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6.0 years ago by Jeff Alderman

Wong closing in on Redbirds' records - The Telegraph - 5/19/2017

Wong closing in on Redbirds’ records

 

 

By Louie Korac - For The Telegraph

 


Alton’s Tami Wong follows through on a hit down the third base line during a SWC game against Edwardsville at Alton High in Godfrey. Wong enters the postseason hitting .513, which would be a school record.

 

Billy Hurst / For The Telegraph

GODFREY — When encountering Alton sophomore Tami Wong, her infectious smile can’t be ignored.

Never mind the beaming blue braces Wong sports, this is a 15-year-old that always seems to have a bright smile beaming, and with that continuous positive attitude, it’s translated onto the field for the Redbirds softball program.

Wong’s numbers are eye-popping for the 22-11 Redbirds. Her .513 batting average with 58 hits, 44 runs, 17 doubles and 35 RBI would make anyone notice, even the player that accomplished the feats, but not Wong.

“Sometimes I’ll look at it and I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good,’” Wong said with nothing other than a smile. “But most of the time, I just want to help my team out.”

Wong is on the cusp of setting the school record for batting average and hits, held by Katie Wilson when she hit .492 and 60 hits as a senior in 2005. “I didn’t even know,” Wong said. “I’ll go knock on wood then.”

No need to bother, because the success seems to come naturally, and without self-absorption.

“She is very humble,” Alton coach Dan Carter said of Wong. “She doesn’t want to talk about her success. She just wants to come out and do her job. You talk about a kid who cares about her teammates and helping the team out, great team leadership from a young girl. The girls rally around her, she’s a well-liked kid. Not much more you can ask of her.”

What Alton did ask of Wong is to make the switch to center field this season. Why? Because that’s where she’s needed. Wong just wants to see team success, and if that happens, then the individual accolades will follow.

“I just want what’s best for the team,” Wong said. “I hope I can keep getting better because if I get better, then our team gets better, too. It’s nice to be able to contribute. Without defense, there’s no offense, and without defense, you can’t win games. Defense is always important.”

But Wong’s bat is lethal, make no mistake. Hitting second in the Alton lineup, Carter would like to put her bat further down in the lineup for more RBI opportunities. But having her see at-bats on a more consistent basis make the Redbirds lineup more dangerous, and it was evident early on that Wong’s bat will be a weapon for Redbirds softball.

“In eighth grade, we worked with her, changed her swing just a little bit and she went to some hitting lessons and she’s worked her swing out,” Carter said. “She works hard in the cages, she works hard off the tees. Every swing she takes, she’s working at it and it shows. The progression she’s putting in does not surprise me a bit.

“Hitting over .500, that’s a surprise, but not a complete surprise. That’s not easy to do, especially playing the schedule that we do. To play the schedule that we play, it’s pretty impressive.”

Those hitting lessons have come with the help of Collinsville softball coach Brett Swip, who’s part of the select program at Collinsville Extreme, where Wong has played since the 12U team.

“I think it’s because I’ve been starting hitting lessons with coach Brett,” Wong said. “Transitioning there has been great.

“I don’t know honestly. It just happens. I like to pride myself because I feel like I have good plate discipline, and a lot of times, I jump on the first pitch and that’s aggressive. Pitchers always want to get up on you. The first pitch can be the best one you see, so I like to attack it.”

With graduating seniors Savannah Fisher and Tomi Dublo that make up the middle infield positions, Wong could find herself playing shortstop next season as a junior, and Carter said if he needed her to, she can also pitch.

To which Wong quipped: “I can play anything … except pitch. I tried pitching. It was bad.

“Savannah’s so good. She’s a stud. This might sound creepy, but I want to be her because she’s really fast, she’s really talented. I look up to her.”

“She’s got the ability to play anywhere on the field,” Carter said. “Next year, with Tomi and Fisher graduating, she might be our shortstop, I don’t know. The nice thing is she’s very versatile and can do anything we ask and will do anything we ask of her.”

As long as that bat’s in the lineup, Alton always will feel like it has a chance.

“We have a freshman pitcher (Abby Scyoc) and we have to back her up,” Wong said. “She’s been doing pretty good, but there’s only so much that she can do. If our offense is good, it only makes her better, too.”

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