Seven states and more than 1,700 miles separates Athens from Alpine, Utah. Nestled at the foot of the Wasatch Mountain Range, Alpine is a staunch contrast to the foothills of Appalachia.
For Raven King, it’s home.
That’s not to say that the freshman starting first baseman for the Bobcats is not making herself comfortable in Southeast Ohio. A quick glance at Ohio’s hitting statistics will quash that myth.
King is one of just three Bobcats to have started all of the team’s games this season and she is tied for second on Ohio with four home runs. During her four-year varsity career at Lone Peak High School, King hit only nine.
But coach Jodi Hermanek said she’s not too surprised about the contribution she has gotten from King. A first baseman in her playing days, Hermanek first saw King play at a tournament in Las Vegas as a junior in high school and immediately turned her focus to recruiting the powerful righty.
“When I saw her swinging and I said, ‘That kid can really hack,’” Hermanek said. “Then I watched her play some defense and she was very athletic.”
Before coming to Ohio, Hermanek coached at Southern Utah University and was familiar with King’s high school team. Hermanek said she was also aware of some of the obstacles she could face recruiting her.
King is a Mormon. Her brother Damian goes to Brigham Young University, a school that’s gained notoriety of late for its conservative honor code that forbids students from consuming alcohol or drugs — even caffeine — among other mandates.
“Being familiar with the Utah lifestyle … I wanted to get to know her first and see what her personality was,” Hermanek said. “When you’re in an environment like Ohio has here — top two party school in the nation — no matter who you are, we want to make sure this is nothing too overwhelming.”
Hermanek said that at first she was not very confident of her chances of landing King.
“It’s kind of like recruiting a kid out of Texas. Sometimes you just don’t get them to leave Texas,” Hermanek said. “It’s the same thing with Utah. Sometimes you just don’t get them to leave.
“When she came out to visit and I knew right away that she would fit in well with this team.”
But King said she feared her new teammates were not quite as certain as their coach.
“I think our team was kind of unsure of how to respond to me a take me at first,” King said. “Once people accept me and know what my standards are it’s really easy to be who I am.”
Although King’s parents were supportive of her decision to come to Ohio, she said the school’s reputation preceded it and there were times when they expressed more than a little worry.
“When you get here, the first thing you do is go to a party and there’s drinking,” King said. “But my parents really trust me and at this point I’m old enough to make my own decisions and wherever that may take me, it takes me.”
King’s religion — as with anyone — only makes up a portion of who she is. A civil engineering major, King has gained recognition amongst the team for her quick wit just as much as her quick bat.
“She’s very sarcastic,” senior pitcher Emily Wethington said. “I can’t say we’ve had anyone on this team before like Raven with her sense of humor. But we definitely enjoy it.”
Wethington said King has distinguished herself with excellent defense and a keen eye in the batter’s box — only Wethington has drawn more walks than King’s 12 — and that has provided a lot of relief on a veteran Ohio team.
Hermanek said she is simply looking forward to a long and productive career for King.
“I know that Raven’s going to hold up our program with her integrity,” Hermanek said. “She’s the first baseman we have not had for three years. She’s definitely the first baseman we needed.”
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