Former Franklin College softball players Kayla Craft takes over coaching duties at Franklin this year.
Chris Williams | For the Daily Journal
Franklin wanted to shut down its revolving door of softball coaches. Kayla Craft was looking for an opportunity to settle down in Franklin.
Both hope that the situation turns out to be as mutually beneficial as it appears.
“I just love Franklin,” Craft said. “I’ve always wanted to live here and make this be my home.”
A Scecina graduate, Craft fell in love with the community while attending Franklin College, where she pitched and played first base from 2012 to 2016. She had worked last spring as a pitching coach at Cathedral and assisted at Triton Central prior to that, but Craft was looking for a head coaching job — and so when an opening came up in the most ideal of places, she jumped at the opportunity.
The Grizzly Cubs haven’t exactly been a fortress of stability in recent years. Excluding the canceled 2020 campaign, Craft will be the team’s fourth coach in as many contested seasons. And the instability isn’t limited to coaching — several starters from last season’s county championship team opted not to come back out this spring.
Thus, Franklin begins the season with three sophomores who saw action last year — Emily Fuqua, Mia Herbert and Sara Small — joined by a large crop of freshmen. It’s a talented group with a good bit of travel ball experience, but Craft cautions against expecting too much too soon; they are, after all, still 14- and 15-year-olds playing against seniors.
The three buzzwords during preseason workouts have been attitude, hustle and effort. As long as the Grizzly Cubs can produce in those three areas, Craft is willing to live with whatever the results may be against a difficult schedule.
“As long as we compete, I will be happy,” she said. “I don’t want to get blown away.”
The coach is hopeful that this team will be able to hold its own; freshman pitchers Bryleigh Carlisle and Ellie Chumbley aren’t as overpowering as last year’s ace, current University of Kentucky hurler Izzy Harrison, but can still be effective. Fellow rookies Adeline Blackwell and Ashlynn Keser are expected to become mainstays at shortstop and catcher, respectively.
With that talented young core in place, Franklin put a premium on finding a coach who would end the recent in-out cycle and bring some stability to the program.
Craft is eager to fill that need.
“That was one thing they asked me, because that was important to them,” she said of the hiring process. “They were like, ‘Are you wanting to stay? What do you see your future as?’ Being a high school coach was what I wanted to do. … I haven’t really said, ‘I’m staying,’ but I think they know that. I think that’s important to let them know that I am here for the long haul.”
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SCOUTING THE COUNTY
Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Alyssa Coleman
Last season: 21-9, won sectional championship; lost to Columbus North in Class 4A regional
Key returnees: Jazi Cangany, Sydney McConnell, Maya Netter and Lex Warner, seniors; Emma Fair, Payton Shimansky, Ruby Thompson, Emma Wheatley and Ashlynn Wolff, juniors; Hanna Haberstroh, Riley Henson and Riley Janda, sophomores
Top newcomer: Sydney Herrmann, freshman
Outlook: After winning a sectional crown with a very young team in 2021, the Trojans are still young but have some valuable experience to go with it. Returning starters such as Warner, Wolff, Haberstroh, Janda and Shimansky give Center Grove a potent batting order loaded with fast and aggressive baserunners, and the defense should be stout as usual. Coleman doesn’t have a ton of pitching depth, but if Henson can establish herself as a bona fide ace, this is a team capable of making some serious noise in May — and perhaps beyond.
Edinburgh Lancers
Coach: Ben Taylor
Last season: 16-11, won sectional championship; lost to Hauser in Class A regional
Key returnees: Angel Carman and Carly Cowan, seniors; Gracie Crawhorn, junior; MacKenzie Bieker, Alix Streeval and Kyah Streeval, sophomores
Top newcomers: Katie Hardman and Jasmine Hester, freshman
Outlook: Graduation and injuries depleted the Lancers’ roster a bit, but there’s a solid battery in place with Bieker and Kyah Streeval along with a big bat at third base in Crawhorn. Cowan and Alix Streeval return from knee injuries to provide some more experienced help, but Taylor will need to develop some of the newcomers to fill out the bottom half of the lineup. He’s optimistic that Edinburgh can still compete for another sectional championship by season’s end — “My eye is on the end at this point,” he said.
