Thomas Sumter's Stines bashes her way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

Thomas Sumter's Lila Kate Stines felt some added pressure when the Lady Generals hosted Lee Academy last Friday.

From a team perspective, there weren't massive stakes. A loss wasn't going to keep TSA out of the playoffs or drop them in region standings. But Stines had something else on her mind.

The TSA catcher was going to suit up against most of the girls she played with during the American Legion season during the summer. She wanted to prove herself against her friends.

"I was really excited. I was looking forward to it all week," Stines said. "It was really fun for me because I didn't play well this summer. I wasn't playing my normal position, and I just really wanted to show my coach from the summer what I can actually do."

The Lady Generals' backstop did more than prove herself. She dominated.

Stines launched two home runs in an 11-6 win, including a three-run shot in the sixth inning that provided some important insurance as Lee attempted the comeback. That performance also helped Stines earn the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"It really means a lot to me," Stines said. "I really like making a difference at this school."

Coming into the game, TSA head coach David Porter was a little concerned that Stines was going to be a little too amped up to play her former teammates, but he was proud of the way his freshman catcher composed herself.

"I was a little worried about her going in because that was all she talked about leading up to that game," Porter said. "Once the game started, I could tell that she was locked in and the moment wasn't too big for her, and she was going to perform well."

Stines got the ball rolling early against Lee. After teammate Kason Carter launched a solo shot in the first, Stines connected with her own long ball over the high wall in left field. Her emotions ran high as she rounded the bases.

"I loved it because some of my favorite teammates were at second, shortstop and third base, and they were happy for me," she said. "And I was happy I was just hitting the ball because I was really nervous for that game."

That early home run certainly took some pressure off Stines' shoulders for the rest of the afternoon.

"It kinda loosened me up and calmed my nerves down a lot," she said.

When the TSA catcher wasn't launching bombs, she was making some great plays behind the dish. Her biggest highlight came on a high foul tip. Stines flipped around and dove toward the backstop and managed to get her glove beneath the ball for the out, celebrating with Carter from the ground.

"That usually doesn't happen," she admitted. "I don't even think I really saw the ball that much. I just dove for it because it was behind me. It just really made me happy that I made that play."

Stines finished the game with four hits and drove in seven runs, adding two doubles to her two home runs on the day.

"I feel like I was seeing the ball more," she said. "I really like working on staying back and waiting for the ball. Even if they try to throw me a changeup, I try to focus on staying on my back leg and only switching my weight when I'm approaching the plate."

Porter was waiting for a game like this out of Stines, as he noticed that his catcher was starting to find her groove during the last few weeks.

"Even prior to spring break, she was really seeing the ball better and hitting the ball hard," he said. "She kinda struggled a little bit early on, but she's been locked in for a good part of the season. She's been hitting home run after home run. She hit another one the other day against Ben Lippen. She's just really driving the ball a lot harder."

The entire week of games coming back from spring break, which also included a 6-0 win over Northside Christian where Stines also doubled and scored a run, gave the Lady Generals the spark they needed to finish strong in their first varsity season since 2019.

"I feel like we have a really young team, and we're all working hard to make it to the playoffs," Stines said. "I know winning that Lee game at home, knowing that we can hit and we can field and make good plays, really boosted our confidence."