USC softball freshman Kennedy Clark off to phenomenal start

This is one in an occasional series of stories on the top freshmen athletes at USC.

When Kennedy Clark blew out her knee in high school, some college recruiters might have been scared off by the injury, but not USC softball head coach Beverly Smith.

“We were recruiting high-level teams out in California and (Clark) was one of the rising stars from that organization,” said Smith said. “Then, quickly not long after we kind of started the process, she tore her ACL, but that never deterred us from wanting her to be here at South Carolina. We felt like she was the kind of kid who was going to come through and be better because of it.”

Smith’s confidence in Clark is being rewarded as the freshman outfielder is off to a hot start with 26 hits, four homers and 22 RBIs.

She shared the SEC Freshman of the Week award for last week.

Clark has started in right or center field in all of the Gamecocks’ games this season. In just her third game at USc, she hit her first home run against Virginia Tech. Then, she tied USC’s record for most home runs in a game with two against Ohio.

“It was an awesome feeling,” Clark said. “It was just great to be rounding third base and seeing all of your team run home and it was just a good experience.”

Although Clark’s home is more than 2,000 miles away in Eastvale, Calif., she hasn’t had any difficulties transitioning to USC and getting acclimated with the team.

“For me, it was a home away from home,” said Clark. “You know, it’s across the country and I had to get used to being away from my parents. The coaches, love them to death. They make me feel at home and obviously I have a family here with the team. I have that parent aspect with the coaches and can go to them with anything.”

While Clark’s coaches saw a lot of her raw talent during recruitment, they believe her early season success is due to her work ethic.

“I think she’s a coach’s dream, really,” said Smith. “She’s somebody who comes in not only just for practice, but she’s somebody who comes early or stays late just to get in extra work for herself. When it comes game time she’s just able to rely on her work ethic, her skill and all of the experience that she’s had.”

Smith was pleased with Clark’s quick transition into the starting lineup and admits her game doesn’t have any glaring holes.

“I think her strength is really her versatility,” Smith said. “She runs well. She throws well. She’s got good short game. She can hit her average and she’s going to pop some over the fence, too, so I think she’s somebody who offers us a lot. I haven’t really found her true weakness yet. I think it’s just a benefit that she’s somebody who wants to continue to learn and grow her game.”

While Clark already has tied a school record this season, her main goal is to help improve the USC softball program.

“I definitely want to leave an impact,” said Clark. “I want to help this team get to where it should be and to where we as players see it going.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 3:20 PM.