Behind the Minnetonka plate, a commanding presence

At nearly 6 feet tall, Minnetonka catcher Carli Radil is an imposing figure behind the plate.

"She's really improved with her arm," Skippers softball coach Mary Beth Wiig said. "Teams are afraid to run on her. I think her size kind of intimidates them. But you get to know her and she's not intimidating at all."

Radil also commands respect as a team captain and has led Minnetonka to the Lake Conference championship. The Skippers clinched the title with three league victories last week, including a come-from-behind, nine-inning victory over Hopkins.

Radil's bat did much of the damage; she hit .636 with a home run -- her third of the season -- and five RBI.

Staff writer Jim Paulsen spoke with Radil about the season so far.

Q Any idea when Minnetonka last won a conference championship?

A I think we tied for one when I was a freshman or a sophomore. I'm not sure.

A It's a pretty big deal. It's a nice way to go out in our senior year.

Q You came up pretty big last week, hitting .636 with a home run.

A Oh, wow, I did? I knew I hit a home run, but I didn't know what my batting average was last week. I try to help out any way I can.

Q Which teams motivate you the most?

A Probably Hopkins and Wayzata. Those are teams we really like to beat. They're both very consistent and very good.

A It was. It was a great game. It showed how we can come back if we stick together.

Q How long have you been playing softball?

A I've been playing since I was [10 years old]. I played one season of slowpitch and decided I wanted to try fastpitch.

Q Did you take to it right away?

A Yeah. I had a lot of great coaching.

A You get a lot of action and you're in on every play.

Q What do you need to do to be an effective catcher?

A Catchers need to be aware of the hitters and what the pitcher should throw them. You should be aware of the whole field and where the hitter usually hits, where they like to stand in the batter's box, things like that.

Q What's the best part of being a softball player?

A The anticipation of never knowing what's going to happen next.

A No, I play softball year round. I play on a summer team and then in a fall league. In the winter, we play domeball.

Q Ever get sick of it?

A No, not really. Every day is a new day. Every day, something different happens.

Q What's your plan for the rest of the season?

A The plan is to take one step at a time, win our last four regular season games, win the section and hopefully go to state.