Columbus East and Columbus North hope to challenge for a sectional softball title in Class 4A, while Hauser and Edinburgh may be headed for another regional showdown in Class A.
The Lancers avenged a pair of regular-season losses to the Jets with a 1-0 win in last year’s regional. Both likely will be among the top Class A teams in the state again this season.
Here is a look at those four schools, plus the other five area teams:
Hauser
The Jets hopes, as they did last year, could ride on the right arm of senior Tessa Sims. Sims was unable to pitch for most of last season because of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) in her shoulder and had surgery after the season.
With the Indiana State recruit and The Republic Softball Player of the Year, who helped lead Hauser to a state title her freshman year and a final four appearance as a sophomore, back in the circle, the Jets could be tough to beat.
“She’s starting to get her control back,” said her father and Hauser coach Craig Sims. “She picking her velocity back up. We’re working on getting some movement on her pitches. If Tessa continues to throw the way she is right now and keeps getting better throughout the season, and our offensive produces, we could be pretty good. We have high expectations.”
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The Jets went 24-4 last season and went undefeated in winning the Mid-Hoosier Conference title.
Junior Hunter Crain pitched last year when Sims was relegated to first base because of her injury. Whichever one isn’t pitching this season likely will be back at first.
Sophomore Shelby Fugate returns at second base. The left side of the infield and outfield will be determined by where Craig Sims decides to put senior three-year starters Sydney Schoen and Lauryn Starnes.
Schoen could play shortstop, third base or center field, and Starnes could play left or center. Junior Mykenzie Ault, who played right field, could move to left if Starnes moves to center.
Sophomore Katie Taylor, who started at short last year before being sidelined with an injury, could be at short or third. Freshman Hannah Johnson can play first or third.
Sophomores Nichole Paetzel and Leah Joyce are battling for the catching job. Freshman Zoee Nading will be the No. 3 pitcher, and senior Kirsten Keith and freshman Lexi Tallent will provide depth in the outfield.
“We have plenty of options defensively,” Craig Sims said. “It’s going to depend on who’s doing the job at the plate. We’ll find out real quick what we need to work on. We just want to win every at bat, every out, and if we do those things, everything else will take care of itself.”
Columbus East
The Olympians made a big jump last season, going 14-11 for their first winning season in more than a decade.
East graduated only one starter from that squad. But two others have moved away.
“I really like what we got accomplished last year, and we’re setting our sights on competing for the sectional championship this year,” East coach Rusty Brummett said. “Finishing above .500 is not good enough. We play in a pretty tough conference, but we expect to compete in that this year.”
Junior Brooke Valles and sophomore Jordan Johnston did most of the pitching last season. They could receive help this year from sophomore Jenna Robbins, who was injured last season. One of those who isn’t pitching likely will be at first base.
Sophomore Becca Carter returns at catcher, and senior Kamryn Cantu is back at second. Senior Kendra Pastrick at returns at third, but could play some shortstop, along with Johnston and freshman Kaitlin Brummett.
Sophomore Madyson Foster will move from left field to center. Senior Cassie Claycamp and sophomore Keagan Nickerson are battling in left. Senior Claudia Sims, who played junior varsity last year after transferring from Columbus North, and junior Maddie Kissinger are vying for the right field job.
“We definitely aren’t going to sneak up on anybody this year,” Brummett said. “I think people understand where our program is and where we’re going. We’ll get everybody’s best this year.”
Columbus North
The Bull Dogs are expecting to be much better than last season, when they lost their first 16 games and finished 1-25.
“Everybody is better,” North coach Ron McDonald said. “This time last year, we were really in a bad place. This year, we look like we know what we’re doing. A lot of them are buying into what we’re showing them. I just think we’re on our way up.”
McDonald will have no seniors. But the Bull Dogs do return six starters, including three who showed plenty of promise last season.
Sophomore Sierra Norman, who played first and third base, will be at second or third; and sophomore Brooke Bruin, who played shortstop and center field, will be at short, third or center. Junior Bailey Lofton, who moved behind the plate midway through last season, will be back there this year.
Sophomore Lilly Hurt was one of North’s two main pitchers last season, but she will play mostly in left field this year. Freshman Meghan Waggoner, a move-in from Brown County, will do most of the pitching.
Junior Jenna Fath, who finished last season at first base, could be back there, and Waggoner or freshman Catey Streeval also could play first. Norman, Fath or freshman Aden Voss could be at second, and freshman Haylee Acton could play infield or outfield.
Voss or Acton will play center field. Sophomore Brittany Reichenba saw action in the outfield last year and likely will be in right. Juniors Teri Dale and Brooke Rice also are battling for outfield spots.
“You’ll see major improvement,” McDonald said. “We have pitching. If Megan stays healthy, we’ll be competitive every game. My goal is 10 to 12 wins. If we can win that many games, I’ll be happy.”
