Sky’s the limit

Jeff Neubert

Thursday, April 21, 2005 | 9:26 a.m.

She has a .557 batting average, 33 RBIs, a 1.000 fielding percentage, four home runs, a 1.06 ERA in 66 2/3 innings, 118 strikeouts, and averages 1.78 strikeouts per inning pitched.

With those numbers, 17-year-old Silverado standout Kelly Griego is considered one of the best high school softball players in the state, despite a 6-3 start. Her numbers are not the only reason that she is one of the best, according to teammates and coaches.

Skyhawks coach Steve Hodges was so intrigued by Griego's talent that she was the reason he even wanted to coach at Silverado when he came to Las Vegas from California.

Hodges saw a lot of talent on the Silverado field when he looked into getting the coaching job. When he learned that he would get the opportunity to coach Griego for two years, he knew he wanted to coach the Skyhawks.

"My 15th season coaching, best pitcher I ever had, best hitter I ever had," Hodges smiled. "When you put those two together, there is not a coach in this valley that would not want that."

Griego has been through a unique situation at Silverado. She had four coaches in her first three years. The Silverado program was a mess her sophomore year, going through turmoil and a postseason coaching change. She broke her ankle before her junior year and was working on rebuilding her strength into this year. Yet she was still able to fight through all of the problems and succeed.

"She is mentally tough as nails," Hodges said. "Even with the adversity Griego has faced, she always kept a positive attitude."

Mental toughness is one of the hidden qualities that make Griego one of the best, Hodges said.

Griego has not always had it tough in her softball career. She was named offensive MVP of her team last year and was named Sun All-State First Team. She is well on her way to repeating some accolades this year, and the Skyhawks are 16-4 and in first place of the Southeast Division.

Griego has had a lot of help getting where she is today, primarily from her parents.

"Besides spending thousands of dollars on me through the summers," Griego laughed, "if I need help with anything they have always been there for me."

Those dollars, and her hard work, have paid off for Griego -- in the form of an athletic scholarship to UNLV.

"In our recruiting we wanted to get the best local players," UNLV coach Lonni Alameda said. "Kelly really met that need of ours."

UNLV coaches first noticed the talent of Griego when they saw her at their camps and clinics they host in the summers. They were amazed by her ability to play multiple positions and her ability to pitch.

"One thing that really impressed me at the camps was her ability to play the outfield," said UNLV assistant softball coach Angel Santiago III. "She will definitely be banging heads with girls out her for a starting position."