By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

Bowie senior pitcher Kate Bookidis is really into outer space.

It’s a “secret passion,” she admits she’s had since she was a kid.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of space,” Bookidis said. “I always imagined what if I could go to space. I don’t know if I’ll actually do it, but I’m always up to watch a space documentary or space movie. It’s just so cool.”

As Bookidis and the Bowie softball team prepare to open the playoffs against Cedar Ridge (18-4), the Trinity University signee hopes the stars align much like they did two years ago in her first playoff appearance.

As luck would have it, that was also against the Raiders.

“We were behind for a lot of that game,” she recalls. “A lot of us were like, this could be the end of our season and were ready to accept our fate. But we didn’t give up and one of our freshman at the time Bella (Nungaray) hit a home run and gave us the lead and eventually the win.”

Bookidis is a three-year starter for the Lady Dawgs (16-9) and is arguably one of the more overlooked players in the Austin metropolitan area.

She doesn’t have flashy statistics that some players do. Bookidis has a 41-17 record in the circle at Bowie with a career earned run average of 3.50 and 360 career strikeouts.  

However, her leadership in the dugout, during games and in the classroom is something head coach Liz Wissell says doesn’t show up in the stat line.

“I think a lot of people were surprised by her success,” Wissel said. “If you look at Kate, she’s not throwing 70 mile per hour fastballs. I think a lot of teams see that and are like, oh, we got this. But when they start facing her at the plate, the girl knows what she’s doing. She’s got a lot of movement and a lot of spin on the ball, and she has a lot of confidence when she’s in the circle.”

Bookidis’ confidence has propelled her into the unequivocal leader of the Lady Dawgs. Whether it’s lightening the mood with her 80s playlists and dancing to the Bangles hit, “Walk Like an Egyptian” or picking up a player when they’re down, Bookidis has left her mark on the Bowie softball program.

“She is the backbone of this team,” Wissel said. “That girl shows up with a positive attitude every day regardless of what she’s going through. It’s almost like she resets. She gets her teammates on board and is a natural leader. She knows how to motivate them and get them fired up.”

It’s a role Bookidis has graciously accepted and understands.

“Sometimes, I don’t take it too seriously,” she said. “I recognize my role as a leader and I try to set a good example, especially for the younger players. But you also have to have fun with it. I want to have fun with these girls, and I want to have fun on the field. It is a game after all.”

With her high school career winding down, Bookidis hopes to have one more playoff run with Bowie. And she’s quick to note, the Lady Dawgs are a dangerous team in the playoffs.

‘We have a lot of hidden talent on this team,” she said. “Obviously, you can look at some of the teams and say they have DI commits. But we have a deep team. It’s not just the college commits, all nine of our players can be dangerous hitters. When we put our mind to it, we can be really good.”

Bowie and Cedar Ridge begin their best-of-three series Thursday at Manor High School.

As for her space movie recommendations, Bookidis is on team Star Wars.

“I’ve never seen the Star Trek movies, my dad has, but yeah, big into Star Wars,” she said, noting the original trilogy is her favorite.