Speedy Mackenzie Favero, a Kiski Area grad, making her presence felt at top of Saint Vincent softball lineup

Mackenzie Favero prides herself on being organized. As a college athlete who also is pursuing a nursing degree, her knack for being efficient and orderly comes in handy.

But the Kiski Area grad can thrive in chaos, too. It’s the chaos she creates for the opposition as the leadoff hitter for the Saint Vincent softball team.

With a discerning eye and fleet feet, Favero, through the Bearcats’ first 16 games, is getting on base at a .525 clip, thanks in large part to a .424 batting average. A so-called “slapper,” she finds the nooks and crannies in the defense that enable her to get to first base.

And once she is there, she often winds up back home in short order.

“It’s nice to see that I’m able to advance Kenzie because she’s so fast,” said senior Olivia Persin, who hits right behind Favero in the order. “I know that when she gets on first, she’s definitely getting to second, and if she’s at second or third, I just know I’ve got to put the ball in play.”

Added coach Nicole Karr: “Her speed is definitely an asset to us. When she gets on, she can steal those bases and then take those extra bases on a hit someone else has.”

Favero is accustomed to hitting out of the leadoff spot. She said it’s something she almost always did in travel softball and with the Cavaliers. That experience, she said, took a lot of the stress out of being the leadoff hitter for the Bearcats.

Still, she entered her freshman season without any expectations other than to make an impression.

“My main priority in the fall and winter was just trying to earn time as a freshman, hoping to be a starter, have some game time,” she said. “So I was surprised that I was able to be such a big part of the team in these first (few) weeks.”

Through Saint Vincent’s first 16 games — Favero appeared in 14, starting 12 — her nine stolen bases lead the team, and her 14 runs are second to Persin.

After finding her footing through her first six games — she went hitless in the final four in that stretch — Favero was 9 for 15 (.600) with 10 runs scored over the next five. Saint Vincent, perhaps not coincidentally, won the last four of those in succession.

And those four games, which came during the week of March 11, helped Favero earn Presidents’ Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Week recognition. She had seven hits, scored seven runs and swiped five bases in doubleheader sweeps of Penn State DuBois and Penn State Beaver.

Once she settled in, Favero said she was able to use the same approach at the plate that had worked for her all through high school and travel ball.

“Whenever I’m at the plate, I always have the thought to be aggressive … knowing that anything close, you’ve kind of got to go for,” she said. “I just want to get on base.”

Favero also has been solid in the field, committing only two errors in her first 53 chances (.962). She has formed a solid middle infield combination with shortstop Persin.

The two have formed a good relationship given their proximity in the batting order and in the field. Defensively, Persin said, they forged a quick connection.

“It has definitely improved since we were in Florida,” Persin said, referencing the team’s season-opening games in the Sunshine State. “We’ll look at each other to make sure we’re on the same page. … I think it’s a silent connection when we’re on the field. It’s just giving each other looks while we’re out there.”

Said Favero: “I really like having her at shortstop with me. It’s someone to look up to, and even if I have questions, I can always go to her and she’s always someone I can look up to and get help whenever I need.”

Favero is part of a 10-member freshman class that has made an immediate impact for the Bearcats (10-6, 6-2 PAC). Many of them are regulars in the lineup, including Favero, Shayna Perigo (14 starts), Alyssa Henderson (15), A.J. Arnal (10), Apollo-Ridge grad April Earnest (13) and Anita Szymoniak (seven).

Henderson leads the team in RBIs (19) and hits (26). Perigo is hitting .378. Earnest is second on the team with four stolen bases.

Favero said having so many young players on the roster — there also are five sophomores — has mitigated some of the pressure of adapting to the college game.

“We are all pretty close, so it’s nice to be able to talk to people who are in the same position that I’m in,” she said. “I think we all thought it was such a surprise that we were able to make such a difference on the team just with the stereotype that freshmen don’t really play.”

The other perception Favero would like to shatter is that Saint Vincent is a middle-of-the-pack team in the PAC. The Bearcats were picked to finish fifth in the 11-team conference behind Geneva, Allegheny, Westminster and favorite Waynesburg.

Perhaps the voters were swayed by the number of young players who dominate SVC’s roster. Favero said she doesn’t think the Bearcats should be taken lightly.

“That drove us to prove everyone wrong,” she said about the preseason ranking. “I think we’re all pretty determined to make a difference in the PAC, and we’re a better team than everyone thinks we are.”

As for Favero, she seems to be just scratching the surface of her potential. Persin expects big things from her in the future.

“It’s definitely nice — especially knowing she’s only a freshman — seeing how well she has done so far,” Persin said. “She’s definitely going to advance Saint Vincent as she continues playing.”