Columbus Christian
The Crusaders have five players back from a team that went 3-5 last season, coach Kendal Wildey’s first with the team after 16 at Jennings County.
Most of the infield returns with senior Taylor Ingram at second, senior Emily Warren at third and freshman Hannah Stair at short. Sophomore Emmie Felbe in left and junior Adrianne Tallent in right are back in the outfield.
Sixth-grader Emily Stair and seventh-grader Kayden Hofelich will do most of the pitching. Senior newcomer Savannah Spurgeon also could pitch.
Hofelich will be the catcher when she isn’t pitching, and Spurgeon will catch when Hofelich pitches. Sophomore Elli Ridder steps in at first, and seventh-grader Kayla Jones takes over in center field.
Freshman Jackie Mouser and seventh-graders Grace Graham, Madi Blair and Chesney Carr also could see action.
“I’ve really been praising them,” Wildey said. “They’ve done really well in our early practices. I think we’re farther along than at any point last year. It will depend on if our pitchers can throw strikes or not, but in terms of our hitting and our fielding, I’m very optimistic.”
Edinburgh
The Lancers followed their second consecutive sectional title with a regional crown last year. The finished 21-6 after falling to Indianapolis Lutheran 2-1 in nine innings in the semistate semifinals.
Senior Indiana Wesleyan signee Maddi Clark returns for her fourth year as the No. 1 pitcher. She could get help this season from senior Vanessa McManaway and junior Grace Joiner.
Juniors Sidney Beier, who is receiving Division I looks, and Emma Wade will again shuttle between catcher and third base. Joiner returns at first, and McManaway is back at second.
Sophomore Paige Burton moves from left to center. Senior Mary Franklin returns in right.
Freshmen Gracie Long and Kaitlyn Bailey are battling at short. Sophomores Kaylia Kelley and Abby Schooler and freshmen Morgan Calhoun, Long and Baliey are vying for the left field job.
“I think we’ll have a pretty decent year,” Edinburgh coach Stephen Clark said. “I think we’ll be a bit more rounded, just less experienced. But I think coming into the year, they’ll be ready to go.”
Jennings County
The Panthers went 19-8 in Bobby Willis’ first season as coach, and he returns six starters this season.
Junior Gabby Mahoney was the team’s No. 1 pitcher. Junior Karlee Madinger, senior Emily Tevault and sophomore Haley Engelking, who moved back to Jennings after playing at East last season, also could pitch.
Sophomore Carissa Sabelhaus split time at catcher last year, and sophomore Lexi South, who split time at second, likely will be at short or third this season. Senior Alexus Brown returns in center.
Junior Kylee Matern, who played left and center, could play right, short or second. Junior Madi Skinner, who played left and right, may play in left.
Engelking also could play short or third, and Mahoney could play second. Sophomore Katie Mahoney could play third.
Senior Morgan King could play outfield or catcher, and freshman Skylar Weber also could catch. First base is wide open between some of the aforementioned players, along with freshman Tori Lee.
“We’re very young, so it’s hard to say how they’ll react to certain situations,” Willis said. “But they’re competitive. They definitely have the skills to be good, but it will come down to how much we improve throughout the season.”
Brown County
Eagles coach Kevin Greve played several freshman last year, and those players are now sophomores with a season of experience under their belts.
Sophomore Emma Summers was the No. 1 pitcher on last year’s 15-9 squad, and she will get help this year from sophomore Allison Stogsdill. Sophomore Aubrey Hollander returns behind the plate, and sophomore Adriana Kritzer is back at third.
Sophomores Whitney Clark and Myka Synder and senior Emma Quackenbush saw some action in the outfield last season. They are battling for starting spots with freshman Kylie Herald and sophomore Marley Nickels.
Sophomore Taylor Poling steps in at first. Stogsdill, who played some short last year, will be at second. Sophomore Sara Fishel, who did not play last year, will be at short.
“They put in a lot of hours in the offseason on their own, and we’ve put in a lifting program,” Greve said. “They worked so hard in the offseason, so we’ve hit the ground running here the first couple weeks of practice.”
South Decatur
Pitching will be the key for the Cougars, who return seven starters return from an 8-18 team, but must replace a three-year starting pitcher.
Senior Claire Wullenweber, who has seen a little pitching action the past couple years, returns. Seniors Jennifer Peters and Chloee Smith and possibly sophomore Sierra Lang and freshman Eryn Dyer could do some pitching.
Junior Sam Goodfellow returns at catcher. Peters played some first base last year, but senior Brooke Owens could move from outfield to first.
Junior Karah Biddinger started the last few games at second. Smith returns at short, and senior Kaitlyn Owens will play there if Smith is pitching. Junior Annie Gant is back at third, where Dyer and freshman Megan Manlief also could see action.
Wullenweber, Lang and Owens played a lot in the outfield last season. Manlief, senior Kayla Carder and freshman Lana Bell also could see time in the outfield.
