SOUTH BEND — South Bend Saint Joseph softball coach Earl Keith refers in the most complimentary way to star senior Kiley Weinberg as a “Silent Assassin” for his squad.
There’s no doubt that the captain of the Huskies can do a lot of things to fill that apt title bestowed upon her.
Second baseman Weinberg has been a huge part of a strong start to the season for St. Joe. The Class 3A No. 10 Huskies sit at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Northern Indiana Conference play.
St. Joe, who has outscored its nine foes by a 77-27 count, started 7-0 before an 8-4 league loss to South Bend Adams April 22. The Huskies bounced back one night later to down the Eagles 5-0 behind a pitching gem from junior Bella Esquibel.
The saying that “speed never slumps” defines exactly why Weinberg is such a valuable commodity on the diamond. The leadoff hitter for the Huskies puts pressure on the defense consistently, with her sprint time time from home to first base being around 2.65 seconds.
“Speed is Kiley’s main asset as she can bunt and slap too,” Keith said. “But she brings it all to the diamond for us. She’s the captain of our defense out there at second base and she does something great for us every game.”
Weinberg is just one of two seniors this spring for the Huskies, along with Mary Stack. Stack is also a captain for the Huskies and their starting centerfielder.
“I’m vocal in our dugout, but I’m a more lead by example player,” Weinberg said. “I just try to do the fundamentals right. My speed is my strong suit. I love stealing bases.”
Weinberg says she gets her speed from her dad Tom, who played baseball at the United States Naval Academy. He is one of the volunteer assistant coaches for the Huskies.
“My dad has coached me for a long time, and I knew I was fast when I was finally able to beat him,” Weinberg quipped. “It’s been really fun to have him coach me, and it’s a big reason I think why my softball IQ is towards the top.”
Weinberg was batting .545 through the first six games this season. She had scored eight runs with seven RBIs to go with a double and a home run. She had an on base percentage of .560 to go with a slugging percentage of .727 and an OPS of 1.287.
“The thing about Kiley is that she is always the same person,” Keith remarked. “She’s just a terrific team player. Our chemistry on this team is the best that it’s been in several years.”
The Huskies finished 12-15 overall and 6-6 in the NIC in 2025 with a roster boasting eight seniors. Star pitcher Berkley Zache, who is now at Oklahoma, missed the entire season a year ago due to an injury. Zache had pitched St. Joe to the Class 3A state title in 2022 as a freshman phenom and Class 4A sectional titles as a sophomore and junior.
What has made 2026 successful so far?
“We put in a lot of work in the offseason, especially indoors up in Edwardsburg,” said Weinberg. “I think that we came out ready to play this season. Our mentality has been to stay up. I do think about the NIC. We just have to go hard every game we play in the conference.”
Weinberg, who was honorable mention All-NIC in 2025, is set to play at Division-II Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan next season.
“The coach there (Jake Schumann) understands my skill set and I’m excited to go play for him,” said Weinberg of the Bulldogs. “I liked the culture there and it seems like a happy place to go.”
The Huskies, who currently trail defending NIC champion Penn (4-0) and Elkhart (3-0) in the league standings, have a pair of key conference games versus Elkhart this week. St. Joe hosts Elkhart April 28 and plays at Elkhart April 30. The Huskies host Class 4A No. 2 Penn May 19 and play at the Kingsmen May 21.
Weinberg says that there is still work to do on her game for the next level.
“I need to continue to work on my infield skills,” noted Weinberg. “I also need to be versatile because I may also play in the outfield in college.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Speedy Weinberg a key leader for South Bend Saint Joseph softball
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
