TERRE HAUTE —
Consider Terre Haute North’s high school softball players party crashers at Saturday’s state championship games at your own risk.
Yes, the Patriots have eight losses, more than the other seven teams vying for titles at Ben Davis. Yes, North’s next appearance in the 2010 state rankings will be its first — although the Patriots will debut at No. 1 or No. 2 if another poll is taken.
But being overlooked and underappreciated is a formula that hasn’t bothered the Patriots one bit so far this season. Considering the Patriots are 8-1 against ranked opponents, in fact, maybe it’s a blessing.
They belong. They plan to prove that.
“We’ve kept a level head, and we didn’t let people get to us,” senior shortstop Danielle Ketner said this week. “We weren’t talked up a bunch, but coach [Jack Kirchner] says if you have to talk about yourself, then you’re obviously not that good.”
Part of the reason the Patriots flew under the radar for so long was their own fault, they admit. Four of their first five losses came to small-school teams (South Putnam, Bloomfield, Clay City and Rockville). While they’d like to have those games back, however, the Patriots are happy about what they learned from those games.
“We just shook it off. We didn’t think anything about [the losses],” said sophomore third baseman Marlee Yeager, adding she and her teammates learned “to keep our heads in the game the whole seven innings.”
“As a team, we weren’t very confident in ourselves at the beginning,” added second baseman Hailee Travioli, another sophomore. “The game that hit us hardest was Bloomfield, because we knew we should’ve won … but we learned not to go into a game expecting to win.”
“Through the whole season we stayed positive and stuck to our goals [Big Four, North-South game, Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, sectional]” said junior catcher Kelsey Coffey. “And after that sectional, we wanted more so we kept going.”
“We got 15 hits against Rockville and lost, and we’d already got beat by Clay City and Bloomfield,” Kirchner recalled, “but we were still going for the tournament.”
And despite some of those surprising losses, Kirchner said, he and his coaching staff were gaining confidence in their team.
“After the first couple of games, coach [Chris] Mundy said, ‘We’ve got something special here,’ ” Kirchner remembers. “These girls have worked hard, and they get along well. They’ve all come together, and they know how to get on each other the right way.”
They also appear immune to pressure, their coach added.
“They do not get upset and they do not get uptight,” Kirchner said. “They’re relaxed a lot more than I am.
“Against South in the sectional, they had the bases loaded with one out and their No. 4 hitter at bat, and she’d already had two hits,” Kirchner said to support that point. “I went out there and told [pitcher] Bethany [Sullivan] not to give in to her. Bethany said, ‘She’s not getting another hit,’ and Hailee said, ‘One ground ball and we get a double play and we’re out of the inning.’
“Sure enough, almost before I got back to the dugout there was a grounder to third, Marlee stepped on the bag and threw to first for the double play, and when they came in Hailee said, ‘See what I told you?’ ”
“I like pumping people up. I don’t play very well when we’re all serious,” Travioli said this week.
“We’re pretty relaxed about the state, but it’s exciting,” Coffey agreed. “For us to make it this far from the way we started out the season is a plus.”
“It feels great. I’m pretty sure we can win it all,” said Yeager.
“Sectional was our first major hurdle, but once we got that nothing was stopping us,” said Sullivan, whose pitching is certainly one of the main reasons for that. “We haven’t known much about the teams we’ve played [in the regional and semistate], so we just play our game … and I’ve always trusted these girls behind me.”
Not only are Sullivan and Ketner the team’s only seniors, but nearly half its players are freshmen. So what the two seniors have done off the field is probably as important as their many contributions on it.
“We’ve tried to be leaders,” Sullivan said. “We try to make sure the younger girls knew they could come to us … and when you gain the respect of your teammates, I think you’ve done a good job as leaders.”
“They are a young group, but they will take in anything you can give them,” Ketner said of her teammates. “We are a group that wants to learn.
“There were some games we should have won that we didn’t, but there were some games we won that we shouldn’t have won too,” she added. “You take what you get and go with it.”
Now the two seniors get to complete their North careers in the spotlight.
“It’s really nice knowing that no matter what happens, this is the last game I get to play,” Sullivan said, “and there’s no better way I’d rather end the season than the state championship [game].”
“It’s awesome to be able to have this to end my senior year,” Ketner agreed. “Only one team gets to end their season with a win.”
Top Story 3
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza She'll wind up a winner: Terre Haute North's Bethany Sullivan unleashes a pitch as her teammates prepare for a hit their way during the Patriots' win over Jennings County on Saturday, June 5 at Center Grove High School.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza She can hit, too: Terre Haute North's Bethany Sullivan watches the ball sail over the Jennings County infield during the Patriots' win Saturday, June 5 at Center Grove High School.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Gotcha: Terre Haute North's Paige Collins catches a throw from a teammate to force out Jennings County's Jenny Royse during the Patriots' win Saturday, June 5 at Center Grove High School.
Discussion
Level-headed North softball ready to play for state title
- Top Story 3
-
-
10 things to know for Wednesday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about across the nation today:
-
We want to know ...
Why are you proud to be an American?
Leave us an email at features@tribstar.com. Photos - a picture of yourself
or others - can also be sent in jpeg format to this email address. Comments
and stories will be shared during the first week of July in the Tribune-Star
and online in celebration of Independence Day. -
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
Court lets walk-out fines against House Democrats stand
INDIANAPOLIS — House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Husband charged in Archer homicide
Terre Haute Police have found local reports of domestic violence between a Terre Haute man and his wife, whose body was discovered wrapped in a tarp and dumped in an Ohio ditch.
