Seddon siblings raised to be tight-knit ballplayers at a young age
When most girls are playing with Barbie’s and watching Disney movies, Kari Seddon was working on her pitching with a high school softball coach.
At the age of six she was already throwing to her mom and a coach. Now Seddon is a fifth-year senior at Central Michigan and still works on her pitching, even at the tail end of her collegiate career.
“Our parents always were involved with sports,” Seddon said. “There’s a picture of us being rolled out of a gym in strollers. We were always gym rats.”
Seddon even worked with Jonker at a young age.
“She came here to a clinic when I think she was eight years old,” said CMU head coach Margo Jonker. “Her dad’s really into it — it’s certainly a bat/ball family.”
Her older brother Brad and younger brother Joel are naturals on the diamond, just like Kari.
“It was weird because our dad always coached high school basketball and the boys played football,” Seddon said. “We’re a softball and baseball family now. My dad has become very knowledgeable.”
In high school Kari played basketball and volleyball at St. Clair High School along with softball. She was all-state for basketball twice.
“I loved it. It kept me in shape and helped me with my softball abilities,” Seddon said. “I always knew I was better at softball. It became clear when I was a freshman and sophomore — coaches were coming to my games and had interest in me.”
Brad gave Kari help during the recruiting process, since he already did it as a Michigan baseball player.
“He was huge for me, especially when I was talking to coaches and trying to pick a school,” Seddon said.
Brad pitched at Michigan from 2003-07, and now is assistant coach at St. Clair High School.
“It’s been great to watch her go up there and she has been so successful for the last five years,” Brad said of Kari coming to CMU. “It’s been a joy to watch her grow.”
Kari has grown up into a Chippewa leader. She has won 42 games in the circle, one off breaking the program’s top ten, and is in the top 10 in career strikeouts, appearances, innings pitched and complete games.
Her 434 strikeouts are fourth-best in CMU history.
“She is a power pitcher,” Brad said. “She attacks batters. I was more of a finesse pitcher. I was a soft-tossing lefty.”
Even through all her accomplishments, like All-MAC honors in 2008, Kari stayed humble. After all her great performances in the circle or at the plate she gives credit to her teammates and coaches.
“It’s a big part of our lives, we were taught to have good character,” Brad said. “No matter what you do on the field you have to do the right things off the field.
Her softball coach thinks that she has done a good just of being a good person with great character.
“Kari Seddon is a great person and great individual as well as a great player,” Jonker said. “She comes from a very good family.”
Kari is really close with her two brothers and parents. So close that her and Brad are looking for work in Columbia, S.C. because next year Joel will be going to play baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Joel, like Brad and Kari, is a pitcher.
“Joel is probably the most athletically gifted,” Brad said. “But you can’t beat Kari’s competitiveness.”
Wednesday, Kari showed that, throwing 11 innings as CMU beat Michigan State in East Lansing. She had runners on base in several scoring positions, but managed to work her way out of the jams.
“Put her in tough positions and she’ll find a way to get out of it,” Brad said. “For example look at the Michigan State game; she just wouldn’t let them lose that game.”
Kari wants to move down to Columbia and be a teacher and coach, just like her big brother and dad. All while helping her brother on and off the field.
“(Brad) was a support system for me. When I had bad days he picked me up,” Seddon said. “I’m looking to move there so I can be that for Joel.”
