Plymouth State University softball student-athlete Kim Jeffs has been pitching since she was 6 years old. The highly decorated junior currently sits third in career strikeouts in Division III with 902.

But it was a love for lightning strikes -- and anything else weather-related -- rather than strikeouts that actually led the talented hurler to Plymouth State.

When selecting a college, Jeffs' list of requirements was brief. The Stroughton, Massachusetts, native was seeking a school close to home that was not overly populated and, most importantly, offered a meteorology program. Plymouth State fit the bill perfectly.

"I have been attracted to (weather) since I was 4 years old. I had a fascination with storms because I was afraid of them. My fear turned into fascination, and my fascination turned into ambition to learn about it," she said.

Jeffs admits to being terrified of lightning as a young child. She remembers being on a family trip in South Carolina when her older brother teased her that lightning would kill her if she got out of the car. A prudent 6-year-old, Jeffs said she ducked down below the seats for safety.

Even as early as age 4, she recalls sitting on the front porch with her father watching a storm roll in.

"He was trying to explain to me how it was so fascinating and I just couldn't understand it. I was hiding behind him and kind of watching. As soon as it thundered, I went inside," she said.

Older and far wiser now, there's little in the way of weather that frightens her.

"No, it is just true fascination, I have to say. Maybe my knowledge scares me, knowing that if I'm in the path of a tornado, and how close I am and how much time or not I have, then that would scare me," she said.

What might be a little scary to Plymouth State softball fans is how close Jeffs came to not even trying out for the squad. Succeeding academically was firmly at the top of her priority list when she arrived at Plymouth State. The sport she had been playing for most of her life wasn't even on the radar until about a week before tryouts during her freshman year.

"I decided to try out on a whim. I realized that I had all my academics under control, which surprised me as well, and I didn't expect that to happen, but it did. I decided that if I had free time then I would love to use it playing softball," she said.

Whim or not, ask any of the hitters who have faced Jeffs, and they'll tell you she doesn't take her position inside the circle lightly. By her own admission, she doesn't pay much attention to records or stats, but a casual glance at her achievements makes it clear that, like the severe weather she names as her favorite weather phenomenon, Jeffs has done some major damage on the diamond.

On top of advancing toward the record for career strikeouts in Division III, Jeffs has collected all-conference recognition in each of her three seasons with the Panthers. She is tied for 11th on the all-time NCAA list for career shutouts with 32. Jeffs has helped the program achieve its highest level of success in school history, including leading the squad to the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England championship in 2003.

Jeffs' weather expertise, however, is a pleasant bonus and a source of entertainment for her teammates, especially when she puts her meteorology know-how to work while at play.

"My team gets a kick out of it, especially during practices. I can look up and see what's going on," she said. "They just laugh at me."

At this point, Jeffs said she's not quite sure where her passion for weather will take her in the future.

"I've been lucky enough that I'm interested in everything. If I get involved with anything having to do with it, I'll be happy," she said.