Bay Area News Group softball player of the year: St. Francis’ Kate Munnerlyn

MOUNTAIN VIEW – With one swing, Kate Munnerlyn put three runs on the board in a playoff game against Willow Glen.

The homer gave the St. Francis junior all the runs she needed on the way to a 3-0 victory in the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals.

Munnerlyn pitched a three-hitter that day to beat one of the section’s best teams and send St. Francis into the final.

“Getting those three runs on the board made me relax and just focus on the game,” Munnerlyn said.

Performances like that were common for Munnerlyn, who hit .350 with six home runs this spring, and made her our choice for Bay Area News Group player of the year.

Munnerlyn might have been relaxed in the pitching circle, but facing her was an unnerving experience, even for the best hitters in NorCal.

The left-hander sat down one batter after another this spring, ending her postseason with two unearned runs allowed in 29 innings, all while she had little margin for error as the St. Francis offense stalled down the stretch.

Munnerlyn was supposed to pitch just a few innings in a NorCal Division I semifinal against Central-Fresno in hopes that she would be fresh for the final two days later.

The semifinal ended up going nine innings, but that was no problem for the left-hander.

She pitched 5 ⅔ scoreless innings and got the Lancers into the NorCal final.

“Kate pitches all the time, so I wanted to give her a rest,” St. Francis coach Mike Oakland said. “I wasn’t anticipating a nine-inning game, but it worked out.”

She followed that by throwing 8 ⅓ innings and striking out 11 on the road against Hollister in the regional final.

An error on a routine play in the bottom of the ninth prevented the Lancers from repeating as NorCal champions.

Hollister won 1-0.

Munnerlyn, a Texas A&M commit, was named to the all-West Catholic Athletic League first team. She finished 16-3 with a 0.55 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 114 innings.

How dominant was she?

She did not allow an earned run in her last 10 appearances and had seven starts this season with 10 or more strikeouts.

Munnerlyn helped St. Francis advance to the final of the prestigious Michelle Carew Classic tournament.

She also allowed just three runs in WCAL play.

Those three were especially painful, all given up to Archbishop Mitty in a 3-2 defeat. It was St. Francis’ first loss to the San Jose school since 2019.

A few weeks later, with a share of the league title on the line, Munnerlyn had her best game of the season to win the rematch.

She struck out 10 in a no-hitter as St. Francis tied Mitty for the championship.

“That’s when I started having fun, once I started to get people to swing,” Munnerlyn said.

It was her second seven-inning no-hitter of the season, the first coming in a 2-1 victory over Aragon in March.

Munnerlyn also threw a five-inning hitless game against Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Her ability to pitch her best in the biggest moments is no surprise to teammates.

“She’s mentally tough,” third baseman Rebecca Quinn said. “She knows what she has to do to push through.