Homers, gems and steals: Vote for IndyStar softball players of the week (May 12-17)
IndyStar will be recognizing the top softball players in Indiana with our players of the week poll, presented by YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.
Scroll to the bottom of the article to vote. Voting is open until noon Friday.
Congratulations to Noblesville's Addison Retzinger on being voted Player of the Week for May 5-10! The sophomore spun a four-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and zero walks in a 1-0 win over Hamilton Southeastern on Tuesday.
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Here were the top performers from the past week.
The freshman secured a win over Pike, allowing one run on one hit with a couple walks and 11 strikeouts. She went 1-for-2 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI double.
The sophomore went 3-for-4 with two triples, three runs scored and three RBIs in a 7-4 win over West Lafayette Harrison. She also scored a run vs. Hanover Central and notched a hit against Roncalli.
Compton went homered three times in four at-bats vs. Highland, driving in eight runs and scoring three herself. She followed that effort with a 2-for-3 performance vs. New Palestine that included two more homers and three RBIs.
Denny threw a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over New Prairie. She issued only one walk in the winning effort and converted an assist on her one attempt in the field.
Fox finished the week with nine hits, three RBIs and five runs scored. She doubled against Avon and New Palestine, and drove in a pair of RBIs against Greenfield-Central.
Godby shined amidst a monster week at the plate for the Cadets, totaling 10 hits, five runs and 11 RBIs. She homered and doubled against Chatard, doubled twice against McCutcheon and notched her second five-RBI performance of the week vs. Fishers.
Johnson pitched a no-hitter against Fountain Central, racking up 13 strikeouts and issuing only two walks over seven innings. She also doubled and scored a run in the 3-0 win.
The senior cleared 1,000 career strikeouts amidst a 13-strikeout, five-inning perfect game against Tri-Central. She finished the week with 25 strikeouts, plus five hits and four RBIs at the plate
It was a record-setting week for Murray, who launched her fifth and sixth homers of the season, leaving her with 20 for her career. She finished the week with five hits, four runs and seven RBIs, and highlighted her pitching performances with a win over Ne wPalestine (allowed two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts).
Prather homered twice in a 12-10 win over Noblesville, including the go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning. She finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs and three runs scored. The junior clocked a hit and a run scored in a win over Franklin Central.
The sophomore utility player collected six hits across a Saturday doubleheader. She had three hits and a run scored vs. Pendleton Heights, then notched three hits, five RBIs and a run scored vs. Silver Creek.
Big week for no-hitters. Sperling threw one in an 8-0 win over Princeton, striking out nine and aiding her own cause with a home run. The sophomore finished the week with five hits, three runs and a couple RBIs.
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WEST LAFAYETTE – A few parents are there to welcome the Noblesville softball team upon its arrival at Harrison High School for Wednesday's Class 4A regional championship game. It's a dreary, humid afternoon and there are concerns over an incoming storm front, but that's done little to dampen the excitement. One fan waves a giant black-and-gold flag, while another proudly rings a cowbell as the players step off the bus. And everyone is cheering. The Millers are wearing their black pinstripe uniforms for the occasion and nearly everyone has the same word written on their arm: Lutz. That's been a season-long tradition for this tightly knit group, a tribute to longtime assistant coach Craig Lutz, who died of a sudden medical emergency in early January. He was 53. "It's a good thing to see his name physically there," senior pitcher Emme Yee said Thursday from inside the NHS press box. "Seeing his name on our arms, especially when you're looking at a call on your wristband, it's a reminder that he's there and he's present with us." Lutz's ties to Noblesville run deep. A 1990 graduate himself, he played baseball with senior second baseman Addi Emmerson's uncle, basketball with senior outfielder Macie Duvall's uncles and helped coach senior outfielder Delaney Rundle's brother, Bret, on the Millers' 2014 state champion baseball team. Lutz poured his heart into the school every day and was always there for his players with a smile on his face, ready to make them laugh, Rundle said. "If you were coached by him, you knew what love was. He was an amazing person." Noblesville coach Deke Bullard and assistant coach Jennifer Thompson informed their players of Lutz's passing the morning after his