JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers UP TO THE CHALLENGE—Newbury Park High sophomore shortstop Nicole Checkie has made a position switch from center field to shortstop. Being left-handed makes for a tough transition. A left-hander playing in the middle infield? Now that's something you don't see every day.

Newbury Park High head softball coach Darrin Carr, however, has seemingly defied all ballpark logic with his choice to play sophomore Nicole Checkie at shortstop.

"There were a couple of people that questioned the decision, obviously, only because she's left-handed," said Carr, now in his sixth season leading the Panthers.

"The thing is, Nicole realizes what her limitations are at this point, and she understands what she still needs to do to improve . . . .But not only that, she's having fun with it, and that's making things easier as far as the transition is concerned."

In softball or baseball, lefthanders rarely play second base, third base, shortstop or catcher because their bodies are put in an awkward position to make throws around the diamond.

According to Yahoo, there have been only 43 left-handed shortstops in the history of Major League Baseball. The website states that the last one was Lou Gehrig in 1934.

Yahoo reports Gehrig didn't actually play shortstop but was instead listed at the position to keep his consecutive game streak intact. He batted in the first inning, got a single and was removed for a pinch runner. Before Gehrig, the last left-handed MLB shortstop was Hal Chase in 1909.

As a freshman, Checkie was a first-team all-league selection in center field. But even before her initial high school season wrapped up, Checkie was already putting in the work to take over at shortstop for departing senior Keilani Jennings, who's now redshirting at UC Santa Barbara.

While taking ground balls in the infield during practice late last season, Jennings hinted at what might be in store for Checkie in the immediate future.

Jennings "came up to me and said, 'Yeah, you're the starting shortstop next year,'" Checkie said. "I laughed. I thought she was joking."

She wasn't, and neither was Carr when he decided the team's most talented player had to become more involved on defense.

Plus, with the Panthers replacing their entire starting infield from 2008, there were plenty of openings that Carr needed to fill during the offseason.

"Last year, Nicole only touched the ball five or six times in the outfield," Carr said. "She has great range, a great arm, and she needed to be more a part of what was happening on every play."

The 16-year-old Checkie said she was all for the move. She had, after all, been lobbying Carr to consider the position switch for some time.

"I like a lot of action. I like to be in the game all the time," Checkie said. "Shortstop is a good position for that."

The most difficult part of the transition, she said, is trying to defend against slappers—hitters who put the ball in play and use their speed to get on base.

"I've got to cheat over a bit to the right side for the lefties, and cheat to the left side for the righties," Checkie said. "I've always got to cheat to one side or the other."

Senior second baseman Sami Janda said Checkie's leadership has been vital in guiding everyone in the Panther infield.

"She's taken control of the infield, and she knows what she's doing," Janda said. "Nicole knows the game well enough that she was able to transition pretty easily. She's the one calling the shots out there for us."

Checkie, the Panthers' leadoff hitter who's batting .400 on the season, has been diagnosed with tendonitis and a cyst in her rotator cuff, which hasn't made her move to shortstop any easier.

The injury coupled with the Panthers' rocky start—Newbury Park enters today's game at Calabasas with a 1-11 record, 0-5 in the Marmonte League—would slow many players down.

Checkie, however, remains unscathed in her quest to become a great all-around ballplayer. One of her main goals is to be recruited by the University of Arizona, a national powerhouse program.

"I've been coaching for 12 years, and I've seen very few girls who love the game as much as she does," Carr said. "She's a total gamer.

"She'll play hurt. She'll play from behind. This girl just wants to go out there and play ball, and the fact that she loves it so much is where that fiery attitude comes from."