Softball: Season preview

Adeline Blackwell has a pretty clear M.O. once she reaches base, and she doesn’t really care if opposing teams know what it is — because in her mind, there’s not a whole lot that anybody can do about it.

“As soon as I get on, I’m going,” she said. “The only thing that stops me is umpires calling me out for leaving early.”

If the Franklin junior is exaggerating about that, it ain’t by much.

Blackwell has been among the most destructive forces in Indiana high school softball on the bases, swiping 42 bases as a freshman and 50 more last spring in her sophomore season. Only two players in the state have more thefts over the last two years — McKenna Minton of Class A Cowan (114) and Peyton Drummond of Floyd Central (93); both have since graduated, leaving Blackwell as the most notorious pilferer of extra bases anywhere around these parts.

Unfortunately for opponents, Blackwell also happens to get on base a lot. She batted a team-best .540 in 2023 and added 14 walks to lift her on-base percentage to a rock-solid .596. And as she made pretty clear, once she’s on first base it’s a matter of time before she’s trying for second.

The only question is when — but she’s not really shy about answering that question, either.

“When I get on the bases, I look at if I know the shortstop and if I know the catcher, because that changes it all,” Blackwell said. “If I don’t know them, I’m gone, straight away. If I know them, I have to wait a little bit; I’ve got to catch them by surprise.”

Blackwell’s aggressiveness on the basepaths is fueled primarily by a desire to help her team score as many runs as possible; she’s already crossed the plate 73 times in a Grizzly Cub uniform. But it’s also driven at least in part by sibling rivalry. Her older sister Lyla, a 2023 Roncalli graduate now playing at Virginia Tech, was also among the state’s top 10 base-stealers the last three years — but Adeline is quick to point out that she “blew her out of the water.”

“Lyla and I had a huge competition of stolen bases,” she added.

Adeline already owns a 92-82 advantage in career steals (though, to be fair, Lyla’s freshman season was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic), and she’s more focused on besting her own school record each year. Beyond that are the state records of 72 steals in a season and 240 in a career, both held by former Hauser and Indiana State sparkplug Leslie Sims.

One of the few things that might derail Blackwell’s pursuit of those lofty marks — aside from the umpires, that is — might be her own expanding skill set. Franklin coach Ken Sears notes that Blackwell has been spending a lot of time this offseason adding strength and working on developing a power swing that would allow her to gap some more doubles, triples or even home runs.

No matter which base she starts on, Sears places tremendous value on Blackwell’s ability to get the offense going.

“She can get on base, and that’s going to be important for us,” he said, “because we have some girls that can hit in the 3, 4 and 5 spots, so if we can get her and Addie Martin on base, then we’re going to be able to drive in some runs — and we’re going to have to score some runs this year.”

Blackwell’s skills are also becoming valued in the eyes of some major college coaches. She’s not really concerned with committing anywhere until at least summertime, but Blackwell says she’s looking primarily at schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Yes, Virginia Tech is a member of the ACC. No, that doesn’t mean Adeline is planning to follow her older sister to Blacksburg.

“I would rather play against her than play with her, honestly,” she said.

A renewal of the sibling rivalry, though, can wait. Blackwell is enjoying her time at Franklin, where she’s emerged as a leader by example for a team that could turn some heads this spring despite still being relatively young.

How many wins the Grizzly Cubs can pile up remains to be seen, but it’s also not the most important thing.

“I just want us all to be friends and have fun,” Blackwell said of her hopes for the season. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Expect a lot of that fun to come at the expense of opposing catchers.

SCOUTING THE COUNTY

Center Grove Trojans

Coach: Alyssa Coleman

Last season: 22-6, lost to Mooresville in first round of Class 4A sectional

Key returnees: Hannah Haberstroh, Riley Henson and Riley Janda, seniors; Hayden Baird, Sydney Herrmann, Mae Munson and Madisyn Tharpe, juniors; Riley Fuhr, Aiyana Keown and Brynn Meyer, sophomores

Top newcomers: Brooklyn Groppel, junior; Kiersten Hardin, sophomore; Taylor Barrett, Kara Biever and Ava Krupa, freshmen

Outlook: The Trojans have been somewhat snakebitten in the pitching department of late; Indiana State-bound ace Henson missed most of last season due to injury and is still working her way back. Fuhr, who split innings with Keown last spring, will combine with some of the newcomers to hold the fort during the regular season. No matter how things play out in the circle, Center Grove should score a ton of runs. Holdovers Haberstroh, Janda, Munson and Meyer head a lineup loaded with fast, aggressive baserunners — and, Coleman hopes, a little more power this spring as well. The regular season could see a few 11-8 slugfests, but if May rolls around and the Trojans have some more healthy arms to complement that high-powered offense, the rest of the state could be in trouble.

Edinburgh Lancers

Coach: Ben Taylor

Last season: 14-13, lost to Indianapolis Lutheran in Class A sectional final

Key returnees: MacKenzie Bieker, Alix Streeval and Kyah Streeval, seniors; Jasmine Hester and Lexi Riley, juniors; Gracie Barrett, Eloise Cox, Kloee Denson, Lillie Goff, Elizabeth Hernandez and Kenna Streeval, sophomores

Top newcomers: Mya Denton and Makayla Ludlow, freshmen

Outlook: The Lancers lost a key cog in Gracie Crawhorn but get another back in catcher Kyah Streeval, who returns after missing last year due to injury; she and Bieker form what should be one of the stronger batteries in Class A. The key to Edinburgh’s success, Taylor says, will be the development of a sophomore class that showed promise at times but lacked consistency. A tough early schedule should prepare the Lancers for the bigger games in late May, when the annual tug-of-war with Lutheran for the sectional title likely looms once again. Can a strong trio of seniors go out with a bang?

