Up in Palo Alto, California freshman Kylie Chung (2021) and Stanford are starting to make some noise in the Pac-12 Conference. The Cardinal are 27-12 overall, 6-6 in the Pac-12 and sport two impressive home wins over first place UCLA last weekend which put an end to the Bruins 25-game unbeaten streak. Chung has seen limited action in both the circle and at the plate but has made the most of her opportunities when presented. Against rival Cal on April 16 Kylie hit a pinch hit two-run homerun during a 5-1 win on the road at Berkley. For the season Chung is 2 for 2 offensively and has a 1-0 record in 8.1 innings pitched with a 1.68 ERA and nine strikeouts. It may be a small sample size, but Kylie has proven she is up for the challenge in the always tough Pac-12 Conference.

Firecrackers Softball: What did it feel like to hit your first collegiate homerun and what was your thought process at the plate in a tight one-run ballgame?

Kylie Chung: It was pretty awesome, and it came against our rival which was also pretty sweet. I really didn’t know if was over the fence until I touched second base. It was also the first time our team was allowed celebrate at the plate so just coming home and seeing my whole team was just so surreal. When my name was called to pinch hit, I knew the pitcher had been mowing our hitters down with a pretty good rise ball and based on watching film, and our scouting report her pitches were on the plate. Basically, my plan going up the plate was just to swing over the ball since a lot of our team were swinging under it. I wasn’t really thinking about the score of the game or any previous games or anything like that. I just told myself to see a strike and hit it.

Firecrackers Softball: You are listed on the Stanford roster as a utility player. Do you see yourself more as a pitcher or a hitter?

Kylie Chung: I am listed as utility, and I see myself as just filling the role that the team needs from me. I play the field too, so I am throwing bullpen, hitting in offensive rotations, and taking ground balls at multiple positions in practice. I feel like I have a lot in my toolbox and there is no aspect that’s more important than another, but more like what is needed in a situation.

Firecrackers Softball: Is Stanford everything you expected academically and is as difficult as advertised?

K ylie Chung: Honestly, I knew Stanford was academically rigorous, but for some reason I didn’t expect it to be hard. Something I have learned is to expect everything to be hard and then when it is hard, I am ready for it. I think that yes school is tough and challenging but it is the time management part that is probably the toughest with school, softball, meetings and trying to squeeze in meals, sleep and social aspects. It is still college, right? The resources they have here are amazing and the athletic community as a whole is supportive. Yeah, of course it’s hard but there are so many athletes here who are the best in the world at what they do, including multiple Olympians and National Champions and here they are sitting there struggling in math with me. So yeah, I would say it is hard but there are a lot of people here who make it a lot easier.