Lakes High's Star Shortstop Drives In Runs, Accolades as League MVP

Krystalani Yockman grew up as one of the boys. But it turns out that she’s quite good at being one of the girls, too.

Yockman just wrapped up her junior season as Lakes High School’s star shortstop, and has no plans to slow down. That’s just not her nature.

This spring, she was named the Class 3A South Puget Sound League’s 2012 MVP, All-Area infielder of the year and also won Lakes’ Coaches’ Award. More than 60 colleges are already inquiring about her, and this weekend, she is playing in the J.O. Classic, a prestigious college showcase tournament in Las Vegas.

“It means a lot to me,” she said. “I work hard every day and I try to come out on top and be the best I can be.”

Yockman started swinging a bat at age five – but instead of softball, she played baseball with the boys.

“From the get-go, I was told that since I was a girl, I could do anything I want,” she said. “And I fit right in.”

So was she better than the boys?

“Yes!” she said with a laugh.

When Yockman got to Lakes, she switched to fastpitch, but didn’t let up on opponents as she played center field as a freshman and then moved to shortstop the last two years.

“Going from playing with the boys to playing with the girls … I was dominating the girls since I’d been playing with the boys so long,” she said. “I (knew) if I switched, I’d be that much better in fastpitch than in baseball. It was a good change.”

But she was adamant about one thing: “I don’t ever come down for anybody.”

“I can show my talent and personality through this sport,” she said. “It’s really who I am.”

Lakes fastpitch coach Mike Hawkins said that Yockman is an all-around athlete. This season, she hit .517, drove in 28 runs, stole 10 bases and was intentionally walked 17 times.

“She hits the ball like nobody else in our league does,” he said. “She adds power to the fields, she can steal bases, she has a super strong arm … There’s not a whole lot of things that she doesn’t do well.”

Lakes Athletic Director Joe Keller said that they saw glimpses of Yockman’s skill as an underclassman, but that she really put things together this season – and in the face of adversity, no less. Lakes, which finished 3-8 overall, only had 11 players on varsity, and the players’ chemistry was not always cohesive.

“For her to be the MVP on a team that finished fourth in our league, that just speaks volumes about how good she is, and how good she can be,” he said.

Yockman acknowledged that the season wasn’t always easy. It ended with a late-night loss to Auburn Mountainview in the sub-district tournament.

“It was one of the longest days I have ever played fastpitch,” she said of playing four games that didn’t end until close to midnight because of a three-hour delay. “It was just brutal.”

Still, she said, “Our team came together and we worked together.”

Yockman used to play basketball, but quit after her freshman season to focus on fastpitch. In addition to playing for Lakes, she is a member of the Washington Speed club team, which competes all year.

“When we’re on a break, it’s like, when are we going to start up?” she said. “I don’t like breaks. I just want to keep playing, because I love the game.”

And she’s clearly good at it, too.

“The kid’s just an athlete,” Hawkins said. “She can play any position on the field.”

Yockman said among the 61 colleges who have spoken with her coaches are Washington, Arizona State, Oregon, California and her top choice, UCLA, where she hopes to study law enforcement and become a police officer or investigator.

“It’s so exciting,” she said of the recruiting attention. “I can’t wait. It just makes me want to go out there and work even harder and show everybody what I can do.”

That will come in her senior year, where she is considering playing volleyball to stay in shape and looks forward to taking a human anatomy class.

“People say I’m intimidating, but I don’t know why,” she said. “I just want to get things done, and therefore, I’m going to get them done. I have a lot of ambition – and I have a future.”