Graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers’ softball career is quite similar to the delivery of her rise ball pitch, which contributed to her 351 career strikeouts. Just as the staple within her pitching repertoire begins, her career began with a slow windup before releasing explosiveness and dominance.
To date, Myers’ name is plastered all over the Marist softball record books, and a full season of promise remains. An ode to her consistency, the go-to innings eater is cemented within Marist’s top-10 all-time of career wins (38), innings pitched (466), complete games (47), appearances (93), strikeouts (351) earned run average (2.61) and shutouts (12).
A long list of statistics that requires an exhale after finishing yet each can be described as “and counting.”
Before any of this success, Myers remembers playing wiffle ball in the backyard, with paper plates laid out in the grass to mimic a baseball diamond, playing with her dad, Randy, and brother, Ethan.
Back then, it was just for fun. Since then, the sport has given Myers many unexpected memories.
Growing up as next-door neighbors with her aunts, uncles and grandparents in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, her family is very close in both proximity and through their bond.
“It’s really nice to stay connected. We have family dinners once a week at my grandparents’ house to get together and be with each other,” said Myers.
The bond of her family meant the family’s tire and real estate business was at the forefront of Myers’ future. The family business being an option also meant that no one in her family pursued a college education to immediately work for the family.
“I never really thought about playing college softball. So growing up I was just playing for fun,” said Myers.
Watching as the sixth-year veteran finishes her windup and begins her delivery in the circle, the ball leaves Myers’ hand with a rising action. That same gradual ascent of the pitch fittingly describes her path from backyard grass to competing on Richelle Hall’s Team Pennsylvania and finally landing at Marist.
Myers had a sense of blissful ignorance during the recruiting process, going to camps and sending emails with minimal expectations. That slow ascent continued upon arriving at Marist as injuries and a shutdown COVID season hampered her first two years.
“Coming back after having a slow start in college was really rewarding and it opened my eyes to everything,” said Myers.
The comeback Myers describes was quick and powerful like her rise ball entering the glove and leaving a powerful “pop” that can be heard hundreds of feet away. Softball suddenly being unavailable to Myers made her realize the opportunity in front of her.
Following the first two seasons where she appeared in just 10 games, Myers became a catalyst for the pitching staff and led her team to a 2023 MAAC championship. Myers dominated opponents through her command of the strike zone, walking only 28 batters and throwing a mere three wild pitches through 146.1 innings.
“I’m standing here on a division one team and winning the MAAC tournament is the most proud I’ve ever felt of anything,” said Myers.
Despite her rise to glory, there was a point where Myers never saw college softball as a reality.
With no prior softball experience or true goals, the transition from the backyard grass to the dirt was seamless. In her first organized game, Myers was quickly noticed. At around 10 years old, a coach told Marist’s future reliable ace she was talented. That coach’s statement rings true today, and then some.
The graduate student is already ranked sixth in school history in innings pitched, complete games, strikeouts and earned run average.
Individual statistics and accolades are an afterthought to Myers. Her main focus is executing pitch after pitch, staying present and enduring challenges through the course of a game. This formula allows Myers’ aspiration of winning to so often come to fruition.
“I’m always a very competitive person, especially with myself. I hold myself to high standards [and] I have the drive to win,” said Myers.
“My dad always pushed me when I was younger to be my best,” Myers added. “He would continually push me even when I didn’t necessarily want to push myself… My mom is a really big supporter. Knowing I have her to lean on, [I feel] like I have the competitive edge; she’s there to keep pushing me the whole way.”
The test of her resilience peaked at the 2023 MAAC tournament. Before the tournament, head coach Joe Ausanio planned for Myers and former Marist pitcher Calista Phippen to tag team the tournament. Phippen, who won 53 games and finished with a sub-two ERA during her Marist tenure, complemented Myers’ talent. The duo of Myers and Phippen pitched 13.2 and 7.1 innings respectively through the first three tournament games.
“It was like ‘Okay, if you feel like the hitters are catching on to you like let’s do a switch out…’” Myers recalled. “I think every single game in the MAAC tournament we split. I pitched some of her games; she pitched on my games. We just picked each other up the whole time and leaned on one another,” said Myers.
After the third game–a semi-final win against the No. 1 seeded Canisius–put Marist in control of the double-elimination tournament. Phippen, regularly sporting a brace throughout the season, reinjured her knee celebrating the win with her team.
Phippen’s injury left Myers fending for herself in the championship round without her pitching mate and mentor.
“After that semifinal game, whenever she hurt her knee again celebrating, it was upsetting. I [thought] ‘Oh, I’m by myself now,’ said Myers. “[Phippen] told me that there was nobody else she’d rather have finish it for her. She had the utmost confidence in me,” said Myers.
The combination of Phippen’s vote of confidence, Myers’ competitive spirit and her team-centric motives pushed her to a complete game performance and championship win. In her seven innings, Myers quieted a productive Canisius offense to just two runs and few scoring chances.
After the final ground ball rolling to first base was snared for the final out, each Red Fox headed in one direction to celebrate the win: toward Myers. She was mobbed by her teammates, finding herself in the middle of all the celebrations– a clear example of the team leader she had become.
The path to being engraved in Marist’s history books as a champion started with a simple backyard setup. Through travel softball, coach Richelle Hall, Team Pennsylvania and her parents, Myers gained the confidence and experience to lead by example on and off the field.
Earning the 2023 MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player en route to securing the school’s fourth MAAC softball championship with her teammates is one of Myers’ many accomplishments during her meteoric rise to being one of the MAAC’s best pitchers.
She has been named the MAAC Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2024 along with a First Team All-MAAC selection, a Second Team All-MAAC Selection in 2023, two NFCA All-Region selections and eight total MAAC Pitcher of the Week Awards.
After graduating with a criminal justice bachelor’s degree in December 2023, Myers is pursuing her master’s degree in business to enter commercial real estate, just like her family. Before she leaves, Myers is yearning for one more MAAC softball championship.
Edited by Ryan Eichem, Hayden Shapiro and Dan Aulbach
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo; Photos from Jaylen Rizzo and Marist Athletics
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