Softball notebook: St. Joe looks forward to move up to 4A
Saint Joseph's softball coach Earl Keith calls it a "positive" his team will now compete in Class 4A come state tournament time.
He's also "positive" that he has the players to compete at that level.
The Indians, who went 28-3 and won the Class 3A state championship in 2022, are now in Class 4A due to the IHSAA success factor. The Indians begin the season unranked in the preseason 4A coaches' poll.
Missouri-bound Riley Zache ready to have some fun with Saint Joseph softball
Keith, now entering his 18th season, says he and his team are welcoming the challenge of moving up.
"We're looking forward to it and it's pretty exciting," said Keith of the jump in class. "We know the challenge that 4A presents. It's the biggest and the best of the best. But we have the players to compete. We're not in awe of anyone.
"We know that we have a huge target on us now after last year. But we welcome that because it means we did something well to earn it. It's a positive for our program. We talk about it (moving to 4A) all the time. We want to compete against the best of the best.
"Our girls loved winning last season and the hunger is still there to do it again. I'm blessed to have the talent we have on this team again this season."
The Indians are led by two of the top players in the state and country in sisters Berkley and Riley Zache. Sophomore pitcher Berkley was 17-1 in the circle with 270 strikeouts in 124.1 inning of work with seven earned runs allowed. She struck out 20 in the state finale and drove in the lone run. Junior Riley was an All-State catcher last year and set program records at the plate for home runs (10), hits (55), doubles (15) and runs scored (40). The dynamite duo helped St. Joe shutout all seven of its postseason foes in 2022 and end the season with a 68-inning scoreless streak, capped by a 1-0 win in nine innings over No. 1 Tri-West Hendricks in a classic title game that included a total of 42 strikeouts.
"They (the Zaches) help us tremendously because they both just work so hard," Keith said of his pair of stars. "They push everyone. Riley is a tremendous leader. She's like another coach for us. I think Berkley is better than she was last year. She's got the mentality that she can always do better."
The Indians, who lost two seniors in shortstop Haley West and first baseman Kennedy Swope, have a roster now with seven seniors. The team also returns key players in seniors Savannah Hamilton and Selena Botello. Hamilton was 11-2 in the circle, while Botello played second base. Riley Zache and Botello are both expected to play shortstop this season to replace star West, who is now at Cleveland State.
"We have to stay healthy and our defense needs to step up for us," said Keith of a pair of keys for his squad this spring.
Penn loaded with talent
Look for tradition-rich Penn to make plenty of noise again this spring.
The Kingsmen return every player from last year's team that lost in the Class 4A semistate title game. Penn finished 23-10 overall versus a brutal schedule a season ago and won the Northern Indiana Conference crown at 11-0, which included a 5-1 home win over St. Joe.
"We are very excited about the opportunities and possibilities that the 2023 season will bring to us," said Penn coach Beth Zachary. "We have one of the most talented and versatile teams I have coached here at Penn. Our depth and the ability that several players have to play multiple positions will serve us well as we attack an intense schedule. On both offense and defense we have speed, power, and high game IQ. I am so proud to get to coach this team and be a part of their journey."
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The Kingsmen, ranked No. 6 in preseason, are led by the Zachary sisters, junior Aubrey and sophomore Ava. Pitcher Aubrey, a commit to Purdue Fort Wayne, was team MVP and second-team All-State in 2022 as she was 14-7 with a 1.33 ERA. Third baseman Ava hit .411 a year ago with 27 RBI, 37 runs scored and 11 doubles. Both are daughters of coach Zachary, who was a state champion pitcher in high school and played collegiately at what was then IPFW.
Penn will also rely heavily on stars Abby Widmar and Kiley Hinton. Junior Widmar, a first baseman and Indiana State commit, batted .356 with 38 RBI and 22 extra base hits, including six home runs. Senior shortstop Hinton, who has committed to Austin Peay, hit .337 with five home runs and 30 RBI and is a rock in the middle of the diamond.
Penn also returns several other key performers like pitchers Olivia Signorino and Harmony Looney, catcher Peyton Dwigans, centerfielder Alexis Riem and rightfielder Izzi Hanna.
New Prairie, Clay, Jimtown look strong
New Prairie will look to break through this season in Class 3A.
The Cougars, who lost 2-0 to St. Joe in the sectional in 2022, return a premier pitcher in Ava Geyer. The sophomore led her team to a 20-8 overall mark, including 9-2 in the NIC last year. Geyer had a fabulous freshman season that included a 0.80 ERA with just 15 earned runs allowed. She struck out 279 batters and walked 15 in 132 innings of work.
