Henderson County softball leans on 'family' after state tournament heartbreak

HENDERSON, Ky. — A difficult loss to South Warren of Bowling Green last weekend ended the Henderson County High School softball team's long-standing quest for a state title.

Coach Shannon Troutman said the players, especially the seniors, were "distraught" but also understood that coming up short sometimes is simply part of life.

"Unless you win state, you're going to go home disappointed," Troutman said. "There are 16 teams and only one of them gets to be happy at the end. The odds weren't in our favor that we were going to be that team."

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The Lady Colonels posted the best record in school history — 33 wins against just three losses — despite playing an intentionally difficult schedule that included 17 games against Kentucky and Indiana ranked teams. '

Two of those three losses came to South Warren — an 8-1 loss in mid-May in which the Henderson bats just couldn't get going, and the 10-9 loss Friday. This time, the Lady Colonels bats did the job; they held a 9-5 lead after their half of the sixth inning. On two different occasions in the bottom of the seventh, they were just one strike away from putting away the win, making the eventual defeat a bitter pill to swallow.

"It wasn't fun going out the way we did, but it was such an intense game and we all poured our hearts out," senior Julianna Hibbs said. "We left everything between the chalk lines. And at the end of the day that's all you can do."

Consoling each other is only natural; the core of this team, assembled nine years ago as a travel squad, has grown together as players and friends over the years and has learned to lean on each other.

"We put our heart into every game, playing like it was our last," Hargrove said. "This team was truly something special! ... this past season was definitely one I will never forget."

They can also console themselves knowing they did things that no softball team in school history can match. Aside from their record and a second straight appearance at the state tourney, all seven of the team's upperclassmen were named Academic All-State.

"We talked about being the best team in the history of the school," Troutman said. "We talked about all the records they had set. I told them how proud I am of them and hopefully they can be proud of what they achieved for the entirety of the season instead of just dwelling on that way it all ended."

Will the Lady Colonels make a third consecutive state run in 2023? It's not farfetched, on paper anyway.

The hitting lineup looks to return its No. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 hitters from this season. Rising sophomore pitcher Anna Kemp went 16-1 as a freshman, and rising seniors JaMaya Byrum (Liberty), Anna Willett (Bellarmine) and Kendal Hargrove (Murray State) all have verbal commitments to Division I schools. According to Troutman, those three were already a major and vocal part of the team's leadership as juniors.

But next year is next year. For now, the members of the team are focused on appreciating their accomplishments, even if the end of their season didn't match their ambitions.

"Everywhere I go, I run into somebody telling me how great the team was, how much fun they were to watch," Troutman said. "It really is like a family ... I think people around here will remember this team for a long time."

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Henderson County softball team suffers state tournament heartbreak