Submitted photos – Kiara McGinnis and her family at her recent letter signing ceremony.

By Ray Hamill — Toughness is a word a lot of people associate with Kiara McGinnis.

After playing a major role in leading the Crusaders to a first softball conference championship in eight years this spring, the St. Bernard’s senior announced recently that she will be taking her talents to College of the Redwoods after graduation.

And Megan Valente, the coach who recruited her to play for the local community college, believes her toughness will help her transition nicely to the next level.

“Kiara’s toughness and leadership is what I was excited about getting her to come to CR next year,” Valente said.

That toughness was on full display recently.

During the Crusaders’ conference-clinching doubleheader against Hoopa, McGinnis broke her nose on a play but refused to leave the field, telling her coaches to stop the bleeding and saying “I’m not leaving the game.”

The first baseman not only finished the game, but would go on to record the final out and hit a key RBI double, before adding a triple in game two of that doubleheader.

McGinnis would miss the next couple of games while having her nose surgically repaired, but would return to the lineup this week for the Crusaders’ North Coast Section playoff opener, hitting a double in a 14-4 win over The Bay School on Wednesday.

“She is a quiet leader,” said St. Bernard’s softball head coach Brian Finck, who has also coached McGinnis in soccer and basketball. “Always puts in extra time and effort to get better. It’s great having her at first to scoop up whatever comes her way.”

And that’s not all she brought to the team this spring.

“Her experience in the box has been vital for our offense,” Finck added. “She is always encouraging her teammates and leaves it all out on the field every game and practice.”

McGinnis, who wants to major in political science, says she likes the idea of playing for the Corsairs and knows some of their players from her time playing local travel ball with them.

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

She’s also following in the footsteps of her father and St. Bernard’s assistant coach John McGinnis.

“I wanted to stay around Humboldt and it seemed like a great program,” she said. “And my dad played there.”

The senior standout is one of seven St. Bernard’s athletes who will take their talents to the college level this year, as the Crusaders continue to succeed both on and off the field of competition.

“Talking to her during the season she was excited about softball and wanting to play at the next level,” said Valente, who only recently stepped down as CR coach after five years with the program. “Kiara has a big bat that I know will compete in our conference and she’s a utility player able to play first and third.”

The SB first baseman has been a varsity player for all four years of high school and played a key role in leading the Crusaders to the breakthrough championship this spring after watching the Hoopa Warriors dominate the Little 4 for much of her high school career.

She is one of two team captains on the team, along with fellow senior Hannah Finck, whom she has been playing alongside since seventh grade.

Kiara also has played soccer and basketball for the Crusaders but admits that softball has had a special place in her heart ever since she began playing T-Ball when she was 5-years-old.

“It’s always been my favorite,” she said. “I like playing both sides of the ball. There’s no other sport like it.”

In addition to helping her team win a Little 4 title this spring, Kiara has built a special bond with her teammates during her time at St. Bernard’s.

“She’s a very positive person that keeps everyone’s spirits up,” junior teammate Sarah Luna said. 

She also packs a punch at the plate.

“She’s a hard-working athlete out there,” said SB sophomore Sahara Tupua, who added with a chuckle, “And she hits bombs.”

Brain Finck added that Kiara will be missed.

“She is a great teammate, leader and person,” he said. “She will forever be a key piece of the St. Bernard’s softball program and I am grateful she has been part of the program for four years.”

The end of her high school career will have to wait a little longer, however, after the Crusaders upset the odds on the road in the North Coast Section playoffs on Friday evening.

Kiara and her teammates, who are seeded No. 6 in the Division-5 bracket, won 6-4 at No. 3 St. Vincent de Paul to set up a semifinal showdown against Lower lake in Samoa on Tuesday evening.

Kiara McGinnis, left, and her fellow senior team captain Hannah Finck, whom she has played alongside since seventh grade.