PUTNAMVILLE —
When South Putnam High School’s four senior softball players were interviewed earlier this week about playing in today’s Class 2A state championship game, all used the word “chemistry” to describe why the Eagles are so good.
No. 1-ranked South Putnam will put its 30-0 mark on the line and defend its 2011 Class 2A state title against Adams Central (20-12) at 1:30 p.m. at Ben Davis’ field in Indianapolis. It will follow the Class A state championship matchup pitting Lakewood Park Christian vs. Indianapolis Lutheran, which starts at 11:30 a.m.
“We have great team chemistry and us four seniors have played together since our freshman year,” South Putnam ace pitcher Brooke Boetjer told the Tribune-Star. “We also have very experienced juniors … A lot of us have played travel ball and we’re all very experienced at the game of softball. We all get along very well. We know what each other is thinking.”
“We have great team chemistry,” emphasized catcher Jenny Thompson, who was on the field practicing when Boetjer made her comments. “We all get along. There’s no drama on our team. We’re all just really close.”
“They’ve been huge,” South Putnam coach Chris Jones said of seniors Boetjer, Thompson, Emily Dabkowski (shortstop) and Kaylin Yon (No. 2 pitcher).
“This is my fourth year at South Putnam, so I came in with this group. Three of them [Boetjer, Thompson and Dabkowski] have been four-year starters. All four have been great. Kaylin doesn’t get as much playing time as the others, but she’s been huge in our dugout and she’s our back-up pitcher. She’s just done a tremendous job for us. She could be a No. 1 [pitcher] on a lot of teams. I know a lot of teams out there would love to have her, but we’re fortunate enough to have her on our team.
“These four have been as good as you could ask for. The leadership has been tremendous, especially these last two years. They put it all out there. They bring that type of focus that makes those other girls focus in and be ready to play every game.”
On the surface, South Putnam vs. Adams Central appears to be a monumental mismatch. After all, the Eagles have won 55 games in a row dating back to last season and Adams Central has endured two separate four-game losing skids in 2012.
But the Jets from northeastern Indiana finished the regular season with four straight victories. Then they won three games in the Eastside Sectional, blanked Central Noble 5-0 in the Central Noble Regional and knocked off No. 2-ranked Rochester 5-4 and Carroll (Flora) 4-2 to capture the Eastern (Greentown) Semistate crown to bring a 10-game winning streak into today.
“From what I understand about Adams Central, they’ve been successful thus far in the tournament at making other teams commit errors and get out of their routines,” Jones mentioned. “They’ve been able to execute and get runs off those mistakes.
“[Sydnee] Peterson [a junior right-hander] is their pitcher. I’ve been told she’s not too overpowering, but she’s good at spotting the ball and moving the ball around. To get to this point, you’re going to have to have a good, solid pitcher. Their lead-off batter [junior Bess Fiechter], she’s quick and she’s good. She’s like to put pressure on defenses. And their catcher [senior Alyssa Keller], from what I hear, is their best hitter — a power hitter, lefty and pretty dangerous at the plate [batting .505 with 13 doubles, seven triples, six home runs and 41 runs batted in for the season].
“The biggest thing I’ve heard about them is they’ll all bunt, they’ll all try to put the ball in play and they’re very aggressive hitters, meaning that they’re going to come up swinging. They’re not looking to get a walk. They’re looking to put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense.”
Still, Jones is confident that his girls can handle the challenge.
“They’ve had a target on their backs since Day 1 of the season,” he pointed out. “They were preseason No. 1 [in the Class 2A poll]. They’ve been No. 1 all the way through. So it’s not like they haven’t been a favorite before.
“The biggest thing is they have to continue to not underestimate their opponents and I think they’ve done a really good job of that so far. You have to focus every play. You have to minimize errors. And you have to make routine plays and execute them … Focus on your job and do your job.”
The four South Putnam seniors don’t see any reasons why that won’t happen — again.
“I feel like we shouldn’t take [Adams Central] lightly,” said the Indiana University-bound Boetjer, who owns a 21-0 pitching record with a 0.11 earned-run average and 159 strikeouts while batting .542 with five home runs and 40 RBIs. “We should have no mercy and not let up now because this is our last game. It would be great to have another state title.”
“We have to go in there really calm because our freshman year we had an undefeated season going into the sectional and we lost in the first round [to Cascade],” added the Ball State-bound Dabkowski, who’s batting a team-high .568 with 15 doubles, six triples, three homers, 42 runs and 32 RBIs. “So I think we just need to be really calm and stay focused because we are the ones targeted here.”
“We’ve heard a lot about Adams Central and we don’t want to go in there underestimating them,” stressed the University of Indianapolis-bound Thompson, who’s batting .517 with 11 doubles, three triples and two homers. “I think if we just go in there relaxed and play our game, then we’ll come out with a victory.”
“We cannot take them lightly,” warned Yon, who’s posted a 7-0 record with a 0.96 ERA and heading to Huntington University to pitch next season. “We need to be mentally tough.”
Thinking exactly opposite of the 2009 Indianapolis Colts’ management, all four agree that rolling through a season undefeated and winning the ultimate championship at the end would provide special memories for players, coaches and fans for years to come.
“It would be spectacular,” Thompson admitted, “something not a lot of people have done.”
“Everyone always says it’s hard to stay on top and it really is true,” Boetjer assessed. “You have a big target on your back and I feel like our team has done a really good job, even with having a target on our back, at stepping up to the challenges. I feel like this Saturday will prove if we really have what it takes.”
“Just to say we had one state championship, that’s great,” Yon summarized. “But to be able to say we have two, that would be extra special.”
IHSAA state title games
Today at Ben Davis
Class A — Lakewood Park Christian (26-5) vs. Indianapolis Lutheran (24-4), 10:30 a.m.
Class 2A — Adams Central (20-12) vs. South Putnam (30-0), 1:30 p.m.
Class 3A — Andrean (27-4) vs. Edgewood (21-11), 4:30.
Class 4A — Huntington North (22-7) vs. Plainfield (22-9), 7:30.
Admission — $9.
Broadcast — Radio: WREB-FM 94.3.
High School
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Backup: South Putnam senior Kaylin Yon throws during practice Wednesday. The Eagles were preparing for today's state finals game with Adams Central.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis One last time: South Putnam senior Brooke Boetjer has one more game as the Eagles starting pitcher.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Return engagement: South Putnam softball coach Chris Jones hits flyballs to his outfielders in front of their dugout. The Eagles hope to repeat as state champs today.
Discussion
No. 1 South Putnam to defend Class 2A softball title today
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