Star Tribune softball Metro Player of the Year: Katelyn Kemmetmuller, Rogers

It's a scenario from a Norman Rockwell painting.

The young ballplayer rises at dawn for two hours of farm chores before breakfast. Then a full day of school, where the ballplayer is, naturally, one of the top students. All before donning the glove and the spikes, and showing the skill and the grit and the humility that have made the ballplayer among the best around.

It's pure Americana. It's also Katelyn Kemmetmueller's life.

The Rogers senior pitcher/shortstop/heart and soul is the 2016 Star Tribune softball Metro Player of the Year.

Her pitching stats are very good, but not off the charts: 13-1, 0.42 ERA, 172 strikeouts in 100 innings. She's a feared hitter, but her numbers (.468, four home runs, 24 RBI) aren't as gaudy as those of other players. Her best position is shortstop, where her overhand throw has been clocked at 70 miles per hour, remarkable for a softball player.

"My favorite thing is getting the ball in the hole, and knowing the runner thinks she has a hit, and then gunning her down," Kemmetmueller said.

The sum total of those parts make Kemmetmueller the player she is, the most important of which is the passion she brings to the game.

She balances that passion with a humility born of spending hot summer days baling hay or picking rock. "It can be 90 degrees outside and humid and my dad will say, 'Let's go bale hay.' I'm like, 'You gotta be kidding me, Dad.' "

A farm life has advantages, however. Her favorite part is caring for animals: dairy cattle, pigs, dogs, "so many cats," she said. And her throwing arm is a direct result of farm work.

"Baling hay," she responds immediately when asked where her rocket arm comes from. "My dad tells me that all the time. He says that's where all my strength comes from, even hitting."

Despite her immense skills, there's no shred of ego evident. She banters easily on the field, eschewing the star vibe. It's those relationships, she said, that are the most gratifying.

"It's not about what I've meant to my team, it's about what they've meant to me," she said. "I take a lot of pride in building friendships. I've made so many great friends. I hope they take that to heart."

"I just love Katie," said Elk River senior Jayme Langbehn, who has played summer softball with her. "She's so nice and down-to-earth, so kind to everybody, but she also works so hard. I have so much respect for her and so proud to have played with her."

Rogers catcher Olivia Olson, who has played with Kemmetmueller since 10U travel ball, said you'd never know Kemmetmueller's a star from her behavior.

"She is the most hardworking person you'll ever meet," Olson said. "She's the best leader I've ever come in contact with. Every time you see her, she's doing something to help the team — motivating us, getting the big hit, making big plays, pitching and shutting the other team down so we can get something started. We are so lucky to have her."

Rogers lost in the Class 4A, Section 8 championship game to Buffalo, meaning Kemmetmueller will graduate without the chance to play in a state tournament. A disappointment, but her softball future is extremely bright. She's committed to play at the University of Minnesota.

"I've always wanted to play for them," she said. "Who doesn't want to play for their home state team?"