“Defensively, I have seen so much improvement,” South Decatur coach Lisa Huff said. “Offensively, Lang has just been crushing the ball. I think we can compete offensively. Pitching is probably going to be our weakness, but I think we can only get better.”
Trinity Lutheran
Seven starters return from a team that finished 11-9 last season.
Seniors Morgan Gabbard and Hannah Deaton return with plenty of pitching experience, and senior Jodi Goecker moves from catcher to center field. Junior Vidalis Montanez at second, junior Savannah Harweger at short, sophomore Jaryn Holtzclaw at third and junior Maddie Bell in right also are back.
Freshman Genesis Munoz steps in at catcher, and Gabbard or Deaton will be at first when they aren’t pitching. Senior Sami Newmister takes over in left.
“We’re pretty solid,” Trinity coach Chad Goecker said. “Obviously, we want to win sectional and move on from there.”
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Softball schedules for Bartholomew County schools:
Columbus East
Tuesday;at Edinburgh;5 p.m.
March 29;at Bloomington North;6 p.m.
March 31;at Bloomington South;10 a.m.
April 3;at Brownstown Central;5:30 p.m.
April 5;Floyd Central;6 p.m.
April 6;at Brown County;5:15 p.m.
April 7;at Greensburg (DH);11 a.m.
April 10;Franklin;5:30 p.m.
April 14;at Mt. Vernon Tournament;10 a.m.
April 16;at Columbus North;5 p.m.
April 19;Seymour;5:30 p.m.
April 20;Shelbyville;5:30 p.m.
April 23;Mooresville;6 p.m.
April 24;at Jennings County;5 p.m.
April 27;Bedford North Lawrence;5:30 p.m.
April 30;New Albany;6 p.m.
May 1;Madison;5:30 p.m.
May 3;at Trinity Lutheran;5 p.m.
May 5;at Edgewood Tournamentl10 a.m.
May 9;Jeffersonville;5:30 p.m.
May 17;at Scottsburg;5 p.m.
Columbus North
Wednesday;Silver Creek;5:30 p.m.
March 30;at East Central;6 p.m.
March 31;at Terre Haute North;noon
March 31;vs. Terre Haute South at TH North;2 p.m.
April 5;Shelbyville;5:30 p.m.
April 9;at Whiteland;5:30 p.m.
April 10;at Seymour;5:30 p.m.
April 12; at Franklin Central;5:30 p.m.
April 14;at Brown County Tournament;9 a.m.
April 16;Columbus East;5 p.m.
April 17;at Bloomington North;6 p.m.
April 19;Southport;6 p.m.
April 21;at Center Grove;10 a.m.
April 21;vs. Greenwood at Center Grove;12:30 p.m.
April 26;Perry Meridian;6 p.m.
April 30;Edinburgh;5 p.m.
May 3;at Indian Creek;5:30 p.m.
May 7;Brownstown Central;5:30 p.m.
May 8;Bloomington South;6 p.m.
May 9;Greensburg;5:30 p.m.
May 15;at Jennings County;5:30 p.m.
May 17;Hauser;5 p.m.
Columbus Christian
Tuesday;Providence Cristo Rey;5:30 p.m.
April 9;Horizon Christian;5:30 p.m.
April 12;Indianapolis Tindley;5:30 p.m.
April 16;Traders Point Christianl5:45 p.m.
April 23;at Crothersville;5 p.m.
April 30;Traders Point Christian;5:45 p.m.
May 1;Indiana Deaf;5 p.m.
May 5;at Madison Shawe (DH);10 a.m.
May 7;Crothersville;5 p.m.
May 12;Cannelton (DH);11 a.m.
May 17;Horizon Christian;TBA
Hauser
Today;at Shelbyville;5 p.m.
Tuesday;at Brownstown Central;5:30 p.m.
April 3;at Rising Sun;5:30 p.m.
April 5;at Edinburgh;5 p.m.
April 6;Edinburgh;5 p.m.
April 12;at North Decatur;5 p.m.
April 13;North Decatur;5 p.m.
April 14;at Brown County Tournament;9 a.m.
April 16;Triton Central;5 p.m.
April 19;at Waldron;5 p.m.
April 20;Waldron;5 p.m.
April 23;at Rushville;5 p.m.
April 26;Southwestern (Shelby);5 p.m.
April 27;at Southwestern (Shelby);5 p.m.
April 28;East Central (DH);11 a.m.
May 1;at Greensburg;5:30 p.m.
May 5;Lawrenceburg;11 a.m.
May 8;Trinity Lutheran;5 p.m.
May 10;South Decatur;5 p.m.
May 11;at South Decatur;5 p.m.
May 14;at Morristown;5 p.m.
May 15;Morristown;5 p.m.
May 17;at Columbus North;5 p.m.
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