As spring officially begins today, legions of high school seniors all across the country are throwing themselves into cruise control — if they hadn’t done so already.
Senioritis is setting in.
The focus for so many shifts to proms and graduations and enjoying time with friends, with less energy spent trying to excel in the classroom or on a playing field.
For the seniors on Indian Creek’s softball team, however, that is definitely not the case.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryEach of the Braves’ past two seasons has ended with a bitter one-run sectional defeat, and the veterans on this year’s team are determined to write a different ending to their story.
"Last year we were disappointed when we lost to Danville," senior Cailin Pickett said. "This year we’re all definitely making sure we don’t do that."
That hunger has been noticeable in preseason workouts thus far, according to coach Gary Mitchell.
"This group here, they love the game, and it shows in the way they work," he said. "It shows in the way they play, and I don’t think we’re going to have any letdown from this group at all."
Indian Creek returns the majority of its roster from a team that went 13-8 last season and won the Western Indiana Conference title in its first year in the league.
A talented senior class, led by Purdue signee Kasey Wilhoit (.526 batting average in 2017), Rachel Kyle (.412, 25 runs, 23 RBIs) and Sydney Logsdon (.385, 4 HR, 21 RBIs) would like to repeat in the WIC and ride the momentum toward that elusive postseason success.
"This group of seniors this season is super driven," Kyle said. "Most of us have goals past college; we want to keep continuing with softball, whether it’s coaching or not. So I’m really excited; we all want it pretty bad."
That energy has been picked up by the rest of the team, thanks in large part to the chemistry that the Braves have with one another. There aren’t any cliques or groups of players isolating themselves, which Logsdon says has made it easier to get everyone to buy in.
"Our team’s pretty connected and we all like each other," said Logsdon, who will play at Franklin College next year. "We all want to make each other better, and we have a positive attitude at practice and we just bring everyone up."
The hope is that the positivity will translate into more wins, particularly in late May.
Wilhoit says that she wouldn’t mind getting to make an extra trip to West Lafayette — Purdue is hosting the state championship games this year — but she’s not really looking that far ahead just yet.
"Our goal this season is to win sectionals," Wilhoit said. "Once we get past that point, we’ll go from there, but we want to win."
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<strong>Center Grove Trojans</strong>
Coach: Russ Milligan
Last season: 28-2; lost to Gibson Southern in semifinal of Bedford North Lawrence semistate
Who’s back: OF Clara Andersen, Sr.; 2B Piper Belden, Jr.; C Lexi Fair, So.; P/1B Abby Herbst, Jr.; OF Addison Osborn, So.; SS Jordyn Rudd, Sr.; 1B Brittany York, Sr.
Who’s gone: Nikki Abrams, Hanna Burris, Taylor Dishman, Lexi Gaffney, Maddie Keeley, Jessica Lupinetti, Tyler LeMasters
Key newcomers: 3B Kaci Finchum, So.; P Lauren Wackerly, So.; P Brooke York, So.
Outlook: The Trojans lost more than half of their lineup to graduation and the hard-hitting LeMasters to injury, but the portion that’s returning includes three all-county performers in Belden, the likely Miss Softball favorite in Rudd and another Big Ten-bound star in Herbst. Several players who had minimal roles last spring, such as Fair, Andersen and Osborn, will be counted on to make much bigger contributions, but Milligan is confident and likely has good reason to be. The Trojans are usually a state title contender and should be once again.
<strong>Edinburgh Lancers</strong>
Coach: Stephen Clark
Last season: 21-6; lost to Indianapolis Lutheran in semifinal of North Daviess Semistate
Who’s back: C Sidney Beier, Jr.; IF Paige Burton, So.; P Maddi Clark, Sr.; OF Mary Franklin, Sr.; IF/P Grace Joiner, Jr.; OF Kaylia Kelley, So.; IF/P Taylor Littiken, Jr.; IF Vanessa McManaway, Sr.; OF Abby Schooler, So.; IF/OF Emma Wade, Jr.
Who’s gone: Bri Howard, Bailey Woodall
Key newcomers: IF/OF Kaitlyn Bailey, Fr.; IF/OF Morgan Calhoun, Fr.; IF/OF Gracie Long, Fr.
Outlook: The Lancers finally vanquished nemesis Hauser last year to win a regional title, and they’re poised for another big season. Beier (.521, 12 HR) is one of the most feared hitters in Class A, and Maddi Clark (148 K, 13 BB) gives Edinburgh a legitimate ace in the circle. Stephen Clark believes he has a balanced, well-rounded team with numerous players capable of playing multiple positions. If the newcomers can contribute, the Lancers should again be a heavy sectional favorite with the potential to advance deep into the state tournament.
