An experienced travel player, Keagan Rothrock had never gotten a taste of high school softball before this spring.
This first season’s going to be a pretty tough one to top.
Fresh off of leading Roncalli to a Class 4A state championship, Rothrock was named Friday as the Gatorade Player of the year for the state of Indiana — the cherry on top of what turned out to be a very sweet debut season for the sophomore pitcher.
“I had a ton of fun,” Rothrock said. “I had always heard bad things about high school ball, and I feel like with the community we’re in and with the team we had, that it completely changed my perspective on everything. I absolutely loved the season we had and the team we had.”
It would have been hard not to. The Royals established themselves early as one of the top teams in the state, posting back-to-back wins over eventual sectional champions Columbus North and Center Grove on the way to a 14-0 start.
The team suffered regular-season losses to New Palestine and Franklin Central, but avenged both during sectional play as Rothrock tossed five straight postseason shutouts before closing out the year with a 4-1 triumph over Lake Central in the state title game.
Rothrock finished the season with an almost cartoonish stat line in the pitching circle. She struck out 364 batters while walking only six, yielding a paltry three earned runs and just 10 overall in 160 1/3 innings of work. She also made big contributions at the plate, hitting .442 with three home runs and 20 RBIs.
Considered the top player nationally in the Class of 2023, Rothrock had plenty of buzz surrounding her as her first high school season approached — and she did nothing to disappoint.
“I knew she was good; I knew we had a decent team,” Roncalli coach David Lauck said. “But when you’re dealing with a young kid and there is a bunch of hype and energy surrounding her, you just never know how they’ll respond. … She certainly met the expectations.”
Those expectations will likely be at least as high for the Royals next season, with six starters back from this year’s championship run. Lauck, though, is confident that the team will be ready to play with a target on its back, thanks in large part to the intangible gifts that Rothrock brings to the table beyond her considerable on-field talent.
“I think it sets us up really well for the next two years, mainly because she’s such a good teammate and a good leader,” the coach said. “There shouldn’t be any players coming back that are like, ‘Ugh, I’m dreading playing with Keagan Rothrock again.’ That’s just not going to be the case, because she has that leadership ability to bring everybody together.”
Even after a completely dominant season, Rothrock isn’t satisfied. She’s planning to spend the summer working on getting and staying ahead in the count and hitting the right locations, especially against the few top-level hitters that can’t just be blown away with a 72-mile-an-hour fastball every time.
“There’s always room to get better,” Rothrock said.
