Jennings County pitcher is top player
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The Republic File Photo
Jennings County%u2019s Lisa McIntosh pitches during a game this season against Columbus East. McIntosh is The Republic%u2019%u2019s Softball Player of the Year.
LISA McIntosh has set some lofty goals for herself and her Jennings County softball teammates following a sparkling, yet heartbreaking 2012 season.
“I want to win state,” McIntosh said. “I know it’s going to take a lot of work, and I personally have to get better at everything I do.”
All McIntosh did this year was register a sophomore season stellar enough to earn her the 2012 The Republic’s Player of the Year for softball honor.
Panther softball fans can only imagine what her next two seasons might be like should she and her teammates follow through on reaching those goals.
The junior-to-be heads an all-area team loaded with talent and experience, including three other all-state selections. A total of 14 athletes comprise the list representing seven area high schools.
After pitching just a handful of innings as a freshman, McIntosh, selected as third-team all-state, threw 125 innings and struck out 144 batters this past season. She was the area’s top hurler with a 16-2 record and a 0.91 earned run average.
And when she wasn’t pitching for coach Kendall Wildey’s squad, McIntosh was playing solid defense in the field and producing from the heart of the lineup, where she finished with a .337 average. She scored 23 times for Jennings County and drove in another 31 runs. McIntosh paced her team with 10 extra-base hits, including a pair of homers.
“This season was probably my worst at batting,” McIntosh said. “But I was happy getting the chance to pitch.”
McIntosh said she has been playing softball since she was 7 and started pitching not long after that.
“I remember one of my coaches working with me, and I just fell in love with it after that,” she added. “I’ve been to some camps and worked with some pitching coaches, and I know I have a lot more to work on.”
Possessing six different pitches, McIntosh said she loves using her curveball and also going to her backdoor curve.
“My true job is to put the ball where
it needs to be,” she said. “And all the
catchers I work with do a great job calling the game.”
McIntosh values all of her team’s wins as memorable but said her team’s victory over top-ranked Center Grove in 2012 was special.
“That was a great tournament for us,” she said.
Wildey, who has coached several all-state players during his nearly two decades at the helm of the Panthers, said McIntosh is worthy of all her accolades.
“Lisa is blessed with incredible skills,” he said. “She is truly a complete fastpitch softball player.”
Although McIntosh dreams of playing for college powerhouse like Arizona or Florida, she is grounded in knowing she has two more high school seasons left.
“All of us get along so well at Jennings County,” she said. “I just want to keep on playing, and everything else will take care of itself.”
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