`Not A Street Kid, Not A Hard Kid' -- She Lived For Softball, Died At Hands Of A Killer

When Michelle Koski stepped up to the plate in June, her home run gave Summit K-12 alternative school in Seattle's Lake City one of its sweetest sports victories - a hard-fought, 7-6 win over rival Bremerton Christian High School.

It was a shining moment in Koski's career as one of the school's best athletes.

Some who were on the field that day were at a memorial service today for Koski, whose body was found in a wooded area of southeast Snohomish County last weekend.

The Snohomish County sheriff's office said she had been assaulted and killed where her body was discovered, near Echo Lake Road and the Woodinville-Monroe Highway, about three miles north of the King County line.

Her grandmother is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible.

A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office wouldn't give any information on whether detectives have suspects or leads in the case. She said they still are investigating.

The death of the 17-year-old high-school senior has torn the small, close-knit school of 120 students apart.

``The kids are trying to gain something from this, like `We've got to be more careful,' '' Principal Cathy Hayes said. Teachers have been available to provide informal counseling.

Nearly 200 people, including a number of young people, turned out for the memorial service this morning, where rock music was played and those close to the slain girl spoke of her.

Michelle never judged people from the outside, her mother, Violet Simonson, said at the service. ``She would pick up stray dogs and stray cats and stray people and bring them home all the time.''

Holly Wray, a friend and softball team member, said she spoke with Michelle just last week. ``She sounded happy. She said she wanted to get together and play softball soon.''

Many who knew her are concerned that the picture of Koski portrayed by police reports - a girl

without a permanent address and known to hang out on ``the Ave'' in the University District - is inaccurate.

``She was not a street kid - not a hard kid,'' her teacher and former coach, Al Young, said. ``This was a girl you can identify with.''

Her mother remembers a gentle girl who planned to start college next fall in pursuit of a law degree.

``God gave me a very special gift, and I got to keep it safe for 17 years,'' her mother said yesterday. ``I'm still disjointed. It feels like my baby girl is just away at school.''

Simonson's worst fear is that the person who attacked her daughter won't be caught.

``She would never hurt a fly, and yet someone thought they had the right to hurt her,'' she said.

Koski, most often clad in jeans and a sweat shirt, was well-liked even if not so well-known by fellow students and her teachers.

Teachers paint a picture of a girl who loved to write poetry, who was proud of her job at a local Taco Bell and who was struggling to find her niche in life.

But Koski is remembered most for her love of sports, which helped win her the most valuable player award from the school's softball team her sophomore and senior years.

Koski, who was a pitcher and shortstop, was a two-time all-star player on the SeaTac B League's softball team.

``Michelle was one of the best athletes we've ever had at this school,'' Young said. ``She always played hard, and you'd never see her hang her shoulders or head down.''

Softball coach Mike Keplinger remembers one early morning when he stopped at her house in the team van to pick her up.

The team was headed to Orcas Island for a game. In her bag, Koski had packed a number of classic novels assigned to her for an English class, and she began to talk about the books.

``I was astonished. Here she was headed to Orcas Island at 7:30 in the morning to play a game and lugging all these novels with her,'' Keplinger said.

But her life was not an all-American story, either.

``She was a girl who was probably brilliant as far as IQ goes,'' said English teacher Eleanor Weston. She flirted with dropping out and had an attendance problem.

But come softball season, ``she glowed,'' Weston said.

Koski did not graduate in the spring and was signed up to be in Young's American government class this fall to make up credits.

After some tough times during which Koski drifted in and out of the classroom, teacher Young's last memory of her was of a girl who was putting her life back together.

``I always felt she just wanted to be a kid. There was not a rough side to her,'' he said.

Koski, who had skipped the eighth grade, had discussed with Weston the idea of playing softball, making up credits and graduating with her original class.

Koski never believed in her own potential and ``always was a little bit surprised at her success,'' Weston said. ``She had a tentative quality about her.''

But the other softball players, all of them younger, looked up to her, Keplinger said.

``Many of them are really taking it hard,'' said Keplinger, who has spent the past few days contacting them individually.

He particularly remembers a forlorn look Koski used to give him in the middle of a tough game. ``I'd call out, `You can do it, Michelle,' '' he said. ``She didn't quite believe in herself.''

This spring, Koski broke up with her boyfriend to start seeing a 28-year-old man, and she eventually moved in with him, her mother said.

When her mother spoke to her Aug. 20, Koski agreed to move back into the house to watch it and take care of her dog while her mother and stepfather went on vacation.

She told friends that she was going home, Simonson said.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Summit K-12 athletic department.