Softball freshman Shelby Bendure is a small town girl, who early on in her Park career has had a big time impact.

Bendure hails from the outskirts of Liberty, Mo., whose love for softball, along with the pursuit of an education degree has brought her to Park.

“I used to take hitting lessons with our assistant coach Steve [Tingler] and I’ve known him forever and in the middle of my junior year he started recruiting me to come to Park.” Bendure said. “I was looking into Rockhurst (University) and then Northwest (Missouri State University) as well, but with softball, the campus and my major, Park was the best fit.”

Although she was recruited as a pitcher, it’s Bendure’s bat that has made a large impact in the young season.

“When we started practices, I’d be pitching, and I was throwing well,” Bendure said. “We got to the first games and I gave up something like 17 hits and then coach put me at first base and I’ve been there since.”

Bendure is leading the Pirates in most major offensive categories including six doubles, one home run, five walks and 18 RBI’s in just 11 games.

A staple in the middle of the lineup, Bendure is also ranked second on her team in average at bats .333 and hits at 11.

Bendure said she has loved softball ever since she can remember. Like most athletes, Bendure started playing young, and as she grew older, the thought of not playing in college became unimaginable.

“I had an older cousin who played and I used to go to her games, and I would watch and chase foul balls and stuff like that,” Bendure said. “In kindergarten, my dad got me a glove and then I got on a team and I just started playing more and more as I got older. Late in high school, the thought of not playing in college wasn’t an option for me. I always wanted to continue playing.”

Going from high school softball to college has been somewhat difficult for Bendure but her attitude, athleticism and an experienced team around her have been a big help in smoothening her transition, she said.

“It’s a different kind of fun,” Bendure said. “It’s not like summer ball where you’re just there to have fun. It’s very competitive and a lot of the girls are different but on the field they’re very experienced and make a lot of things easier for me”

Away from the field, Bendure said she likes to spend her time in the peace and quiet of the farm, where she’s able to unwind and relax.

“I like being away and it’s just peaceful on the farm,” Bendure said. “I can be sitting on the couch just looking at acres of everything and it’s so beautiful. My boyfriend’s a farmer who lives on 230 acres, so I love going out there with him to just sit, watch and relax.”

The Pirates have a 5-6 record thus far and Bendure said she thinks the team has a lot of good softball left to play this year.

“I think we need to just get on the same page and we’ve talked about approaches and we know what we have to do,” Bendure said. “We’ve been hitting well with two outs, and once we start stringing hits together, everything will turn around. We just need to put the start behind us. We have a lot of seniors and I think if we can relax and just go play, we’ll be fine.”