Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519898
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2024 41 ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE S he plays catcher. She hits leadoff. She steals bases. She throws out base stealers. She leads, and loves, her team. She's Notre Dame softball senior Carlli Kloss. And she's squeezing every ounce of enjoyment in softball and in life during her final semester on the campus she's called home since arriving here from Cy- press, Calif., as a freshman in 2020. "It's been incredible to see where I started and where I am now," Kloss said of her time at Notre Dame. "It has been a huge transformative period for me." That evolution didn't come easily for Kloss. But with the help of her family, coaches, teammates and especially her big sister, Kellsi Kloss, Carlli went from a lost freshman to one of the best catch- ers in the country. Kellsi — a standout catcher at LSU — has always been a big influence on her younger sister, stretching all the way back to little league when Carlli inher- ited Kellsi's equipment and position. "We had the extra gear laying around, so the decision to play catcher was kind of made for me," Carlli said with a laugh. "Obviously, I'm really happy with it." Indeed. Through 48 games and 48 starts this season, Kloss led the Irish in batting average (.372), runs (44), hits (61) and stolen bases (15). While behind the plate, the steady impact Kloss makes might be even more impressive. Kloss entered play the month of May with only 1 passed ball allowed this sea- son, and only 5 total since becoming the full-time Notre Dame starter as a junior in 2023. Last season, Kloss became the first Irish player to ever earn the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award, and she has a great chance of grabbing that honor again. "I try to help my team in every aspect of the game," she said. "That's always been my goal." Conference awards and recognition seemed far out of reach when Kloss struggled as a freshman, collecting only 4 hits and batting .133 in limited action. "I took that season personally," Kloss said, "and just worked hard to try and improve and get a different outcome." She did just that, batting .411 (23 for 56) as a sophomore with 12 runs scored, 11 RBI and a perfect 7 of 7 stolen bases. "I owe much of my improvement to my sister," Kloss said. "You have to push hard, and you have to work hard for what you earn, because it's not going to be given to you. I wouldn't be here without her help." Set to graduate in a couple of weeks with a business analytics degree, Kloss admits that the home stretch of her time at Notre Dame is a bittersweet reality. "It's meant everything to be here and to be able to say that I get to graduate from a prestigious university like Notre Dame," Kloss said. "I can't thank my coaches, my teammates, my family enough for continuing to push me and allow me to become the woman that I am." ✦ Through 48 games this season, Kloss led the Irish in batting average (.372), runs (44), hits (61) and stolen bases (15). PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Softball's Carlli Kloss Is Making Good On Her Last Go-Around BASEBALL (22-20 OVERALL, 7-17 ACC) Suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of Clemson April 5-7 … Posted a 11-2 victory over Butler April 10 … Lost all three contests at North Carolina April 12-14 … Edged Valparaiso 7-6 April 16 … Routed Purdue Fort Wayne 15-5 April 17 … Notched a three-game sweep versus Boston College April 19- 21, outscoring the Eagles 36-7 in the process … Fell 2-0 to Central Michigan April 24 … Took two of three against Wake Forest April 26-28. MEN'S GOLF Shot a 9-over-par 861 to place seventh at the ACC Championships April 19-21 in Charlotte, N.C. WOMEN'S GOLF Finished 12th with a 26-over 890 at the ACC Championships April 18-21 in Wilmington, N.C. MEN'S LACROSSE (10-1 OVERALL, 4-0 ACC) Notched a 15-12 victory at Duke April 7 … Pulled out an 18-17 victory vs. Cornell April 14 … Defeated North Carolina 14-6 April 20 … Closed the regular season with an 11-9 win at Virginia April 27, keeping its No. 1 ranking. WOMEN'S LACROSSE (15-3 OVERALL, 7-2 ACC) Defeated Duke 19-7 on Senior Day April 6 … Notched a 12-5 win at Liberty April 11 … Won 20-9 at Virginia Tech April 13 … Posted a 23-10 triumph at Louisville April 18 … Earned the No. 2 seed and edged No. 7 Clemson 14-12 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament April 24 but fell 9-7 to No. 3 Bos- ton College in the semis April 26, with both games played in Charlotte, N.C. SOFTBALL (26-22 OVERALL, 9-15 ACC) Lost two of three to Virginia April 5-7 … Beat Western Michigan 3-2 April 9 … Were swept in a three-game set at Florida State April 12-14 … Dropped a 5-3 decision at Indiana April 16 … Lost two of three contests versus Clemson April 19-21 … Beat Illinois Chicago 1-0 April 24 … Won the first but then lost the next two games to Boston College April 26-28. MEN'S TENNIS (13-14 OVERALL, 4-8 ACC) Beat Clemson 4-1 April 5 … Edged 4-3 by Georgia Tech April 7 … Topped Louisville 4-0 April 10 … Posted a 7-0 triumph at Boston College April 12 … The No. 8-seeded Irish lost 4-1 to No. 9 Clemson in the first round of the ACC Championship April 18 at Cary N.C. WOMEN'S TENNIS (17-9 OVERALL, 7-6 ACC) Posted a 5-2 win at Syracuse April 5 and a 6-1 triumph at Boston College April 7 … Defeated Duke 4-2 April 12 … Lost 5-2 to North Carolina April 14 … The No. 7-seeded Irish defeated No. 10 Syracuse 4-1 in the first round of the ACC Championship April 18 in Cary N.C., but fell 4-0 to No. 2 Virginia in the quarterfinals the next day. Irish Roundup