PETOSKEY — Anyone who followed the Petoskey Little League All-Stars when Kenzie Bromley was coming up knew there was a bright future ahead for her.
Only, it wasn’t going to be in baseball.
One of a kind at the time during her youth days, Bromley cut her teeth and found her swing with the boys and knew all along that it had the potential to pay off on the softball field one day.
“I think it made me way more competitive,” said Bromley. “The boys were all in and I think that helped me a lot. Then being close with them, I think it made me more athletic because they were always pushing me. I think it’s a big piece of who I am today.”
That payoff day finally came for Bromley when she entered the high school ranks with the Northmen, although it was certainly more than any singular day or moment, it became a career that put her in the discussion as one of the best to come through the Petoskey softball program.
Multiple PHS records, all-state seasons and a letter of intent signed with Kent State University lead to now 2023 Petoskey News-Review Area Player of the Year honors.
MORE: Bromley makes it official with Kent State University
A shortstop who could do it all in the field and at the plate, Bromley was like another coach out on the field as well.
She had played so much softball – even despite missing the canceled 2020 season – that she was often treated like a coach.
If her .568 average, 57 RBIs and 50 runs scored didn’t do the talking, Bromley had the confidence to also speak up and be a vocal leader to her teammates.
“Even after the coaches talked, they would say, ‘Kenzie, what do you have to say?’ Then I’d say something obviously,” she said. “So I wanted (my teammates) to look up to me, but also be my friend at the same time.”
Along with the leadership, one of the areas that took the biggest leap for Bromley this season was her pop off the bat.
While she’s always had power, she took off in 2023, setting a new Petoskey record with 18 home runs in a single season. She also set the career homer mark with 34 – a number that certainly would have been added to had her first year taken place.
She credits more time spent hitting the weights in an actual class at PHS over the course of the last year.
“I was lifting like three or four days a week and sprinting one day, so I was hitting the weight room a lot more and obviously it showed,” she said. “I’ve done it before. A few summers ago I had a personal trainer and my home run numbers went up then too. So, I was expecting it, but maybe not that many.”
Along with the records set this season, she also holds PHS marks set a season ago for season average (.622) and on-base-percentage (.674). Her high school career went faster than most and she still thinks back to wishing that first season came.
“It kind of flew by,” said Bromley. “High school in general just kind of went by fast. We were actually just talking about it, imagining if I did have all four years. We would have had a pretty good team that first year.”
Petoskey had another season of building the team up in 2023, with few seniors or experience around the lineup, although the Big North Conference certainly gave Bromley a good look at times.
RECORD BREAKER: Bromley stands alone at the top of the home run list
Gaylord eventually won the state title and she saw some good players all around the conference.
“It was kind of cool,” she said. “The Jones’ in Gaylord are obviously good, the West pitcher, (Piper Cavanaugh), she was good. Then Central had some good girls. It was cool to see Northern Michigan produce. I actually liked it because when the pitcher is better, that’s when I’m better.”
Summer is actually one of Bromley’s busiest times, with travel ball bringing her all across the country. So far, tournaments have already come in Cleveland and Denver, along with throughout Michigan, then stops in St. Louis and all the way out to California remain.
She’s also made some stops down to the Petoskey Little League baseball fields at Bates Park, checking on the next crop of talent coming up.
Only, she’s not checking on the boys, she’s been excited to see girls she helped pave a path for.
“There’s so many girls playing baseball now,” she said. “We go down there and it’s crazy to see. It’s kind of cool because some of them still know me. I can hear them talking. It’s just super cool to see them playing.”
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Bromley carved her own path to record-setting career, POY honors