Growing up, Pacific High senior shortstop Jess Damico always remembers being "the littlest girl on the team."
So Damico developed a work ethic second to none. Her drive to succeed has helped put the 5-foot-5 Damico at the top of her field.
A returning Post-Dispatch All-Metro performer, Damico batted an eye-popping .539 while breaking the state record with 15 home runs.
In June, Damico was selected as the state's Gatorade Softball Player of Year and went on to compete with and against the nation's best later in the summer in the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando, Fla.
Damico, who also excels in basketball and track at Pacific, received literally hundreds of scholarship offers before settling on perennial NCAA power Florida.
"Her work ethic is 100 times above anybody I've ever come across," said Pacific softball coach Traci Dewert. "And because of that, her skills are above everyone else's too."
Explained Larry Damico, Jess' father, "Ever since she started playing softball, she's always been willing to put in the extra time — and I think it shows."
Damico is a rare five-tool player. She can hit for power and to all fields. Her strength may be in her defense. Few players can get the ball from the glove to first base quicker than Damico.
"Just a god-given talent," Dewert says. "I don't think there's anything she can't do if she puts her mind to it.'
Despite her success, the 18-year-old remains quiet and unassuming. She credits her father and summer coach Bob Furrer, of the St. Louis Chaos, for her development. She also learned plenty from her older sisters, Maria and Julie, who fashioned successful careers at Southern Illinois-Carbondale and Indiana State, respectively.
"I just really enjoy it," the younger Damico says. "I started loving it at a young age and I've been loving it for so long."
A four-year starter, Damico has 113 hits in 227 career at-bats for a .497 average. She has 23 homers and 76 RBIs and could conceivably make a run at the state record for career homers (40).
The Gray Summit resident began drawing serious attention from colleges four years ago. She narrowed her options to Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Florida before deciding on the Gators because "it felt right; it felt like home."
Damico, who sports a 3.6 GPA, is hoping to close out her prep career in style. A year ago, the Indians won 16 of 24 games but came up empty in the postseason. A trip to the final four is the goal this time around.
"We've all been working hard and we think anything is possible," she said.
Added Dewert: "I'm just so proud of how far she's come and how humble she is. People like her don't come around too often."
TEAMS TO WATCH
OAKVILLE • The Tigers, who have reached the Class 4 championship game three of the last five years, are loaded once again. Coach Rich Sturm Jr.'s squad returns seven starters from last season's 23-6 team that lost to Jefferson City 2-1 in the championship game. Senior pitcher Remy Edwards leads the way. All-State infielder Julie Kerner hit .425 last season and first baseman Chloe Wolf led the club with 27 RBIs.
FORT ZUMWALT SOUTH • Senior pitcher Lexy Moore paces the Bulldogs, who were 21-7 last season and came oh-so-close to reaching the state semifinals in Class 4. The Bulldogs return eight key players, including third baseman Cate Simon, who hit .370 a year ago.
PARKWAY SOUTH • The Patriots lost many of their top players from last year's 20-5 squad but have plenty of young talent to fill the holes. Sophomore pitcher Sheridon Sprague was 7-0 and has the ability to be one of the top underclassman in the area. She struck out 73 batters in 49 innings. Megan Medcalf was second on the club with 23 RBIs in 2009. Veterans Katie Alexander (.348) and Gigi Munoz (.319) also return.
KENNEDY • The Celts, who came within a game of reaching the Class 3 final four, return ace pitcher Paige Miller from a 21-3 squad. Miller went 13-3 with an 0.19 ERA. She struck out 188 batters in 108 innings and allowed just three earned runs all season. Her average of 13.4 strikeouts per game was tops in the area.
TROY • The Trojans quietly fashioned a 23-4 mark last season. Pitcher Elizabeth Wiegand is back. She went 17-4 with a 0.49 ERA as a freshman in 2009. Infielder Deanna Price (.444) and outfielder Emily Crane (.473) carry big bats.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lexy Moore • senior, pitcher, Fort Zumwalt South
Moore compiled a 14-6 mark with a 1.02 ERA last season. She struck out 206 batters, an average of 9.97 per game. She also drove in 17 runs. Moore possesses a deadly combination of speed and pinpoint control. "She mixes things up so well," said South coach Christy Pohlmann. Moore is headed to Purdue.
Remy Edwards • senior, pitcher, Oakville
A two-time all-state performer, Edwards went 20-4 with a 0.96 ERA last fall. Edwards is headed to Miami of Ohio. "Physically, she's really tough," said Oakville coach Rich Sturm Jr. "But mentally, she's even tougher. She just doesn't like to lose." Edwards entered the season with a career mark of 44-11.
Micah Scharff • senior, catcher, Ladue
Scharff posted some huge offensive numbers last season including 35 RBIs in 19 games. She hit. 484 and drilled five homers for the Rams, who finished 9-10. As a sophomore, Scharff hit .446 and drove in 23 runs.
Katie Heidinger • senior, pitcher/infielder Webster Groves
Heidinger is a dual threat. She compiled a 14-4 mark with a 1.52 ERA for a 20-6 squad. She also hit .383 and drove in 35 runs, tying her for second in the area. Heidinger won 15 games as a sophomore.
Cassie Rupel • senior, pitcher/outfielder, Parkway Central
Rupel helped the Colts to a fourth-place finish last season with a 15-8 record and a 1.90 ERA. She also hit .484 and stole 12 bases. As a sophomore, she won eight of nine pitching decisions.