Franklin Grizzly Cubs

Coach: Ken Sears

Last season: 15-14-1 , lost to Shelbyville in Class 4A sectional semifinal

Key returnees: Mia Herbert, Sara Small and Lexi Willey, seniors; Adeline Blackwell and Bryleigh Carlisle-Haltom, juniors; Charlee Cramer, Aubrey Leugers, Addison Martin, Addison Mashino and Annabelle Richter, sophomores

Top newcomer: Paige Bunton, freshman

Outlook: Sears, an assistant under former coach Kayla Craft, takes over in the dugout for the Grizzly Cubs, who’ve had young teams baptized under fire the last two years but might be ready to take a leap forward this spring. Franklin has speed to burn at the top of the order in Blackwell and Martin, as well as a pair of fourth-year regulars in Herbert and Small. Carlisle-Haltom and Richter will share most of the pitching workload, with Willey taking over for graduated star Corin Dammeier at catcher. If the underclassmen can fill some of the voids created by offseason departures, the Grizzly Cubs might be able to make some noise in the Mid-State Conference and a wide-open sectional.

Greenwood Woodmen

Coach: Sara Allison

Last season: 4-20, lost to Martinsville in Class 4A sectional semifinal

Key returnees: Katelyn Berger, Emma Chism, Nev Elliott, Courtney Hankenhoff, Avery Kraeszig, Breanna Pierce and Ava Smith, seniors; Haylie Hendricks, junior; Isabella Blythe, Kinsley Clark and Zaire Gillis, sophomores

Top newcomers: Gillian Semmler, sophomore; Gracelyn Bowles and Charlie Hargis, freshmen

Outlook: A Greenwood native, Allison is back at her alma mater to take over a team that struggled a year ago but returns all but two players. Her aim this offseason has been to restore the group’s flagging confidence in hopes of leveling up and posting a winning record this spring. Hankenhoff will again split pitching duties with Blythe while also anchoring the offense alongside Chism, who led the team with a .479 batting average and 25 RBIs.

Greenwood Christian Cougars

Coach: Jessica Wagler

Last season: 3-11, lost to Edinburgh in Class A sectional opener

Key returnees: Naomi Avina, Sophia Doyle, Summer Hubets, Sierry Paramore and Sydney Waldron, seniors; Elle Schnake, junior; Grace Kahle and Sarai Robertson, sophomores

Top newcomers: Sami Eldridge, junior; Annaleece Jackson, Macey Vicars and Reagan Willis, freshmen

Outlook: Former Indian Creek player and assistant Wagler inherits a Cougar team that struggled last season but returns a solid group of seniors, led by infielder and top pitcher Doyle. The freshmen should help plug some holes in the lineup, with Jackson likely to help out in the pitching circle as well. Wagler believes she has more talent on hand than last year’s record indicates, and she’s hoping that GCA can finish around the .500 mark and contend for a PAAC championship.

Indian Creek Braves

Coach: Gary Mitchell

Last season: 9-15, lost to Edgewood in Class 3A sectional championship game

Key returnees: Alli Gavin and Jaylin Hauger, seniors; Jasmine Day, Rylan DeHart and Amelia Woodke, juniors; Eleanor Boshears, Jacqueline Hammond, Delaney Jones and Addie Schaub, sophomores

Top newcomers: Madi Bracken, Savannah Burnham, Milena Hopkins, Jada Shepard, Lexi Smith and Kristen Soots, freshmen

Outlook: Mitchell is feeling good about his squad, which nearly won a sectional title last year and returns a strong battery with Jones in the circle and Indiana University-bound Gavin behind the plate. A talented freshman class that could yield as many as four or five starters will help considerably. The Braves suffered through a few lean years with only a couple of year-round players on the roster; now, the lineup should consist almost entirely of travel players. If Jones can dominate more consistently after an up-and-down rookie season, this could be a dangerous team come late May.

Whiteland Warriors

Coach: Harley Roller

Last season: 13-12, lost to Columbus North in Class 4A sectional semifinal

Key returnees: Josslynn Harbert, Kylie Matthews, Madison Myers and Makenna Reed, seniors; Annie Harmon, Reagan Hill, Kiley Sullivan and Gracee Whitaker, juniors; Aubrey Felker, sophomore

Top newcomers: Bella Troutman, sophomore; Jordyn Crouch, Kaelyn Putnam and Joslynn Skaggs, freshmen

Outlook: The Warriors lost a couple of key bats in Emma Piercy and Halle Nett, but Roller likes the combination of veterans and rookies that she’s got this spring. Sullivan will anchor the lineup and be the top pitcher, but she’ll get some help in the circle from both Crouch and Skaggs, which should help keep her fresh throughout the season. Myers and Harbert should again be major contributors offensively. If the underclassmen can blend in seamlessly, Whiteland should again finish near the top of the Mid-State Conference and be a bear to deal with come sectional time.