Local Teams Ready For Softball State Tournament
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
The following is look at each local school in its respective sectional.
Class 4A Sectional 4
The Goshen Lady Redskins enter sectional action at Elkhart Memorial as the defending champion, but they’re not one of the favorites this season.
Behind the pitching of sophomore Haley Nixon, the fourth-ranked Northridge Lady Raiders may be the favorites.
However, Warsaw is also right there, sitting at (18-9) and taking second place in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Warsaw dropped two games in NLC action, both were against Nixon and the Lady Raiders.
However, the Lady Tigers faced the same situation a year ago.
Like this season, Warsaw dropped both of its regular season meetings to Northridge a year ago, but came back to defeat the Lady Raiders 6-4 in the semifinals of the sectional, which was held at Warsaw.
Speicher’s squad went on to lose 2-1 to Goshen in the championship game, but the coach’s recollection of the first-round game is fresh in his mind.
“They got us twice last year, but we were able to get the win in the sectional,” he said. “We just need to remind our girls of that.”
Before even thinking about a matchup with Northridge, the Lady Tigers must deal with Elkhart Memorial in the sectional’s first game Monday.
“They are a tradition-rich program,” Speicher said of Memorial, which had won the previous two sectional titles before last season. “Their pitching has been down a little the past year or two, but they still have a good lineup, especially their leadoff hitter, who hit a home run against us the first game. They’re a formidable opponent.”
In their regular season series, Warsaw defeated Memorial 4-3 at home then again 7-1 Thursday
Following the Warsaw/Memorial game, Northridge will square off with Concord, with the winners of those two games scheduled to meet Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
The other semifinal pits Elkhart Central against Goshen Wednesday, with the championship taking place Friday at 7 p.m.
Nixon may enter the sectional as the top pitcher, but Warsaw may have the offensive power to battle her, led by their two Division I players Kelsey Dotson (Indiana University) and Kendra Marshall (Valparaiso University).
On the season, both girls are hitting near .500, with Dotson having blasted 11 home runs and Marshall nine.
An added bat to the Warsaw lineup is that of sophomore Kaleigh Speicher.
After hitting seven homers and driving in a school record 43 RBIs last year, Kaleigh Speicher transferred to Goshen this year.
However, she’s now back, and although she’ll be unable to pitch for Warsaw, she can add some more pop to the lineup.
“Because of her shoulder surgery, she hasn’t been cleared to pitch, but she is able to swing,” her father/coach said.
Class 3A, Sectional 21
Being played at Fairfield High School this season, Sectional 21 will have a new champion this year.
Because of realignment, last season’s champion, Columbia City, is now in Class 4A Sectional 7, leaving the vacated crown up for six teams to battle for it.
This season, the tournament starts Monday at 5 p.m., when Lakeland takes on Tippecanoe Valley.
“I know they always seem to be a solid program,” Tippecanoe Valley coach John Strong said about the Lakeland Lady Lakers.
Immediately following the Tippecanoe Valley/Lakeland game, No. 10 Fairfield and West Noble take the field.
Action resumes Tuesday when the winners of the opening night games square off at 5 p.m., followed by NorthWood and Wawasee.
The championship will then take place Thursday at 7 p.m.
When the draw was announced on May 10, Wawasee coach Cory Schutz didn’t only notice he had received a first-round bye, but had also drawn a team his Lady Warriors have defeated twice this season.
While Tippecanoe Valley (7-16) and Lakeland haven’t faced each other this season, Wawasee defeated NorthWood 8-1 on April 20 in Nappanee and again 8-1 on May 7 in Syracuse.
Despite those wins, Schutz isn’t putting the cart in front of the horse.
“We need to keep reminding the girls that its hard to beat a team three times in a season,” Schutz said.
A win over NorthWood would put Wawasee in the title game, but guessing its opponent in that game is too difficult.
“Fairfield, Lakeland and West Noble are all good, solid teams,” he said. “Lakeland probably has the best pitcher with Ashlynn Grubb.”
Class 3A Sectional 23
The Whitko softball team opens sectional play against a team it played eight days prior.
Following Monday’s matchup between No. 20 Mississinewa and Eastbrook, Whitko and Heritage take the field Tuesday at Norwell High School.
The winners of the first two games meet Thursday, with that winner moving on to the 5:30 p.m. Friday night championship against either No. 17 Norwell or Bellmont.
Whitko and Heritage just played Monday, with the Lady Wildcats getting a 2-0 win in Monroeville.
In the victory, senior pitcher Karissa Olinske went all seven innings, striking out nine Heritage batters.
Class 2A Sectional 37
After hanging with some of the top teams in Class 2A, the Manchester Lady Squires shouldn’t be too nervous going into Sectional 37 action at Wabash’s Honeywell Park.
However, they will face one of those teams again in the opening game.
Manchester and No. 7 North Miami kick-start the tournament Monday at 5 p.m.
The two met on May 2 in Denver, with the host Lady Warriors getting a 3-2 victory.
