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Kiley Holtz
Position: Infielder/Catcher
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Elgin, IL
High School: Larkin
2008: OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll... Holtz played in 45 games and started 44 times, primarily at third base… batted in the 4-5-6 portion of the lineup all season… led the team with six doubles, collecting four in OVC play… also hit both of her home runs against conference rivals… led the team with 11 two-out RBIs (of her 19 total)… also batted a team-best .417 (15-for-36) with two outs… batted .290 (9-for-31) with only one strikeout at home… collected 14 of her 19 RBIs in true road games… began the year in a 2-for-25 slump but busted out of it with a 4-for-6 showing in the Florida International doubleheader… went on to bat .308 during the 10-game spring break stretch, hitting safely in the final five contests including all three games of the Tennessee State series… hit her first career home run in the nightcap of the Southeast Missouri doubleheader, teaming up with Denee’ Menzione on the front end of back-to-back jacks… collected five RBIs in the Saint Louis doubleheader, recording a three-run double in the nightcap… also enjoyed a big day in the doubleheader split with Eastern Kentucky, going 4-for-7 and collecting multiple hits in both games… had two hits, including a three-run homer, during EIU’s nine-run inning in the game-two win that day… that long ball was one of only five homers hit by all players at Williams Field in the spring of ‘08.
HIGH SCHOOL: Kiley was a four-year letter-winner for coach Larry Hight, an EIU alum… also lettered four times in basketball and once in golf… earned All-State honors from both the Chicago Tribune and Illinois Coaches Association as an upperclassman… three-time All-Upstate 8 Conference and academic all-conference honoree in both softball and basketball… three-time All-Area selection by the Elgin Courier News and Daily Herald in both softball and basketball… also selected to the Daily Herald Senior All-Star Game… LHS Female Athlete of the Year as a senior after batting a school-record .466… tabbed sixth on the Chicago Sun-Times’ Female Athlete of the Year list… Illinois Super 60 Selection… Elgin Sports Hall of Fame special recognition and scholarship winner… Elgin Courier News Basketball Player of the Year in 2006… Special Mention All-State in basketball by the Chicago Tribune and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association… qualified for the state finals round of the IHSA 3-point shooting contest… finished her career as Larkin’s all-time leading scorer (1,405) and 3-point shooter… helped lead LHS to regional titles in softball and basketball in 2004… ranked in the Top 10 percent of her graduating class, twice earning an Elgin Rotary Club Certificate of Excellence as well as a President’s Award for Academic Excellence… also played for the Elgin Heat summer league team, leading the 18-and-under squad to consecutive appearances at nationals in 2006 and ’07.
PERSONAL: No. 1 sports highlight was breaking the Larkin career scoring record in basketball… her parents have been a major influence on her sports career because "they have been my biggest supporters throughout my whole career. They push me to be the best each and everyday"… most admires her high school coaches Larry Hight and Amy Silverman (basketball) because "they taught me to always keep a positive attitude and that the team comes before any individual. They also taught me to always have confidence in myself"… her brother Chad played baseball at Lewis University… daughter of Doug and Pam Holtz… MAJOR: Kinesiology and Sports Studies.
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