Her senior softball season didn’t end quite the way Tessa Sims wanted, but up to that point, she couldn’t have asked for much more.
Sims led Hauser to a 21-6 record, a Mid-Hoosier Conference championship and sectional and regional titles. The Jets looked like they would steamroll their way to state, but gave up a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning in a 2-1 semistate semifinal loss to North Central (Farmersburg).
“I wish it would have turned out different, but I think all-around, we adjusted pretty well,” Sims said. “We were young, and we had kids in different positions than they had played before. Our defense and hitting came around throughout the season.”
Sims is The Republic Softball Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. She shared the honor with her sister Leslie as a sophomore and won it by herself last season.
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This year, Sims went 16-4 with a 0.61 ERA. She also led Hauser at the plate, batting .560 with 11 doubles and five triples.
“It seems like when she’s not pitching, she does a better job offensively,” said her father and coach, Craig Sims. “In the postseason, she did a nice job at the plate and in the circle. She did a nice job mentally focusing because it’s a tough job being a great offensive player and a great pitcher.”
After being limited in pitching as a junior, Tessa Sims underwent Throacic Outlet Surgery following last season to relieve pain in her pitching arm. That caused her to miss all of last summer.
This year, she experienced some back pain. Craig Sims pitched her only in the bigger games to try to save her for the postseason.
“I thought she saved the best for last,” he said. “She was throwing the ball the best she has all season in the postseason. She did everything she could do to give us an opportunity to win. Coming back from the surgery, we were selective about the games she threw, and I thought we did the right thing because she was throwing the ball well when it mattered the most.”
Tessa Sims is playing for her father’s Indiana Hustle team this summer. They will head to Florida for a national tournament July 14 to 22.
On Aug. 18, Tessa will head to Indiana State, where she will join Leslie on the Sycamores squad. Individual workouts start Aug. 27, and practice begins Sept. 4.
“I’m excited to start something new,” she said. “It’s kind of starting over because it’s like a fresh start. And of course I’m really excited to play with Leslie again.”
Two weeks ago, Tessa was named The Republic’s Josh Speidel Spirit Award winner because of her overcoming adversity and her service to her school and community.
Tessa leaves Hauser with four conference titles, four sectional titles, three regional titles and one state championship. That Class A state title came in 2015, her freshman year.
“Throughout my four years there, we were able to let people know where Hauser was,” she said. “People didn’t know us going into my freshman year, and I feel like we helped people get to actually know who we are.”
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This year’s The Republic All-Area softball team:
Tessa Sims, Hauser: The senior led the Jets with a 16-4 record, 0.61 ERA, .560 average, 11 doubles and five triples.
Sydney Schoen, Hauser: The senior batted .337 with 14 RBIs and led the Jets with five triples and 36 runs scored.
Shelby Fugate, Hauser: The senior batted .443 with 34 runs scored and led the Jets with three home runs and 30 RBIs.
Brooke Valles, Columbus East: The junior led the Olympians with a .403 average and four home runs and went 3-6 with a 4.10 ERA.
Madyson Foster, Columbus East: The sophomore batted .385 with 11 RBIs and led the Olympians with 16 runs scored.
Bailey Lofton, Columbus North: The junior batted .491 and led the Bull Dogs with seven home runs and 27 RBIs.
Sierra Norman, Columbus North: The sophomore led the Bull Dogs with a .508 average and 17 runs scored and had six home runs and 21 RBIs.
Emma Summers, Brown County: The sophomore led the Eagles with a 16-3 record, 0.86 ERA, .500 average, six home runs and 23 RBIs.
Allison Stogsdill, Brown County: The sophomore batted .423 with 13 RBIs and led the Eagles with two triples.
Maddi Clark, Edinburgh: The senior led the Lancers with a 12-6 record, 1.03 ERA and 29 runs scored and batted .469 with three home runs.
Sidney Beier, Edinburgh: The junior led the Lancers with a .607 average, nine doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBIs.
Gabby Mahoney, Jennings County: The junior led the Panthers with a 7-6 record, 2.80 ERA and two home runs and batted .373.
Lexi Brown, Jennings County: The senior batted .383 with 10 RBIs and led the Panthers with five doubles and two triples.
Sierra Lang, South Decatur: The sophomore led the Cougars with a .592 average, seven triples, three home runs and 22 RBIs.
Savannah Harweger, Trinity Lutheran: The junior batted .510 and led the Cougars with three triples and 19 runs scored.
Honorable mention
Brown County: Aubrey Hollander. Columbus East: Kaitlyn Brummett, Jordan Johnston, Jenna Robbins. Columbus North: Lilly Hurt, Meghan Waggoner. Edinburgh: Paige Burton, Vanessa McManaway. Hauser: Mykenzie Ault, Katie Taylor. Jennings County: Tori Lee, Carissa Sabelhaus. South Decatur: Chloee Smith. Trinity Lutheran: Hannah Deaton, Jodi Goecker.
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