big 10 too often.

  "Looking back though, the best part of my experience here has been all the friendships I've made with my teammates. I'm the only girl on the team from Michigan, so I didn't know anybody coming in, but now it's like a big family."

  Klonowski is shining off the field at YSU, having accumulated a stellar 3.21 grade-point average while pursuing a challenging degree in chemical engineering.

  "I'd like to eventually get a job in the pharmaceutical industry or something that allows me to work with green energy," she said.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.