Marina High catcher Zoe King commits to Iowa softball program

Marina High School softball player Zoe King has committed to the University of Iowa.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Jan. 21, 2021 6:31 PM PT

The coronavirus pandemic has presented little certainty as it relates to athletics.

While Orange County high school athletes await the time when competition will be allowed to resume, Marina High School’s Zoe King removed some of the unpredictability from her future this week.

King has committed to the softball program at the University of Iowa. The junior catcher jumped on an early offer from the Hawkeyes, as it met her desire to play for a big school.

She also mentioned that a travel ball teammate on the Firecrackers Rico, Xophia Venegas, is already in the Iowa program.

“When I got there, I fell in love with the campus,” King said. “It was beautiful. I have a teammate that goes there right now, and she was telling me about all the girls and how she just loves it there and how they all get along. That was something that was a big sell for me was getting along with all the girls and having a good relationship with my pitchers.”

Before she arrived at Marina, King used to watch her sister, Ryan, who plays for Middle Tennessee State, catch for the Vikings. She did not start out as a catcher, but she ended up following in her sister’s footsteps.

“I used to play second base,” King said. “I wouldn’t say I was very good at it, so I really wanted to get a starting spot on the field, and my sister already caught. I was like, ‘Well, I’ve been watching her do this for so many years. Why don’t I give it a go?’”

Though there is sibling rivalry, especially in hitting lessons, it is not without respect.

“She’s been a really big inspiration for me, a really big role model,” King said of her older sister. “I model most of my catching style off of her. When I watched her, the way she frames and the way she sits while she squats, she’s been a good mentor to me.”

King started as a freshman, although the Vikings had two viable catchers with Jacey Henderson in the fold. The two of them were often platooned with the Marina coaching staff making use of the flex spot to keep both in the lineup.

Over 11 games in a pandemic-shortened sophomore season, King hit .265 with a home run and a double. She had a .297 batting average with four doubles in 24 games as a freshman.

Shelly Luth, who co-coaches the Marina softball team with Dan Hay, said she was ecstatic to learn that King was getting an opportunity to play at the next level when she was notified by the player. She described King as a player that is “softball smart.” She pointed to King’s ability to frame pitches and her situational hitting, including bunting and hitting the ball to the opposite field, as examples.

“The difference between Zoe and other kids is Zoe is able to execute those,” Luth said. “You always think about a hit-and-run, or you think about, ‘Oh, this would be a great time for a squeeze,’ but you don’t have the right person. Zoe is one of those people that you can count on to execute.

“I don’t mean to say that it always works, but she’s the type of player that you can count on in any situation because she’s solid, she’s settled, and she’s played enough that it’s not by chance.”