Insider: Carmel Invite is one of IHSAA softball's premier events. It didn't disappoint
CARMEL— Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, and thanks to some savvy schedule maneuvering by Carmel athletic director Jim Inskeep, the Carmel Invite happened Friday and Saturday at Cherry Tree Elementary.
And folks, the rain-forced finagling of the schedule was well worth it. From an upset of the No. 1 team in Class 4A to a walk-off winner in a game that started Friday but didn't end until Saturday, here's what to know from this year's Carmel Invite.
These Millers, man…
Deke Bullard likes to joke he has "a bunch of scrappy fighters" on his team. And after watching them against powerhouse Penn and top-ranked Lake Central, that's a perfect way to describe the 10th-ranked Millers.
They trailed 7-2 entering the seventh against Penn on Friday. It was cold and wet, and Noblesville fought to extend everyone's misery (said quasi-jokingly), scoring four runs and loading the bases as the clock neared 11 p.m.
That rally fell a run short, but Bullard's bunch bounced back a little over 12 hours later, erasing a 3-2 deficit with a five-run fifth that featured five two-out hits, including a pair of home runs, the first a three-run shot by Izzy Zapp and the second by Maggie Kern scored two more.
Those bombs were the first of Zapp and Kern's high school career, and all seven of Noblesville's earned runs came against Lake Central ace Maddie Such, who entered the weekend with a 1.50 ERA and had yet to allow more than two earned runs in an appearance this season.
"They won't quit. They won't fold their tents up and go home. They will fight to the end and that's what we love about them," Bullard said following the 7-4 triumph, just the second of his career vs. LC. "When you're willing to do that, you can stay in a lot of games."
Noblesville's response to Friday's loss was not unexpected or abnormal, Bullard said, crediting it to the culture they've created over the past 10 years. They're willing to get into a fight and with how they schedule, they know how to respond to adversity.
Speaking of the schedule — which has already taken Noblesville (9-1) through Avon, Fishers, West Lafayette Harrison, defending 3A champ Western, Penn and Lake Central — it continues to have exactly zero chill moving forward.
New Palestine on Monday, Westfield on Tuesday, then Cathedral on Wednesday.
Noblesville quick hits
∎ Emme Yee was solid against Lake Central, allowing only two earned runs on nine hits with four walks and five strikeouts over seven innings. The defense behind her was excellent and she did a very good job of avoiding major damage.
She allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with nine strikeouts and zero walks in a 12-3 win over Western, then did not allow a run pitching in relief against Penn on Friday.
"I've just been going in, trusting myself and trusting my spin," Yee said following the Lake Central game. "I know I'll get behind sometimes, but I want to keep getting back and just honestly letting my defense get outs and work behind me."
∎ After facing three outside pitches, Zapp was looking inside on her home run. "It went inside and I (got a hold of it)," she smiled.
The sophomore outfielder also made some key plays defensively in the seventh to help preserve the lead.
"We knew this was going to be a tough game and we came out strong," Zapp said. "We had each other's dives and Brookelyn Grayson's dive (for the third out) sealed the win."
∎ Kern on her home run: "I was just looking to attack early in the count. I swung at the first pitch earlier and it didn't end up well for me, but I'm going to attack what I like. I saw that pitch down and I swung it."
Bulldogs, Knights complete two-day marathon
Brownsburg and Castle managed to fit in six outs before torrential downpours forced the suspension of their game Friday evening. Action resumed Saturday afternoon with the teams engaging in a scoreless stalemate that dragged into the bottom of the seventh.
Ashley Sylvia reached on a one-out bunt, then came around to score on a walk-off triple by Bailey Paddock five pitches later (one of which clipped Paddock as she attempted a bunt).
Sylvia said they discussed reading the defense and formulating a gameplan from there. The infield moved in for her first at-bat, but was playing behind the bases when she came up again in the seventh, so she laid down the bunt.
"So that bunt? I wasn't actually supposed to do that. I missed a call there," Paddock laughed. "I was supposed to swing away right away, but nobody knew that and it worked in my favor, so that's OK."
Paddock said Castle was pitching away against her, so she looked to take it to right field.
The walk-off win over a high-quality 4A opponent was critical for the Bulldogs, who had lost three straight and five of their past six. The most recent setback, a 3-2 decision at Mooresville, was particularly painful.
