TCA pitcher in elite event

Christina Kuschel’s fastball is taking her places.

So is her curve, changeup, every pitch in her repertoire, in fact.

The freshman-to-be at Willow Park’s Trinity Christian Academy was in the Netherlands in early June with Team USA’s 16-Under squad, competing in an elite event involving several nations. It came after a successful season pitching for the Lady Eagles.

“I’ve never been out of the country. It’s pretty cool,” Kuschel said, also explaining how she came to be part of the team. “My pitching coach brought it up in one of our lessons, and when he did I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s really cool.’ Then I found out I was actually going.”

Kuschel is one of two girls from the area selected to be on Team USA, the other being Weatherford’s Morgan Shaw, a friend of Kuschel. Repeated efforts to reach Shaw through her father were unsuccessful.

“I don’t usually like traveling, but it’ll be good memories, a lot of fun,” said her mother, Tracy Kuschel, before the trip.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for a 14-year-old,” former Lady Eagles coach Trevor Shaw said. “The sky’s the limit for her. She’ll be a force immediately in high school. She’s also a very good leader.”

Her success this past season included at least two no-hitters for the Lady Eagles.

Kuschel also plays select ball for Crush in Granbury.

 She started playing softball in the second grade at age 7, she said. She became a pitcher at age 10, though she wasn’t in love with the position at the time.

“I actually quit pitching for a while, but in 2020 my team (TCA) didn’t have a pitcher, so I started again,” she said. “I enjoy it more now. I missed it.”

Then, she added with a chuckle, “And I’m kinda good at it.”

Kuschel did not play for her school in 2021 as there weren’t enough players for a team, she said.

She said when she was younger, she tried playing a lot of different sports to try and find where her main interests were. “Softball is what stuck,” she said.

Kuschel added a special thanks to all of her past and current coaches, saying, “I would like to thank God for putting all of these encouraging people in my life. God has given me my talents and motivation through these amazing people. And finally, I would like to thank my friends, family and teammates. Their support has been amazing.”