Mark excels through hard work, dedication
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Northwest senior first baseman Stephanie Mark takes a hack at a first-inning pitch from Lindenwood’s Morgan Colvis during a 5-0 win March 28 at Bearcat Field. Mark, thanks to her talent at the plate as a power hitter in the cleanup spot, has earned several accolades during her two years as a Bearcat.
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Through the years, Northwest senior Stephanie Mark has put in a lot of hard work to excel in softball.
Her work ethic has taken her from her home city of Ogden, Utah to Liberal, Kansas, to play two years at Seward County Community College and onto Northwest the past two years.
The work she puts in shows up in her statistics. Mark is batting .422 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. She has committed only one error at first base. Her stellar numbers have earned her MIAA Player of the Week twice and National Player of the Week once.
“I was honored to be chosen for that award,” Mark said Tuesday afternoon. “I was honestly shocked because it came out of the blue.”
A day later, Mark might be even more surprised when learning she is one of the final 25 players up for NCAA Division II National Player of the Year.
Once again, the honor is a reflection of the time Mark puts in to get the most out of her ability.
When Mark scans the field, she sees the exact same thing from her teammates, many of whom are freshmen and sophomores. Mark is the only position player who is a senior. The other two seniors are pitchers.
It’s natural for the younger players to look to Mark for some guidance. After all, she was once a freshman, playing in a different part of the country.
“There is a little bit of pressure,” Mark said of being one of the seniors. “I feel a little bit of a responsibility for them, trying to make sure their transition into college is smooth.
“In reality, a lot of these girls don’t need a lot. They are so mature. They go out there and they play. They play with maturity beyond their years and I really admire that.”
Mark likes the way every player on the team goes about preparing for each game. She has been on teams that had a few players willing to put in the work to be successful.
“The girls that I play with on this team are so phenomenal,” Mark said. “They are hard workers. They are dedicated. They go out there and give everything they have every day.
“I have been looking for that my entire life, just having girls who love to play. I have always had some girls like that on other teams, but this is the entire team that is like this. It makes it so fun to go to practice every day when everyone wants to be there and work hard.”
It is showing up in the record. Northwest has won seven of its last 10 games, including a split of a doubleheader against No. 17 Missouri Western on March 31. Northwest won the first game 9-6 and lost the second one 2-0.
“Things are starting to mesh with us,” Mark said. “We are starting to have a better approach at the plate. We are being more aggressive. We are swinging at pitches we know we can hit.
“We are meshing as a defense. We have a better idea where each other are and the area each other can cover. We are playing well. Our pitching is phenomenal. Both (juniors) Kendle Schieber and Sarah Baldwin are pitching well.”
Northwest will find out just how much it has progressed in the last month. On Friday, the Bearcats will play at Pittsburg State, which is 14-2 and in first place in the MIAA. Northwest is 9-7 in conference and in seventh place.
“Every game from here on out is pretty big for us because we are in the middle,” Mark said. “We are kind of on the bubble. We can’t afford to lose games that we are supposed to win.
“Pitt is playing great right now. They have built an incredible team. It is going to be fun for us and see what we can do. We proved against Missouri Western last week that we can go out and compete against these teams who are nationally ranked.”
The top eight teams in conference advance to the MIAA conference tournament, April 30-May 2 at Blue Valley Recreation Complex.
Whatever happens, Mark is going to enjoy every pitch, every inning she has left in a Bearcat uniform. Mark is majoring in social science education. When she graduates, she wants to teach history and coach.
Being able to go to school and play softball in the Midwest has been rewarding for Mark.
“It has been life changing,” she said. “It has been an incredible experience to leave home. In Utah, we are a very close-knit people. The religion binds everyone. I, myself, am not part of the LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) here in Utah, but that culture is so ingrained that you can’t help but be a part of it.
“Coming out here, I had to learn so much about being on my own, so far from home. I have to thank my teammates both at Seward and at Northwest for making that transition easier.
“They (current teammates) are the ones who are making this experience special for me. Coach Ryan Anderson is awesome. He has been very supportive. I really appreciate what he has done and the time he has put in to make me a better player.”