-
BREAKING: Arrest made in Archer homicide
A Terre Haute man has been arrested and charged with felony murder and altering the scene of a death in the homicide of his wife, Kayla Herchelroath Archer.
-
GUEST COLUMN: One Million Bones exhibit meant to raise awareness, inspire action to end genocide
The National Mall: A grassy corridor in Washington, D.C., lined with America’s greatest museums and monuments.
Ending at the U.S. Capitol building, it is a symbol of our belief in the power and greatness of America. Last weekend, we turned it into a mass grave.
-
No ID yet on body found in Rosedale home
Sheriff Mike Eslinger said his department is waiting to obtain an immediate family’s confirmation of a woman found dead in a home in the 2900 block of West Rosehill Lane.
-
Police investigating Rosedale homicide
Parke County authorities are investigating a homicide at Rosedale.
Sheriff Mike Eslinger confirmed Friday afternoon that police had been called to a home in the 2900 block of West Rosehill Lane on a report of a dead person. -
Homicide suspect’s father: ‘I am so sorry’
The father of a Jasonville man charged with murder broke down in tears following his son’s appearance in Greene Superior Court on Friday morning.
-
BREAKING: Suspects in death of Linton teen arraigned in court
A week after Katelyn Wolfe went missing in Linton, the men accused of killing her appeared in court.
-
10 things to know for Friday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about across the nation today:
-
Katelyn Wolfe homicide: Affidavit alleges men’s scheme
Two friends from childhood allegedly had devised a plan over the course of about a week to rape and kill someone — without having a particular target — before causing Linton teenager Katelyn Wolfe’s death last week, according to court documents released Thursday.
-
End of an era: WTHI-TV anchor Allen has come long way since debut in 1967
Reflecting on his career at WTHI-TV, Jim Swander pokes fun at retiring news anchor Mark Allen saying, “He has made millions by reading a teleprompter at a sixth-grade level.”
-
Police: Suspects posted on Linton teen's Facebook page 'to cover their tracks'
Two childhood friends, over the course of about a week, allegedly devised a plan to rape and kill someone prior to the killing of Linton teenager Katelyn Wolfe, according to court documents released today.
-
UPDATE: Suspect in late-night standoff arrested, to appear in court
A Terre Haute man wanted for a late Wednesday standoff with police has been arrested and is due to appear in court this morning.
-
UPDATE: Semi overturns at Lyford; Mecca man airlifted to Indy hospital
A Parke County man was airlifted to Methodist Hospital this afternoon after he crashed his semitrailer on U.S. 41 just north of Lyford.
-
UPDATE: Missing Terre Haute woman found
A Terre Haute woman who was reported missing earlier today by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department has been found.
-
Analysts: Midwest drivers to see lower gas prices
LANSING, Mich. — The worst may be over for drivers in the upper Midwest who have been grappling with the highest gasoline prices in the continental U.S.
-
Unusually massive line of storms aim at Midwest
WASHINGTON — A gigantic line of powerful thunderstorms could affect one in five Americans on Wednesday as it rumbles from Iowa to Maryland packing hail, lightning and tree-toppling winds.
-
Coroner: Linton teen victim of homicide
Linton teenager Katelyn Wolfe died of asphyxiation in a “manner that is ruled a homicide” Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell said Tuesday night after an autopsy was performed earlier in the day at Terre Haute Regional Hospital by forensic pathologist Dr. Roland Kohr.
-
Apple revamps look of iPhone, iPad software
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple is throwing out most of the real-world graphical cues from its iPhone and iPad software, like the casino-green "felt" of its Game Center app, in what it calls the biggest update since the iPhone's launch in 2007.
-
Feds back morning-after pill for all girls
NEW YORK — After setting off a storm of criticism from abortion rights groups upset that a Democratic president had sided with social conservatives, the Obama administration said it will comply with a judge's order to allow girls of any age to buy emergency contraception without prescriptions.
-
10 Things to Know for Tuesday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today across the nation:
-
VIDEO: Apple unveils new MacBook Air with improved battery life
At Apple's WWDC, the company shows off its new line of MacBook Air laptops with faster processors and improved battery life. The new models are available in 11-inch and 13-inch dimensions, ranging in price from $999 to $1,299.
-
Fair Association highlights attractions
In less than a month, the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds will be awash in 4-H projects, carnival rides, cotton candy and entertainment as the 2013 Vigo County Fair runs July 7 to 13.
-
UPDATE: Man kills 6 in California before police shoot him dead
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A man with a semi-automatic rifle killed at least six people and wounded several others Friday as he carried out a deadly rampage across several blocks of a normally idyllic beachfront city before police shot him dead in the Santa Monica College Library.
-
10 Things to Know for Friday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
-
I-70 accident snarls traffic for hours
An accident involving a semi-trailer containing hazardous materials shut down eastbound Interstate 70 in Vigo County from near the Illinois state line to Indiana 46 for about six hours Thursday.
-
10 Things to Know for Thursday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
- More Top Story 3 Headlines
-
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades
Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska
Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback
Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On'
Raw: Marines Land Osprey on Japanese Ship
Raw: German President Welcomes President Obama
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin
Obama Welcomes WNBA Champions to White House
Raw: Massive Protests Fill Brazilian Streets
Raw: Australian Begins Cuba to Florida Swim
Pa. Girl Who Took on Donor Rules Gets Lungs
Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex
Prosecutors Push for Smartphone "Kill Switch"
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone During UK Concert
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag
Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit
Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard
See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab
