Kelly Koopmans (third from left) is co-anchor of KOMO4’s Weekday Morning Newscast. She’s also joining us to play in her first-ever All-Star Softball Classic on May 22nd!

As a kid, there was nothing more comforting than making the drive from the Kingdome back home to Bellevue in the back of my dad’s car being lulled into a baseball daze by the postgame show. The voices, the highlights, my oh my, was it sweet. And who could blame me… being a baseball fanatic (and sports fan in general) is exhausting! The 3-2 counts, the man on third, those balls that would “fly fly away.”  The Bone, Griffey, Edgar, Wilson. The crack of a bat when that fastball was swung on and belted!

Flash forward ‘some’ years and here I am lucky enough to step into the batter’s box at Safeco Field as part of this year’s United Way All-Star Softball Classic game.

Am I nervous? You betcha. Do I dream of /dread stepping up to the plate with Dan Wilson on 3rd and the chance to win the game by bringing him home?  Of course. But I come from a hearty stock of past All Star players from KOMO, specifically Molly “Slugger” Shen and Mary “Major League” Nam…. So there’s hope.

In all seriousness, I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of this year’s All-Star Softball Classic.

It’s not only my inner tomboy realizing a childhood dream, but I get to do good for my community at the same time. So let’s do this! Let’s get as many bodies as we can into Safeco to support United Way and help struggling youth and young adults in Seattle and King County. Come on by and cheer us on!