<strong>Franklin Grizzly Cubs</strong>
Coach: Lisa Whitlow-Hill
Last season: 5-21; lost to Center Grove in first round of Center Grove Sectional
Who’s back: OF Lindsey Abercrombie, Sr.; IF Kendyl Harrison, Jr.; P Rilee King, Sr.; OF Payton Parker, Jr.
Who’s gone: Katie Crump, Hannah Hartman, Krystal Scott
Key newcomer: P Izzy Harrison, Fr.
Outlook: Pitching is the great equalizer in high school softball, so don’t be shocked if the Grizzly Cubs, who allowed nine or more runs 12 times last season, take a big leap forward with the addition of Harrison, who already has verbally committed to pitch for the University of Kentucky. King, a .430 hitter last year, will again anchor the lineup; if she can get some more help and the defense holds up behind Harrison, there’s a potential Mid-State Conference contender here.
<strong>Greenwood Woodmen</strong>
Coach: Greg Norwood
Last season: 8-17; lost to Center Grove in Center Grove Sectional final
Who’s back: OF Olivia Daugherty, Sr.; P Karlee Denham, Sr.; IF Rachel Derf, Sr.; IF Allison Hayes, Jr.; IF Dominique Proctor, So.; C Alexis Rees, Jr.; P Tori Stout, So.
Who’s gone: Ryan Bauer, Brooklynn Gonzales, Kaitlyn Heffner, Alaina LaBranche, Olivia Rugenstein, Emily Struewing
Key newcomers: OF Sammi DeCastro, Sr.
Outlook: The Woodmen have taken a step back the past two seasons, but Norwood is hopeful that this year’s team can reverse that momentum. He expects to have a strong hitting team and a solid group on defense, especially with the return of DeCastro after a year away. Pitching will be the question mark, but if Stout and Denham can at least prove serviceable Greenwood should be able to make some noticeable improvements.
<strong>Greenwood Christian Cougars</strong>
Coach: Bill Hardwick
Last season: 7-7; lost to Edinburgh in Edinburgh Sectional final
Who’s back: C Grace Apgar, Sr.; P Bethany Dailey, Sr.; 1B Morgan Haynes, So.; IF/OF Alexis Mead, So.; IF/OF Avery Shingleton, Jr.; IF/OF Amelia Walters, Sr.
Who’s gone: Emma Manship, Tara Pennycuff, Faith Shilket, Isabel Solano
Key newcomers: Abby Warner, So.; Danielle Whitney, So.
Outlook: With 10 players back, including seven starters, Hardwick is optimistic that the Cougars, now in their fifth varsity season, can put together a contender. Haynes led the team in every offensive category last year, and the battery of Dailey and Apgar returns intact. Greenwood Christian’s goal is to get back to the sectional championship game and put up more of a fight against the favored Lancers.
<strong>Indian Creek Braves</strong>
Coach: Gary Mitchell
Last season: 13-8; lost to Danville in first round of Indian Creek Sectional
Who’s back: OF Kasey Wilhoit, Sr.; SS Rachel Kyle, Sr.; 1B Sydney Logsdon, Sr.
Who’s gone: Brittany Dugan, Dori Knight, Morgan Palmer
Outlook: The bitterness of one-run sectional losses the last two years has fueled the Braves, who are hungry to make a big run this spring. The Purdue-bound Wilhoit leads off a potent lineup, along with Logsdon and Kyle, and Mitchell feels as though he’s got a lot of speed and perhaps his best defensive outfit. As with several other county teams, pitching is the great unknown, but Indian Creek should be able to score enough runs to beat most of the teams they face.
<strong>Whiteland Warriors</strong>
Coach: Katie Mitchell
Last season: 6-20; lost to Greenwood in Center Grove Sectional semifinal
Who’s back: OF Lindsey Boltz, Sr.; OF Addie Csikos, Sr.; P Shelby Gibson, Jr.; P Delanie Gourley, So.; C/IF Maddy Margraf, Sr.; IF Allie Watson, So.
Who’s gone: Harley Hill, Skye Scott, Mel Stuck
Key newcomers: IF Macy Cornelius, Fr.; IF/OF Jordan Smith, Fr.; C Alysea Wiedenhaupt, Fr.
Outlook: The Warriors struggled to stop opposing offenses last season, giving up nearly nine runs per game, but Mitchell is hopeful that her team can help negate that this season with a potent offense. Leading the way is Margraf, an All-County player who batted .415 with three homers as a junior. She joins with Boltz, Csikos and Watson to anchor what’s expected to be an improved defense behind hurlers Gibson and Gourley. Whiteland’s schedule is always tough, but a .500 finish is certainly within reach if all of the pieces fit together.
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