Courtney Kessell
On her 15th birthday, Kailua High School's Courtney Kessell pitched a four-hitter with seven strikeouts to beat Iolani in the state tournament first round.
High school softball here has never been the same since.
Throughout that tournament and over the next three seasons, Kessell was the most dominant, talked-about pitcher in the state. She led the Surfriders into the state championship game as a freshman, helped them win it all as a sophomore en route to earning State Player of the Year honors, then carried the team her final two years by winning a total of 30 games and striking out more than 350 batters while also batting cleanup.
Softball Grade-point average: 3.7 College: Hawai'i Pacific
A first-team All-State selection all four years who led her team into three state finals and one state semifinal, Kessell's impact on the sport was so great, her mere name on the roster made state tournament officials shuffle their brackets when planning the week's schedule.
Kailua
Kessell also was the sport's greatest ambassador throughout her career, always providing the light moment during a game and providing the perfect quote or sound bite afterward with her sharp but delightful sense of humor.
Off the field, Kessell carried a 3.7 cumulative grade-point average and pulled the rare feat of being elected as both "Class Clown" and student body treasurer.
Kailua High School, in particular, and Hawai'i high school softball, in general, will not be the same without Kessell. She has accepted a scholarship offer from Hawai'i Pacific University, where she plans to major in finance.