"We were down on ourselves mentally (after Mooresville), so we really used our couple losses to come back together as a team, to work as a team and I think we saw that today with the back-to-back hits," Sylvia said.
"This was a game we needed," Paddock added.
Cathedral precedes daunting stretch with 'team talk'; opens it with small ball
The Irish had "a team talk" Friday to discuss things like energy, players' roles on the team, leading and staying positive. The timing may seem peculiar for a team that entered the weekend 11-0 with a 141-20 run differential, but it was very intentional.
Saturday's 4-0 win over 4A power Castle launched Cathedral into the meat of its schedule, with games upcoming against Noblesville, Roncalli, Carmel, Zionsville, Yorktown, Shelbyville and (probably) Bishop Chatard at the City tournament. That stretch should have the 3rd-ranked team in 3A ready to roll come sectionals, but they wanted to make sure everyone was in the right headspace heading in.
The response?
"It was awesome. It was chilling," said junior Sidney Feczko, who spun a one-hit shutout vs. Castle with 10 strikeouts.
"Yeah, everyone was really receptive to those conversations and it really worked out," added junior outfielder Amya Gary, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. "I hope it keeps up."
In addition to her two hits, Gary also initiated a seventh-inning rally, reaching on an error to lead things off. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, then came in to score on a misplayed bunt to third. (Gary dodged the tag but missed home plate initially, but recovered and tapped the plate amid the confusion as everyone awaited the umpire's call.)
Gary said once she reached they looked to continue applying pressure on the Castle defense by bunting. "Small ball can definitely change the pace of the game."
"We've been practicing bunting a lot recently," Feczko added. "We can't hit until we bunt. We have to get three down, then we can hit and if you're bunting the entire time, you're bunting the entire time. It's definitely translating into gameplay."
Cathedral (12-0) has games this week vs. Lawrence North, Noblesville and Avon ahead of the City tournament on Saturday.
Wrestling x Softball: The Peyton Dwigans Story
Though both probably looked worse in-person than on video, Penn catcher Peyton Dwigans took the hit to make the play on a couple occasions in Friday's wild 7-6 win over Noblesville.
On the first, Dwigans fielded a wild pitch that bounced off the backstop and dove toward home plate, blocking off the runner as she came barreling in. She held on and got the out, keeping the score at 2-2 entering the bottom of the fifth.
The second play came with significantly higher stakes: A precarious two-run lead with no outs in the top of the seventh.
Haley Schatko roped a liner off the wall in center. Izabella Hanna hit the relay throw to shortstop Shannon Rudge, who executed a perfect throw from the edge of the infield to the third-base side of home plate, where Dwigans was able to gain control and absorb contact as the runner tried to evade the tag.
"They weren't bad, honestly. I wrestled this year, so I've had a lot worse," Dwigans said. " I like them. I like plays like that."
"She put her body on the line for us," senior Ava Zachary added. "She played her heart out tonight and we really appreciate everything she did behind the plate. We couldn't have won the game without her effort behind there."
Sadie Winsett working her way back for Castle
Castle is in the process of bringing back a major piece to its team with senior Sadie Winsett returning to the circle earlier this week. The Lee University-bound righty had been sidelined with a UCL injury suffered during the travel season. She said it "took her out for a little bit" and got worse at the beginning of the preps campaign.
Winsett went 14-2 last season with a 2.29 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 94.2 innings pitched. She has been able to bat this season, clocking a .326 average with 15 hits (one homer), nine runs and seven RBIs.
"My arm's doing well," said Winsett, who allowed two unearned runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout over three innings against Cathedral. "I'm glad to be back — slowly but surely. I just love helping my team out."
Winsett was limited to 46 pitches Saturday (she did not pitch against Brownsburg). They plan to bump up 10-20 pitches next week and continue to evaluate from there.
"I'm itching to get more every time," she laughed, "but (coach Pat Lockyear) keeps me in place."
Uni watch
Noblesville-Lake Central provided the best uniform combo with the black with gold pinstripes paired against blue with white pinstripes, but Penn had the best uniforms of the event with the grey/black combo that featured script "Kingsmen" across the chest.
A very clean look.
"We took them back," Zachary said. "They were our JV's last year and we wanted them. Maybe they're our good luck charm and might be our signature color."
