Merced’s Kravec no stranger to softball playoffs

Megan Kravec remembers being a timid freshman as she prepared to play her first playoff game for the Merced High School softball team three years ago.

“I was probably a little intimidated,” Kravec said. “I was so young playing against 18-year-olds. Now I’m 18 and I’m excited. When I was 15, I didn’t know what to expect.”

The four-year starter at catcher will help lead Merced (20-6) to the playoffs for the fourth time Wednesday when the fifth-seeded Bears open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs against No. 12 Rodriguez (14-10) at the Sacramento Softball Complex at 5 p.m.

Atwater (15-11), seeded 13th, will also open the Division II playoffs against No. 4 St. Mary’s (23-4) at 5 p.m. in Sacramento.

“It’s been an amazing honor for me to go to the playoffs four years in a row,” Kravec said. “It’s crazy to think about it. It’s kind of (a) bittersweet thought. The four years have gone by so fast. I’m going to be graduating soon. I’m excited to see how we’re going to do in the playoffs, but when it’s over, I’m going to miss playing with all these girls.”

Kravec has been the anchor for the Merced defense behind the plate during her prep career. She’s also been one of the top hitters, hitting .367 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 26 games as the cleanup hitter.

Her seven homers are the most by any player Merced’s Bart McAfee has coached in his 15 years at the school. The Bears can hurt teams with the long ball. Seven players have hit at least one home run, and Merced has 21 long balls this season.

“Her bat is huge,” McAfee said of Kravec. “It’s nice to know I can put her in the lineup every day and she’s going to give us some punch.”

Kravec’s defense is just as strong.

“Defense is one of my best assets,” Kravec said. “I focus as much on my defense as I do my hitting. As a catcher, you have to be able to block pitches and throw people out. You have to be smart back there.”

Kravec’s arm discourages would-be base stealers, and her ability to block balls in the dirt gives Bears ace Madilyn Nickles the confidence to throw any pitch at any time.

“She catches the ball well, obviously,” McAfee said. “She has a very good arm, and that deters runners from running on her. A lot of catchers can catch the ball well, framing pitches that may give you an extra strike here and there. The big thing with Megan for me, is her arm.”

In softball, a catcher that can shut down the running game is a huge asset, especially in the playoffs, where every extra base is so important because the quality of the pitching increases. The inability to steal a base forces teams to bunt more – which gives away outs – or string together two or three hits to score runs.

Doing that against Nickles is not easy.

Kravec doesn’t remember why, but since she can remember, she’s always wanted to play catcher. She started in fifth grade and will continue at Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont next school year.

Playing the position comes with pain – from every pitch in the dirt to every foul tip. How many bruises does Kravec have at this point in the season?

“I couldn’t give you a number,” she said “Everything hurts.”

A long playoff run will make it all worth it. There’s plenty of time to heal after the season.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 9:28 PM with the headline "Merced’s Kravec no stranger to softball playoffs."