death. As their teammates dispersed, the seniors — Duvall, Emmerson, Rundle, Yee, Nevaeh Nash and Brookelyn Grayson — stayed behind. They were processing it, said Nash, an IU signee. Some cried. Some didn't. "We just stayed together." There was anger, Rundle added. Why does this have to happen to us, to our community? Why did someone who was so important to us have to be taken away from our lives? "But we realized in that moment that we were going to be playing for him each and every single day. It was going to be all for him," the Marian-bound outfielder continued. "Obviously that day was super hard, but I think it brought our team a lot closer and made us realize life is short, so you need to cherish the things you have and the moments you have with the people you love." Noblesville had just begun loosening up when the first wave of precipitation arrived, a steady drizzle that steadily intensified over the next 30 minutes. Don't let the weather affect you, a coach calls out. It's impacted you too many times this year. The team is eventually forced into the dugout where after a few minutes, Bullard gathers them together on the home-plate side. He explains there is a tight window for them to fit the game into and urges his players to start fast. Harrison's 10-12 record may indicate otherwise, but it's extremely dangerous and not one to let hang around, he says. Get ahead early and don't let up. "You guys have prepared for this moment," assistant coach Shawn Kauzlick says. "You are ready for today, ready for this test. Let's show them what we can do." Time to get it done. When the rain relents and the teams are cleared to continue pregame prep, Thompson watches over starter Addison Retzinger as she warms up with catcher Reese Newsom. The sophomore pitcher has been brilliant this season, collecting six wins and 138 strikeouts with a 2.54 ERA, and as she nears the end of her session Wednesday, Thompson provides an assessment to Bullard: "Have you seen her screwball today? It's like, woah." There was no hesitancy — among the seniors, at least — about returning to the diamond following Lutz's untimely passing. It lit a fire under them; galvanized them, Rundle said. They were playing for something much bigger than themselves. Do it for Lutz. That's been Noblesville's slogan this season, a source of inspiration as it won 16 games against one of the state's toughest schedules, then eliminated No. 9 Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers and No. 3 Zionsville en route to its ninth sectional title. You'll find it on all their social media channels, on the stickers affixed to the back of each player's helmet and on the practice shirts and blue wristbands the seniors designed before the season. Do it for Lutz. "That is something I'm taking outside of Noblesville," said Duvall, a Glenville State signee who's been out injured since April 28. "I'm gonna play for Lutz my next four years. It's not something I'm going to leave. I'm going to wear this bracelet until it breaks. And when I break this one, I'll get a new one." Lutz had at least 30 family members in attendance for this year's Miller Invite, the seniors estimated. And all of them were sitting in the front row, wearing the same blue shirts as the players with a script Millers across the front and Lutz written across the back — except for his grandchildren, whose shirts said "Pop Pop Lutz" on the back. For Wednesday's regional, Amy Lutz, Craig's wife, gave the entire team friendship bracelets with one of her husband's favorite phrases: "Deuces, get 'em hot." (Whenever the count reached 2-2 with two outs, he would call that out as the players swiped two fingers across their temple.) Amy also gave them a large, framed photo of Lutz, asking if they would bring Craig with them to West Lafayette. "He would want more than anything to be here with us (and) I was glad that he was there for us," Emmerson said, referencing the photo which they leaned on the bench inside their dugout. "Amy is doing exactly what Lutz did. He always cared for us," Emmerson later added. "That whole family is such a blessing to our program and getting to play for him — I don't know if there's ever a program or coach that I'm going to play for that is going to be so impactful. It's unfortunate he didn't get to be with us this season, but I will never take the last three years for granted." The somber tone as the Millers head inside Harrison High School for the game's first rain delay makes it feel as if they're on the verge of being run-ruled. The players line either side of the hallway and are sitting mostly in silence until Bullard walks down the aisle and reminds them where they stand. Yes, the Raiders seized momentum with a double right before the break, but it's still only the second inning of a scoreless game. "What kind of team are we? Don't let it bother you. It happens." "You're going to get punched in the mouth. You have to respond. We just have to do it as a team," he concludes before walking outside. 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