Dynamic Duo Brings Speed, Spin To Pitcher's Circle
June 2, 2017 at 3:44 p.m.
Dynamic Duo Brings Speed, Spin To Pitcher's Circle
By Dale [email protected]
Inside the pitcher’s circle, from where they've helped lead the Class 3A No. 5 Lady Warriors to a 25-3 record and the program's first regional title, Fretz and Lemberg are all business.
Fretz is 15-2 this season and carries a 1.67 earned run average. She has struck out 135 batters, including seven in Tuesday night's 5-0 regional win over Fort Wayne Concordia, a game in which she tossed a complete-game 1-hitter.
Lemberg is 8-0 and sports a 1.39 ERA. She has recorded 59 strikeouts this season, including 14 in a complete-game 1-hitter against West Noble in a 9-0 sectional win.
“These two just come out and compete all day long,” first-year Wawasee coach Mike Barger said of his 1-2 pitching punch. “They just come to compete everyday, and it's nice to able to rely on them, whichever one is pitching that day. I have a lot of faith in both of them.”
Pitching will certainly be important in Saturday’s semistate at Twin Lakes High School in Monticello.
Seventh-ranked Bellmont, led by freshman pitcher and University of Louisville commit Macy Montgomery, faces No. 15 Kankakee Valley at 11 a.m.
At 1 p.m., Wawasee will play the South Bend St. Joe Lady Indians, who feature freshman pitcher Lauren Sandor.
Sandor has struck out 140 batters and carries a 1.51 ERA for the 25-4 Lady Indians.
The semistate championship game is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the state finals at Ben Davis High School on June 10.
“It’s crazy important,” Fretz said when asked about Wawasee having two standout pitchers. “Anybody can catch up to your speed if they really try. If they start hitting off me, we put in Amber. If they start hitting off Amber,?I can go in. We’re a lethal combination.”
Lemberg said it’s rare for high school teams to have two standout pitchers, and talked about the trust she and Fretz share.
“I think it’s a unique thing to have,” Lemberg said of Barger’s luxury of having multiple aces in his deck. “If one of us is having a bad day, or the pitching is off, we know the other one is there if needed. If something is going wrong in a game, we know the other one is there to back you up. I think it’s unique and a very powerful thing to have.”
One of the advantages of the dynamic duo is how different their styles are.
“They’re both really special pitchers,” said sophomore teammate Graceanne Kerlin, who has the best seat to view both from her catcher’s position.
Asked what super hero each would be, Kerlin said Fretz would be the Incredible Hulk, while Lemberg would be Thor, noting how strong each one is.
Kerlin went on to describe Fretz’s and Lemberg’s pitching styles with one word each.
Fretz’s pitching game is about speed, while Lemberg’s focuses on spin.
Behind Fretz and Lemberg is an incredible defense, one that Barger said he’d put up against anyone.
There’s also plenty of pop in the batting lineup, both power and small ball, and a lot of speed and aggressiveness on the base paths.
Offensively, senior leadoff hitter Ale Brito has a .451 batting average and has 43 hits and 40 runs scored this season.
Fretz is batting .419 with six home runs, 36 hits and 43 RBIs.
Sophomore Kayla White’s well-rounded offensive stats include a .396 batting average, 36 hits, 28 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 21 stolen bases.
Each player on the team will be important Saturday, and the Lady Warriors play that way. They’ve embraced their motto of “1 team, 1 mission.”
“When I started talking to them in February, I brought it up, I asked them ‘what’s your mission?’” said Barger. “They said they wanted to go to state. I said ‘OK, so we have 1 team, 1 mission.’
“Everybody has to do their part, and they’ve embraced that. In the early part of the year, it was there it just didn’t click as much. Now, after the regional championship, you can read it on their faces. This is real.”
Wawasee hasn’t lost a game since April 29.
The Lady Warriors take a 12-game win streak into Saturday’s semistate and have outscored their opponents 93-16 in that span, including 31-5 in four tournament games.
Inside the pitcher’s circle, from where they've helped lead the Class 3A No. 5 Lady Warriors to a 25-3 record and the program's first regional title, Fretz and Lemberg are all business.
Fretz is 15-2 this season and carries a 1.67 earned run average. She has struck out 135 batters, including seven in Tuesday night's 5-0 regional win over Fort Wayne Concordia, a game in which she tossed a complete-game 1-hitter.
Lemberg is 8-0 and sports a 1.39 ERA. She has recorded 59 strikeouts this season, including 14 in a complete-game 1-hitter against West Noble in a 9-0 sectional win.
“These two just come out and compete all day long,” first-year Wawasee coach Mike Barger said of his 1-2 pitching punch. “They just come to compete everyday, and it's nice to able to rely on them, whichever one is pitching that day. I have a lot of faith in both of them.”
Pitching will certainly be important in Saturday’s semistate at Twin Lakes High School in Monticello.
Seventh-ranked Bellmont, led by freshman pitcher and University of Louisville commit Macy Montgomery, faces No. 15 Kankakee Valley at 11 a.m.
At 1 p.m., Wawasee will play the South Bend St. Joe Lady Indians, who feature freshman pitcher Lauren Sandor.
Sandor has struck out 140 batters and carries a 1.51 ERA for the 25-4 Lady Indians.
The semistate championship game is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the state finals at Ben Davis High School on June 10.
“It’s crazy important,” Fretz said when asked about Wawasee having two standout pitchers. “Anybody can catch up to your speed if they really try. If they start hitting off me, we put in Amber. If they start hitting off Amber,?I can go in. We’re a lethal combination.”
Lemberg said it’s rare for high school teams to have two standout pitchers, and talked about the trust she and Fretz share.
“I think it’s a unique thing to have,” Lemberg said of Barger’s luxury of having multiple aces in his deck. “If one of us is having a bad day, or the pitching is off, we know the other one is there if needed. If something is going wrong in a game, we know the other one is there to back you up. I think it’s unique and a very powerful thing to have.”
One of the advantages of the dynamic duo is how different their styles are.
“They’re both really special pitchers,” said sophomore teammate Graceanne Kerlin, who has the best seat to view both from her catcher’s position.
Asked what super hero each would be, Kerlin said Fretz would be the Incredible Hulk, while Lemberg would be Thor, noting how strong each one is.
Kerlin went on to describe Fretz’s and Lemberg’s pitching styles with one word each.
Fretz’s pitching game is about speed, while Lemberg’s focuses on spin.
Behind Fretz and Lemberg is an incredible defense, one that Barger said he’d put up against anyone.
There’s also plenty of pop in the batting lineup, both power and small ball, and a lot of speed and aggressiveness on the base paths.
Offensively, senior leadoff hitter Ale Brito has a .451 batting average and has 43 hits and 40 runs scored this season.
Fretz is batting .419 with six home runs, 36 hits and 43 RBIs.
Sophomore Kayla White’s well-rounded offensive stats include a .396 batting average, 36 hits, 28 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 21 stolen bases.
Each player on the team will be important Saturday, and the Lady Warriors play that way. They’ve embraced their motto of “1 team, 1 mission.”
“When I started talking to them in February, I brought it up, I asked them ‘what’s your mission?’” said Barger. “They said they wanted to go to state. I said ‘OK, so we have 1 team, 1 mission.’
“Everybody has to do their part, and they’ve embraced that. In the early part of the year, it was there it just didn’t click as much. Now, after the regional championship, you can read it on their faces. This is real.”
Wawasee hasn’t lost a game since April 29.
The Lady Warriors take a 12-game win streak into Saturday’s semistate and have outscored their opponents 93-16 in that span, including 31-5 in four tournament games.
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