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Indianapolis Star
11 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'To be coached by him is to be loved.' Noblesville softball carries assistant's memory with them
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. "We've had the curse of the rain," Duvall said the following morning. "I went back (Wednesday) night and thought about every single game we played in the rain — and we've struggled each time. So I think it was underlying thoughts of, 'Oh no, we're playing in the rain and we've struggled with that in the past.' It made us tense up." After a few minutes of silence, Grayson addresses the team, analyzing Harrison pitcher Bradi Odom and strategizing how she and her teammates should adjust. "Thanks, coach Brookie," a teammate says. Grayson, a Duke commit, is back with the Millers following a two-year hiatus and has been a perfect fit. A first team All-State honoree, she leads the team in average (.545), hits (42) and runs (35) and ranks third with 23 RBIs, while in the field, having her at shortstop has allowed everyone else to return to their natural positions. "Brookie is someone I look to when I need someone to pick me up and need encouragement," Rundle said, both responsibilities all six seniors have embraced this season. "We've taken the role of not necessarily being the type of leader who bosses people around, but picks other people up," she continued. "Each of us has been selfless this year." "Addi prays for the team before every game which helps us settle in, and of course we're always thinking of Lutz and reminding ourselves that he's here with us," Grayson added. "I think that gives us a moment to relax and say 'We're here. This is an opportunity we need to take advantage of and not be scared of the moment.'" As the rains begin letting up, Bullard re-enters and offers another pep talk before play resumes, imploring them to find their energy and asking how many games they've been down in. We're not even down, Emmerson interjects. "Yeah," Bullard continues, "you guys are acting like your dog just died." It was at this point the players immediately looked at Grayson. Unbeknownst to Bullard, her cat recently ran away and "is likely dead now" — making for an awkward, but also darkly humorous exchange that brought a bit of levity to the room. "How bad do we want it?" one of the seniors calls out as the Millers file out of the building. "We didn't come all the way up here just to lie down." Rundle kept repeating the same thing over and over to Izzy Zapp as she tracked a third-inning fly ball to right field. Trust yourself. Trust yourself. Trust yourself. No one was blaming Zapp for the second-inning double that preceded the initial rain delay and ultimately resulted in Harrison's first run. It's normally a routine play for the sophomore outfielder, but with raindrops the size of mini-marshmallows pelting her in the face, the level of difficulty was raised exponentially. "She's made how many catches out there in that exact same spot?" Grayson said. "Watching that play I was like, 'Oh, she's going to catch it,' but when there's a downpour coming at you and you're looking up — I mean, for me at least, I wouldn't be able to catch it." It can be easy for a player to get down on themselves in that situation, Rundle observed, so the seniors and coaches immediately set about picking up Zapp. "Knowing that she has her teammates behind her has really helped her throughout the season, but Izzy's definitely had a huge role in our success," she said. Trust yourself. When Harrison hit a fly ball to the exact same spot in the third, Zapp fielded it without incident, stranding a runner on second and holding the score at 1-0. "That's really us embodying Lutz," Emmerson said, recalling how Lutz would tell her a joke, then ask her to give one back to keep her spirits up during games and at practice. "That's exactly how he was. Always positive and encouraging," the Lee commit continued. "And I think missing him challenged us to fulfill that role in ways, as teammates, that we hadn't thought of before." There's a sense of confidence among the seniors as they look ahead to the final 2.5 innings of their 4A regional final vs. Harrison from the NHS parking lot Thursday morning. They understand the challenge ahead, but also recognize this type of situation can bring out the best in them, accentuating the grittiness that enabled this group to have so much success. And considering what they've already overcome this season, by no means does a 7-0 deficit with no outs in the bottom of the fifth seem insurmountable "I know he's probably listening to this interview right now, so Lutz, we all love you and we miss you. And we can't wait to keep playing for you," Rundle smiled. Noblesville's journey ended Thursday night, 24 hours after it began. The Millers escaped the fifth inning without allowing another run, but were unable to capitalize with two runners on in the sixth, then went down in order in the seventh. Final score: 7-0. Harrison (11-12) advances to face Penn in Saturday's semistate semifinal; Noblesville finishes 19-8. As they reflected upon the possible end of their season, the seniors — as they have all year — were quick to provide perspective. "Having the chance to play at regionals and having the chance to play in general is just a blessing," the Bellarmine-bound Yee said. "To be here together in this community, in this program, is something we should cherish. Win or lose, we should do what Lutz did and have a smile on our face; be positive and carry on his (legacy) and the love he had for his family and everyone around him. That's something we should all carry on together, not just in softball, but in life in general."
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