Along with that close loss, the Lady Squires also had the No. 2 Rochester Lady Zebras down 4-1 going into the sixth inning Wednesday night, but succumbed by a 5-4 count in Rochester.
“We are 11-12, but playing our best ball of the season,” Manchester coach Todd Volk said. “We have won four of our last five, with our loss being a seventh-inning heartbreaker to Rochester, who is 26-1 with their only loss being to 23-0 North Miami.”
The Lady Squires are in search of their first ever title, and will rely on an offense led by Kalene Freshour.
On the year, Freshour is batting .438 with 31 stolen bases and Hannah Little carries a .423 batting average with 18 stolen bases.
“We lead the conference in stolen bases trying to turn as many singles to doubles as we can,” Volk said. “We do not have an overpowering presence on the mound, but all our pitchers do a great job of hitting spots and giving our defense a chance.”
A win over the favorite in the opening game would make the journey much easier.
“A daunting task, but if there was a group of girls that can do it, this is the group,” Volk said about taking down North Miami.
Also in the draw, Southwood and Northfield meet Tuesday, with Wabash and No. 17 Lewis Cass to follow.
This season, Manchester fell 13-1 at Southwood and defeated Northfield 9-8 May 10 at home.
Wednesday, Oak Hill awaits the winner of the Manchester/North Miam game, with the other semifinal to start afterwards.
The championship will be Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Class 1A Sectional 51
At Culver Community High School, the host Lady Cavaliers open competition Monday against Westville, while Triton takes on Michigan City Marquette Catholic Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
The winners of those two games then meet Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., while South Central and Argos play Thursday.
The tournament wraps up Friday with a 5:30 p.m. championship.
According to Triton coach Steve McBride, 11th-ranked South Central may be the favorite after having won the sectional a year ago and hosting it this season.
“They’ve been ranked this season, and Westville also has received some votes this year,” he said.
Battling through injuries all season, McBride’s Lady Trojans feature a defensive lineup with five freshmen, three sophomores and one senior.
Early in the season, Triton lost outfielder Halie Zimmerman to a torn labrum and shortstop Blair Johnson to an ACL tear, ending their seasons.
Also during the course of the year, pitcher Mallorie Jennings and Allyson Brown missed time, but have returned.
Through all the injuries and youth, Triton has managed to stay around .500.
“It’s been an unexpected season,” McBride said.
And in the sectional, it’s the basics that will carry the Lady Trojans.
“We’ll be alright if our pitching does well and we don’t walk people,” he said. “We just need to get the timely hits. We’ve been 10-run ruled a couple of times, because things kind of started snowballing on us. But that comes with inexperience.”[[In-content Ad]]
The following is look at each local school in its respective sectional.
Class 4A Sectional 4
The Goshen Lady Redskins enter sectional action at Elkhart Memorial as the defending champion, but they’re not one of the favorites this season.
Behind the pitching of sophomore Haley Nixon, the fourth-ranked Northridge Lady Raiders may be the favorites.
However, Warsaw is also right there, sitting at (18-9) and taking second place in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Warsaw dropped two games in NLC action, both were against Nixon and the Lady Raiders.
However, the Lady Tigers faced the same situation a year ago.
Like this season, Warsaw dropped both of its regular season meetings to Northridge a year ago, but came back to defeat the Lady Raiders 6-4 in the semifinals of the sectional, which was held at Warsaw.
Speicher’s squad went on to lose 2-1 to Goshen in the championship game, but the coach’s recollection of the first-round game is fresh in his mind.
“They got us twice last year, but we were able to get the win in the sectional,” he said. “We just need to remind our girls of that.”
Before even thinking about a matchup with Northridge, the Lady Tigers must deal with Elkhart Memorial in the sectional’s first game Monday.
“They are a tradition-rich program,” Speicher said of Memorial, which had won the previous two sectional titles before last season. “Their pitching has been down a little the past year or two, but they still have a good lineup, especially their leadoff hitter, who hit a home run against us the first game. They’re a formidable opponent.”
In their regular season series, Warsaw defeated Memorial 4-3 at home then again 7-1 Thursday
Following the Warsaw/Memorial game, Northridge will square off with Concord, with the winners of those two games scheduled to meet Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
The other semifinal pits Elkhart Central against Goshen Wednesday, with the championship taking place Friday at 7 p.m.
Nixon may enter the sectional as the top pitcher, but Warsaw may have the offensive power to battle her, led by their two Division I players Kelsey Dotson (Indiana University) and Kendra Marshall (Valparaiso University).
On the season, both girls are hitting near .500, with Dotson having blasted 11 home runs and Marshall nine.
An added bat to the Warsaw lineup is that of sophomore Kaleigh Speicher.
After hitting seven homers and driving in a school record 43 RBIs last year, Kaleigh Speicher transferred to Goshen this year.
However, she’s now back, and although she’ll be unable to pitch for Warsaw, she can add some more pop to the lineup.
“Because of her shoulder surgery, she hasn’t been cleared to pitch, but she is able to swing,” her father/coach said.
Class 3A, Sectional 21
Being played at Fairfield High School this season, Sectional 21 will have a new champion this year.
