David Hughes
The Tribune-Star
Putnamville —
South Putnam High School senior pitcher Brooke Boetjer has been named the Gatorade Indiana Softball Player of the Year, according to the espn.com Web site.
According to the site, winners in each state are determined by “athletic production and impact in the 2011-12 season.”
“These student-athletes also demonstrated high academic achievement and exemplary personal character, including volunteerism, sportsmanship and community leadership,” the site explained.
In 2012, the 6-foot Boetjer has led No. 1-ranked South Putnam (30-0) to the Class 2A state championship game this Saturday against Adams Central (20-12) at Ben Davis’ field in Indianapolis.
Having already signed her national letter-of-intent to attend Indiana University in 2012-13, she’s compiled a 21-0 record with a 0.11 earned-run average and 159 strikeouts in 129 innings while batting .542 with five home runs, 40 runs batted in and 26 runs scored this season.
Behind Boetjer, the Eagles captured the Class 2A state title in 2011, winning their final 25 games. That means they’ll head into Saturday with a 55-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Some of South Putnam’s regular-season victories in 2012 have come against larger schools such as Terre Haute South (4-2), Roncalli (6-3), Carmel (2-0) and Terre Haute North (5-2). So far in the state tournament, the Eagles have emerged triumphant in the Cascade Sectional, Indianapolis Scecina Regional and Forest Park Semistate.
“Boetjer is the best pitcher in Indiana softball this year and may very well have been last year as well,” Speedway coach Derek Doehrmann said on the site. “She has tremendous control, velocity and pitching smarts.”
Off the field, Boetjer carries a 3.59 grade-point average. She’s also a member of the 4-H Club and volunteered in Putnam County as an elementary-school tutor and youth softball instructor.
The site also stated that Boetjer is a finalist for the Indiana Miss Softball award to be announced this summer.
“It makes me feel like all the hard work that I’ve done has paid off,” Boetjer told the Tribune-Star after practice Wednesday.
