Huidekoper's a hit — from here to Peru

When she dug in to face Tam High’s almost unhittable ace pitcher Kim Scarsella earlier this season, chances are wasn’t thinking about Peru.

Then again, maybe she was. After all, the challenge that awaits her this summer could be equally as rewarding.

Huidekoper, ’s 15-year-old third baseman, does more than just excel at softball. A whole, whole lot more.

The junior learned golf from her great-uncle in an Alabama field, finds escape in the trumpet, is a 10-year Girl Scout and ranks among San Marin’s top students despite having skipped a grade.

And then there’s the Peru thing. Huidekoper will be heading south this summer as part of the Amigos de las Americas program to help educate the Peruvian people on nutritional awareness.

Yep, that will involve speaking almost exclusively Spanish, something Huidekoper absorbed in school.

“She was born with a wonderful mind,” her father, Hugh, gushed. “She’s been just a wonderful child for all her 15, going on 16, years. She’s a joy to have around. She’s got a lot of things going for her.”

Too much at times, although she often has to remind herself the storm will soon pass.

“It can be hard at times to organize everything, but I think I do pretty well with it,” she assured. “I just tell myself that this is going to be the worst year, so it helps me get through.”

Being away from home for eight weeks won’t be easy, either. But she does have the experience of an 11-day backpacking trip to the Sierras with the Girls Scouts last year.

“I really enjoy the outdoors,” she noted.

Huidekoper says she hopes to pursue “something in the math or science field” in college and “it would be really nice to get into an Ivy League school, but that’s kinda what everyone says.”

But first things first – her junior and senior seasons on the San Marin softball team, where she has accepted the challenge of replacing one of the Mustangs’ greatest players of all-time, .

The Mustangs already have lost two games – as many as they’ve suffered in some seasons – and have yet to play perennial power Redwood. That will happen for the first of two times a week from Thursday in Larkspur.

Huidekoper, who got off to a hot start this season with three hits and three RBIs in San Marin’s first two games, insists the team is not disappointed to have lost two Marin County Athletic League games.

“I thing we’re more encouraged to play our best and try our hardest and try to win that title,” she claimed. “Now we know it’s on the line and every game is important.”

Given her life experiences, Huidekoper realizes there are worse things than striking out against Scarsella and the MCAL’s other standout pitchers.

“I guess I just tell myself getting a hit would be nice,” the former Novato Little Leaguer said. “I don’t want to get down on myself every time I don’t get a hit, because they’re very good.”

And when in doubt, she can always remind herself: She’s batting 1.000 off the field, and that’s where it counts most.

SAN MARIN SOFTBALL UPDATE

Recent results: Lost to Tam, 3-0; beat Marin Catholic, 5-0; beat Novato, 5-1.

Current record: 3-2 in MCAL, 4-2 overall.

Highlights: drove in three runs with a pair of two-out doubles to get the Mustangs rolling in the win over Marin Catholic … pitched the shutout ... provided an offensive boost in the Novato win with a pair of hits.

Coach ’ comments: “That (the Marin Catholic game) was a big win for us over a quality pitcher. (Gianna) Bruschera came through with the big hits. She’s our No. 4 hitter. She’s the one we expect to drive in runs. With our pitching and our defense, once we got up 3-0, that was pretty much the end of the game.”

Upcoming schedule: Thursday at home vs. Branson, 6:30 p.m.