A car crash put her season in jeopardy. Now Peninsula ace Kimball, Seahawks eyeing title
Alli Kimball was untouchable in her junior season at Peninsula High School. The Seahawks’ ace threw several no-hitters and posted a miniscule 0.75 earned run average with 230 strikeouts. She breezed through nearly every lineup she faced on the mound, making opposing hitters look silly.
Then she found herself in a new position this spring, one she wasn’t accustomed to — she was struggling. In a game against crosstown rival Gig Harbor on April 17, Kimball gave up seven runs — four earned — walked four batters and gave up six hits in just over four innings of work.
“It sucked, honestly,” Kimball said at practice on Tuesday afternoon.
It sucked, mostly, because there was nothing Kimball could do about the lack of success on the mound. Months before the season, she got into a head-on car crash in Tacoma, which caused severe whiplash in her left shoulder. As the spring season approached, she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to play.
“Come winter program, she could not throw,” said Peninsula coach Mike Paul. “She couldn’t lift her arm. We were like, ‘Oh man, we may be without Alli this year.’ She got no winter work in at all.”
Just before the season, she was cleared for some light underhand tossing. She rehabbed with a purpose and got back on the mound, but her body wasn’t yet where her mind wanted it to be. Her velocity was down and her normally dominating stuff was frustratingly ordinary.
“It was such a weird feeling,” Kimball said. “Being out there and knowing that I wasn’t giving it my 100 because my body wouldn’t allow me to.”
Her teammates, always supportive, lifted her up. That first game against Gig Harbor, by the way? Peninsula ended up winning it, 16-8, despite Kimball’s struggles on the mound. She also had the unconditional support of her 20-year-old brother, Joey, who never misses Kimball’s games.
Joey, who has autism, can be heard at every Peninsula game, loudly cheering on his little sister. He’s fond of telling Paul “You’re fired!” and barking at umpires who don’t give Kimball strike calls. When Kimball was struggling physically and mentally, Joey was in her corner.
“He’s my biggest supporter ever,” Kimball said. “He’s at every game, cheering.”
Kimball wore blue ribbons during all her games in April in honor of her brother during autism awareness month. The grandma of one of her teammates brought autism awareness bracelets for the team to wear this season, too.
“Joey is a really big part of our team,” Paul said. “All the kids are wearing bands that represent what’s going on in his life. He’s at every game, cheering every one of them when they come on. … He lightens the mood of the kids, just kind of takes the edge off. It’s great to have him out there.”
Back at full strength, Kimball has rounded back into form and is back to her dominant self, which is bad news for the rest of the state. In the 3A District 3/4 championship game against Bonney Lake last weekend, Kimball threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing just four hits and striking out nine in a 2-0 Peninsula win.
Peninsula is the No. 1 seed in the Class 3A state tournament, which begins Thursday at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey. Peninsula’s softball program has never won a state title or earned a state tournament placement.
“I would love (winning state),” Kimball said. “That’s all I can think about this week when I’m in school. I’m trying to focus, obviously, but it’s just like wow, we have a chance at really going far and winning a state championship. So it’s always on my mind, I would love it.”
As for Kimball, she’ll be staying nearby after graduation. She’s committed to play softball for NCAA Division II Western Washington. While she had chances to play at the Division I level, she wanted to stay close to home, so her family can come to her games. Joey, in particular.
“That’s my biggest reason,” she said. “I didn’t want to be any more than a full day’s drive. I didn’t want to be a flight away. I wanted to be close. Everyone was saying, ‘you should’ve gone D1, you should’ve gone bigger.’ But the coach at Western valued me and also, my family gets to see me play.”
This story was originally published May 25, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