Because of realignment, last season’s champion, Columbia City, is now in Class 4A Sectional 7, leaving the vacated crown up for six teams to battle for it.
This season, the tournament starts Monday at 5 p.m., when Lakeland takes on Tippecanoe Valley.
“I know they always seem to be a solid program,” Tippecanoe Valley coach John Strong said about the Lakeland Lady Lakers.
Immediately following the Tippecanoe Valley/Lakeland game, No. 10 Fairfield and West Noble take the field.
Action resumes Tuesday when the winners of the opening night games square off at 5 p.m., followed by NorthWood and Wawasee.
The championship will then take place Thursday at 7 p.m.
When the draw was announced on May 10, Wawasee coach Cory Schutz didn’t only notice he had received a first-round bye, but had also drawn a team his Lady Warriors have defeated twice this season.
While Tippecanoe Valley (7-16) and Lakeland haven’t faced each other this season, Wawasee defeated NorthWood 8-1 on April 20 in Nappanee and again 8-1 on May 7 in Syracuse.
Despite those wins, Schutz isn’t putting the cart in front of the horse.
“We need to keep reminding the girls that its hard to beat a team three times in a season,” Schutz said.
A win over NorthWood would put Wawasee in the title game, but guessing its opponent in that game is too difficult.
“Fairfield, Lakeland and West Noble are all good, solid teams,” he said. “Lakeland probably has the best pitcher with Ashlynn Grubb.”
Class 3A Sectional 23
The Whitko softball team opens sectional play against a team it played eight days prior.
Following Monday’s matchup between No. 20 Mississinewa and Eastbrook, Whitko and Heritage take the field Tuesday at Norwell High School.
The winners of the first two games meet Thursday, with that winner moving on to the 5:30 p.m. Friday night championship against either No. 17 Norwell or Bellmont.
Whitko and Heritage just played Monday, with the Lady Wildcats getting a 2-0 win in Monroeville.
In the victory, senior pitcher Karissa Olinske went all seven innings, striking out nine Heritage batters.
Class 2A Sectional 37
After hanging with some of the top teams in Class 2A, the Manchester Lady Squires shouldn’t be too nervous going into Sectional 37 action at Wabash’s Honeywell Park.
However, they will face one of those teams again in the opening game.
Manchester and No. 7 North Miami kick-start the tournament Monday at 5 p.m.
The two met on May 2 in Denver, with the host Lady Warriors getting a 3-2 victory.
Along with that close loss, the Lady Squires also had the No. 2 Rochester Lady Zebras down 4-1 going into the sixth inning Wednesday night, but succumbed by a 5-4 count in Rochester.
“We are 11-12, but playing our best ball of the season,” Manchester coach Todd Volk said. “We have won four of our last five, with our loss being a seventh-inning heartbreaker to Rochester, who is 26-1 with their only loss being to 23-0 North Miami.”
The Lady Squires are in search of their first ever title, and will rely on an offense led by Kalene Freshour.
On the year, Freshour is batting .438 with 31 stolen bases and Hannah Little carries a .423 batting average with 18 stolen bases.
“We lead the conference in stolen bases trying to turn as many singles to doubles as we can,” Volk said. “We do not have an overpowering presence on the mound, but all our pitchers do a great job of hitting spots and giving our defense a chance.”
A win over the favorite in the opening game would make the journey much easier.
“A daunting task, but if there was a group of girls that can do it, this is the group,” Volk said about taking down North Miami.
Also in the draw, Southwood and Northfield meet Tuesday, with Wabash and No. 17 Lewis Cass to follow.
This season, Manchester fell 13-1 at Southwood and defeated Northfield 9-8 May 10 at home.
Wednesday, Oak Hill awaits the winner of the Manchester/North Miam game, with the other semifinal to start afterwards.
The championship will be Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Class 1A Sectional 51
At Culver Community High School, the host Lady Cavaliers open competition Monday against Westville, while Triton takes on Michigan City Marquette Catholic Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
The winners of those two games then meet Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., while South Central and Argos play Thursday.
The tournament wraps up Friday with a 5:30 p.m. championship.
According to Triton coach Steve McBride, 11th-ranked South Central may be the favorite after having won the sectional a year ago and hosting it this season.
“They’ve been ranked this season, and Westville also has received some votes this year,” he said.
Battling through injuries all season, McBride’s Lady Trojans feature a defensive lineup with five freshmen, three sophomores and one senior.
Early in the season, Triton lost outfielder Halie Zimmerman to a torn labrum and shortstop Blair Johnson to an ACL tear, ending their seasons.
Also during the course of the year, pitcher Mallorie Jennings and Allyson Brown missed time, but have returned.
Through all the injuries and youth, Triton has managed to stay around .500.
“It’s been an unexpected season,” McBride said.
And in the sectional, it’s the basics that will carry the Lady Trojans.
“We’ll be alright if our pitching does well and we don’t walk people,” he said. “We just need to get the timely hits. We’ve been 10-run ruled a couple of times, because things kind of started snowballing on us. But that comes with inexperience.”[[In-content Ad]]
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