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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW RCC poised to expand again ... Banking woes easing for some legal pot businesses ... Crater Lake visitors spent $52.2 million last year ... RCC poised to expand again ... Banking woes easing for some legal pot businesses ... Crater Lake visitors spent $52.2 million last year ... PREP SOFTBALL This lefty is all-righty Southpaw Kucera shines behind the plate for North Medford Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Apr. 21, 2016 at 8:15 PM Updated Apr 21, 2016 at 11:19 PM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Apr. 21, 2016 at 8:15 PM Updated Apr 21, 2016 at 11:19 PM --> Tra Kucera WHO: A 5-foot senior catcher on the North Medford softball team. WHAT: Kucera earned all-state honorable mention last year after batting .435 with 30 RBIs and leads the Black... » Read more X Tra Kucera WHO: A 5-foot senior catcher on the North Medford softball team. WHAT: Kucera earned all-state honorable mention last year after batting .435 with 30 RBIs and leads the Black Tornado this season with 17 RBIs while batting .444 with a .510 on-base percentage. UP NEXT: Saturday, noon, North Medford at Willamette (dh). » Social News Tra Kucera is an anomaly, and she’s perfectly happy with that. After all, what’s the North Medford senior supposed to do about it? She may be left-handed, but she can’t help but love her role as catcher for the Black Tornado softball team. “I’ve always wanted to be a big part of the game, and I get to be involved in every play and get to touch the ball on every pitch,” says the 18-year-old Kucera, who has been playing catcher ever since she can remember … even if most find that out of the ordinary for a southpaw. “My freshman year all the coaches were like, ‘We can’t have a left-handed catcher,’” she says, “but after they saw what I can do it was like, ‘I guess we can have one.’ I’m not really sure what the big deal is. I feel like it’s because most people aren’t used to seeing it.” Her head coach agrees. “It’s a little unique but I’m seeing a few college teams now with some left-handed catchers,” says Mike Mayben, “so maybe it’s not as unusual as it used to be.” “There’s definitely some challenges trying to throw the ball in certain places being left-handed but Tra handles it fine,” adds the coach. A throw to third base, for instance, is awkward, and when fielding throws for plays at the plate, left-handers often have to make backhanded catches and aren’t in position to make sweeping tags. For the 5-foot-tall Kucera, none of the puzzled looks with her as backstop have ever made much sense. “It’s just natural to me so I don’t feel any different,” she says with a laugh. There have been times when she’s made the move away from the plate — she roamed the outfield for North Medford as a sophomore — but when given the option to move back to catcher to help the team her junior year, she jumped at the chance. “I’ve tried to play first base but I’m not good at all,” notes Kucera, who says she’s willing to play wherever needed after signing recently with Northwest Christian University. Wherever she is on the field is only a complement to what she can do in the batter’s box. Kucera was an all-state honorable mention selection last year after batting .435 with a .535 on-base percentage to go with 30 RBIs (second on her team to Janelle Rodgers). This year, Kucera is batting .444 with a .510 on-base percentage and leads North Medford (13-1, 9-1 Southwest Conference) with 17 RBIs heading into Saturday’s doubleheader at Willamette. “She consistently makes great contact with the best part of the bat,” says Mayben. “Tra is one of those kids where you almost never get her on the fists or off the end of the bat.” Using a compact swing with quick hands honed by her hitting coach, former SOU head coach Kim Fritts, Kucera is able to spray the ball all over the field. She had six doubles and three triples last year and already is at three doubles with her first-ever home run earlier this season against McNary. “That was pretty exciting,” Kucera says of finally clearing the fence. The dimensions of the North Medford softball field have been Kucera’s undoing for that fateful round-tripper more than anything else, according to Mayben. “She’s hit a couple balls to the fence and they would’ve probably been out just about anywhere else,” says the coach. “Where Tra excels is she’s real compact and drives the ball on a line without a lot of lift to her swing.” For Kucera, any hit is fine with her. She just wants to help out her teammates, whom she says help her to be better every day on the field. “Honestly, the team that I’m with just makes everything better and the experience I have is just awesome with them around,” says Kucera. Just being part of the process is basically what draws her to catcher, where she’s caught senior teammate Sarah Thomas since they were on the 10-under circuit. “I feel like I’m basically there to help make Sarah and Teanna (Gonsalves) and all the pitchers we have look good,” says Kucera. “I just try to help frame and block the balls as best as I can. I know they’re going to get all the credit and I’m happy for them because they’re the ones putting in all the effort and extra hours trying to get better.” It’s that type of spirit that Mayben says is what’s truly special about his catcher. “She just has a great attitude and is a lot of fun to be around,” says the coach. “She’s a crackup. She’s not what you’d call a real vocal team leader because she doesn’t say a ton on that but she works really hard to set an example and the kids all love playing with her.” Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Apr. 21, 2016 at 8:15 PM Updated Apr 21, 2016 at 11:19 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Speed to burn Tyren Wolfe said he felt pretty good heading into Saturday’s prestigious Oregon Relays at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon... 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