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Kayla Craft
Last season: 17-10, won Johnson County championship; lost to Mooresville in Class 4A sectional opener
Key returnees: Emily Fuqua, Mia Herbert and Sara Small, sophomores
Top newcomers: Adeline Blackwell, Bryleigh Carlisle, Ellie Chumbley and Ashlynn Keser, freshmen
Outlook: The Etch-a-Sketch has been shaken completely clean for the Grizzly Cubs, who lost star pitcher Izzy Harrison to the University of Kentucky and had half of their remaining starters choose not to play. First-year coach Craft is optimistic about the players she does have, though, and she’s hopeful that a talented crop of freshmen will be able to learn on the job. This spring could be a bumpy ride for Franklin at times, but the bet is that the long-term payoff will be a rich one.
Greenwood Woodmen
Coaches: Greg Norwood and Nataley Raker
Last season: 6-18, lost to Whiteland in Class 4A sectional opener
Key returnees: Samantha Garrett, Anna Pritchett and Macy Wylonis, seniors; Taylor Dick, Sophie Markowicz and Dominica Wheatley, juniors; Courtney Hankenhoff and Avery Kraeszig, sophomores
Top newcomers: Nevaeh Elliott, sophomore; Haylee Hendricks, freshman
Outlook: A young Woodmen team struggled through much of last season, but having a pair of veteran pitchers (Dick and Hankenhoff) in front of what now is a much more experienced lineup provides plenty of reason for optimism. Pritchett should again be one of the more dangerous all-around players in the area, heading up a lineup that’s quite capable of putting runs on the board. If the pitching and defense have indeed improved, Greenwood could be able to get itself right into the thick of the Mid-State race.
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Tami Haynes
Last season: 5-8, lost to Indianapolis Lutheran in Class A sectional semifinal
Key returnees: Karis Goins and Hailey Haynes, seniors
Top newcomers: Brooklyn Collins, junior; Sophia Doyle, sophomore
Outlook: The Cougars return a veteran battery with Haynes throwing to Goins, but there will be numerous other vacancies to fill across the lineup if GCA is to turn itself into a contender come late May. The team finished one run away from a sectional final last spring and hopes to clear that hurdle this time around.
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Gary Mitchell
Last season: 4-17, lost to Edgewood in first round of Class 3A sectional
Key returnees: Emily Todor, senior; Bailey Dowty, Hannah Emenhiser and Abby Mullis, junior; Ally Gavin, sophomore
Top newcomers: Abby Bockover and Alyssa Lewis, seniors; Averie Oldham, sophomore; Jasmine Day, Kateri Rexroat, Ava Wagner, Memphus Weekley and Amelia Woodke, freshmen
Outlook: A very young group Braves will be leading a nomadic existence this spring, practicing on the Little League fields and playing all of their games on the road. Mitchell, though, sees plenty of reason for optimism. Todor, a Division I prospect, returns at short and Gavin provides a rock-solid presence at catcher. Lewis, one of several promising additions to the roster, should help shore up the pitching situation. There might be bumps in the road this season while wading through all of the chaos, but expect this team to show real improvement.
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Katie Mitchell
Last season: 15-10, lost to Mooresville in Class 4A sectional semifinal
Key returnees: Trinity Borders, Debbie Hill, Tara Watson and Haley Wilkerson, seniors; Halle Nett and Emma Piercy, juniors; Josslyn Harbert, Maddie Myers and Ava Smith, sophomores
Outlook: The Warriors had a solid season last spring and look to build upon that with a veteran lineup full of strong bats. Wilkerson, a Southern Illinois recruit who missed much of last season due to injury, is back behind the plate, and Hill provides a steady presence in the pitching circle. Mitchell is hopeful that the returning mainstays will be bolstered by contributions from a talented freshman class. Whiteland should have the horses to stay in the thick of the Mid-State Conference race with Decatur Central and Mooresville before challenging for county and sectional titles in May.
