Academy at the Lakes pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl literally stands out on a softball field.

First her 6-foot-2 frame gets you. Then her speed.

With every pitch Kilfoyl is thinking one thing.

"I just try to pitch to the best of my ability and make myself look good," Kilfoyl said.

Kilfoyl looks more than good. The Academy at the Lakes sophomore isn't just one of the top pitchers in the Bay Area. She's one of the best in the nation.

Earlier this year, Kilfoyl was named to USA Softball's junior women's national training team.

"You're taking a lady that's pretty tall and she's coming at you and she's throwing the ball upwards of 68 mph, that's pretty special," Academy at the Lakes Coach Diane Stephenson said. "I mean, that puts you in a pretty elite category."

Kilfoyl was already in elite company at the age of 12 when college coaches began taking notice. She committed to the University of Alabama as a freshman and is looking forward to her national team experience this summer so she can gauge her talent with the country's best.

"It'll definitely get me ready for college," Kilfoyl said. "Just playing people from all over the world will get me different views on different players."

"She has great size, great strength, and she's very committed," Stephenson said. "Her mental game is getting better and better. We challenge her little things as oppose to big things and she's taking it on very well."

Kilfoyl is at home on a softball field. When she steps on the mound, her competitive nature takes over. But that's not the only thing she loves about softball.

"It felt good to strike people out, and just knowing that I have a team behind me that if I don't do as well, they're there behind me to support me," she said.