"We have high hopes for this season," said New Prairie coach Derek Hicks. "We have a lot of returning players and a great group of young players who we think very highly of. Our conference is very strong and should be super competitive. There's no shortage of talent in the area this year."
New Prairie will also rely on seniors Abby Robokowski and Makayla Collins. The pair of heavy hitters, who were both All-State along with Geyer, each have 19 career home runs. Collins slugged 13 roundtrippers and had 36 RBI, while Robokowski had seven homers and 24 RBI in 2022.
The Cougars checked in at No. 8 in the preseason poll for Class 3A teams.
Clay will be another one of the area teams with a chance to make some noise in Class 3A this spring.
The Colonials went 15-11 a year ago and lost to St. Joe 6-0 in the sectional semifinals. The trio of seniors and Bethel University commits Faith Hyduk, Hailey Wolf and Desiree Boone will lead the way for coach Katie Rodriguez' squad.
Pitcher Hyduk and catcher Wolf are both two-time All-NIC honorable mention choices. Hyduk was 10-8 with 134 strikeouts in 2022, while Wolf hit .459. Boone was 29-of-29 on stolen bases as a junior.
The Colonials will also count on junior Haylee Hyduk and sophomore Rachel Hunt.
"We have an amazing senior class that will be led by a trio of Bethel University signees," said Rodriguez. "We are looking forward to see what the Colonials can do in such a tough NIC."
Jimtown won a Class 3A sectional title in 2022 despite injuries to some key players. The Jimmies finished 15-7 overall and 7-4 in the NIC.
"We return eight girls this season from last year's varsity," noted Jimtown coach Brandy Eberhart. "If we can stay healthy we will have great success. Injuries haunted us most of the season last year. We are looking to win a few big games this year. It won't be easy but I think this group is up for the task."
Key returnees for the Jimmies include pitchers Emily Gletty and Kiyla Eberhart. Junior Gletty was 10-6 and sophomore Eberhart 5-1 in 2022. Eberhart was injured the majority of last season, but is now healthy. Also back for Jimtown are junior Alexa Alvey and sophomore Kendal McPhee.
Mishawaka a team to watch in NLC
The Cavemen cupboard is stocked and ready to make its mark.
Mishawaka went 14-9 overall and 10-2 as Northern Lakes Conference runner-up last season without a senior on its roster.
"Coming off a year where we competed in every game we played, finished runner-up in the NLC, runner-up in our Cavemen vs. Cancer Classic, beat some quality teams and graduated zero players, we feel like we have the ingredients to have success in 2023," said veteran Mishawaka boss Brian Miller.
The Cavemen will be led by a pair of pitchers in senior Machaela Banks and sophomore Lilly St. Clair. Standout senior catcher Gianna Camacho, senior centerfielder Jadyn Handley and senior third baseman Leah Dawson will be big keys for the Cavemen. Camacho has signed to play at Wisconsin Green Bay and Dawson at IUSB.
Banks was 10-7 and St. Clair 5-2 in the circle last year. Dawson hit .314 with four homers and 21 RBI, one of seven players with 10 or more RBI. Camacho hit .310 and Handley .300, while junior Sophia Hoover hit .333 with 16 RBI.
"Solid senior leadership will be critical," noted Miller. "Coming to the ballpark every day on a mission has been a topic of many team meetings. We have some very good athletes who have played a lot of games together, we hope to use that experience as an advantage. I'm very encouraged on what I have seen in our practices the past week or so.
"Offensively is where we need to be stronger. Cutting down on strikeouts, hitting more line-drives and having a more disciplined approach has been our focus. We have challenged many of our girls to work on being better hitters physically and mentally."
The Cavemen, who have six seniors this season, batted .272 as a team and had 175 strikeouts last year.
Northridge will look to rebuild after losing a strong senior class from its 19-10 team that won a Class 4A sectional title and the NLC crown at 13-1 a season ago. The biggest piece gone from the Raiders roster is star pitcher Abby Hostetler. She was 19-3 with a 0.76 ERA and 292 strikeouts and just 17 earned runs allowed in 156.2 innings of work in 2022.
"2023 has started out as a bit of a rebuilding season," said Northridge coach Ray Caples, whose team lost to Penn 17-4 in the regional a year ago. "Over the last two seasons we have graduated some really great softball players. In the background, we have been developing some new really good players, who are now going to get their opportunity to shine. We believe we are ready for the challenges we will face this season."
Key players back for the Raiders include the senior duo of Grace Urbanski (.373, 27 RBI) and Tavia Bratt (.375, 22 RBI). Also returning are sophomore letterwinners Rielyn Goodwin and Addi Knisley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: The St. Joe softball team will be among a strong area group this season
