There are plenty of reasons one can point to for Dominik's dominance as a pitcher and hitter this year. But Kingsway coach Tony Barchuk offered his own assessment of his star player, The Inquirer's South Jersey Softball Player of the Year.
"No matter what the situation was, she knew how to handle it," Barchuk said. "We'd talk about it every once in a while, and the bottom line was, she just wanted to be the best player out there.
"That's the kind of player she is."
Dominik's numbers this season speak volumes by themselves. She batted .457 with a 1.025 slugging percentage. She hit 11 home runs and drove in 48 runs.
In the circle, she was 27-4 with a 0.65 ERA, one perfect game, two no-hitters, 13 shutouts, and 284 strikeouts.
"I've been coaching for a lot of years - softball, football, girls' basketball," Barchuk said, "and she's right up there with the hardest workers that I've ever, ever been associated with.
"And the beauty of it all is, I can safely say that there is not a kid at [Kingsway], athlete or not, that isn't happy for her, and doesn't know that she deserves all the awards that she gets.
"They all know how hard she works. She's so deserving."
Dominik, too, attributes her stats and accolades largely to her hard work.
"I would stay after practice and work. I just stayed focused on getting the job done," she said. "That's the key to getting through every situation, making sure that you don't dwell on any one play - just focus on getting the job done and doing what's best for your team."
Dominik moves on to Temple, where she said she might pitch or play the infield.
When she looks back on her senior season, Dominik said, her most vivid memory will be playing with a talented team that made it to the state final but fell one run short in an 11-inning game.
"It was just a lot of fun whenever we were together," she said. "They became like a second family to me."
For Barchuk, who still is also the head football coach at Kingsway, Dominik's legacy is a bit more practical.
"You know how I'm going to remember Kelsey Dominik?" Barchuk asked. "When I'm coaching football next year, I'm going to be telling those guys that they better be working as hard as Kelsey Dominik.
"I'm serious. I've told them over the years that they can't even shine her shoes when it comes to hard work.
"Her legacy is, no matter what the conditions were, she stepped up. She got it done. And she's a great example for other kids."
Contact Chris Melchiorre at rallysports@phillynews.com.
