Why Cathedral is playing for 3A title: Chemistry, speed and unsung heroes

Indianapolis Star

2 days ago

INDIANAPOLIS — There are pieces missing from the Cathedral softball trophy case, notable absences amidst the numerous City crowns, 22 sectional championships and seven regional titles. The Irish secured the first of those two pieces with last weekend's semistate sweep of New Palestine and Evansville Memorial. Now they'll try to complete the program's collection against Hanover Central in the Class 3A state championship game (7 p.m. Saturday).
This opportunity would be special regardless, longtime coach Tony Matthews said Wednesday. He and assistant coach Linda Bamrick have waited 14 years for this opportunity (four regional titles during their tenure). But to do it with this group? That makes it all the more meaningful.
"This group of girls, the way they have fought for each other, we're just so excited for them," Matthews said. "They have each other's backs all the time. … They just believe."
Team chemistry was a talking point entering the season, too, one cited by senior shortstop Anna Moore during preseason media day as perhaps the team's biggest strength. The players began going to Bible study together last season, which "brought us together in a way not many other schools can replicate," she explained.
"It's really special being able to share faith and our love for each other," the Purdue commit continued. "The environment we've created is so special."
Those bonds further elevated an already highly talented Cathedral outfit, which is 28-2 with notable regular-season wins over West Lafayette Harrison, Lutheran, Silver Creek, Danville, Castle, Noblesville, Avon, Roncalli and East Central.
After breezing to tournament wins over Bishop Chatard, Herron and Lebanon, the Irish found themselves trailing New Palestine, 1-0, after a half inning — a potentially devastating development against the powerhouse Dragons, who run-ruled them at regional last spring.
But there was never any panic nor any moments of doubt inside the Cathedral dugout.
They continued trusting each other and stayed the course, keeping their opponent at bay until the bottom of the fifth when freshman Jordyn Hazelwood ripped a bases-loaded triple to set her side on course for a 4-1 victory.
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Now the upperclassmen-led Irish are on the precipice of program history, looking to fight off an upset-minded Hanover Central outfit that punched its ticket to West Lafayette by dethroning defending 3A state champion Western (2-1 in nine innings).
The Wildcats feature an up-and-coming freshman in ace Jillian Deyoung — she allowed only one unearned run on 10 hits with 13 strikeouts over nine innings last Saturday — and a lineup that's batting .341 collectively against a schedule highlighted by 2A finalist Andrean, Munster, Lake Central, 4A finalist Crown Point and New Prairie.
"At this point, we're not even playing for ourselves," senior first baseman Maddie Liter said. "We're playing for the coaches. We want to win it for them. We want to put the plaque up for Cathedral as a school, to have this recognition, and for the program that Matthews and Bam have built."
"I'm so happy we get this last game together," senior third baseman Angie Valentine added.
Here's why the Irish are playing for state.
Feczko as a sophomore: 20-4, 2.00 ERA (40 earned runs), 169 strikeouts, .210 opponent batting average (14 doubles), .288 opponent on-base.
Feczko this season: 19-1, 1.25 ERA (23 earned runs), 204 strikeouts, .141 OBA (2 doubles), .239 OBP.
The junior Dartmouth commit was tagged for 12 runs (five earned) in last year's season-ending loss to New Palestine. She "really took that personally" and within a day or two, she was back to work, dedicating herself to both the mental and physical aspects of her game.
Feczko — who's also among the team's leading hitters at .459 with 39 hits, seven doubles, five homers and 28 RBIs — spun a one-hit shutout of Castle with 10 strikeouts at the Carmel Invite, struck out 16 in the sectional opener against Chatard and totaled 23 strikeouts with only three runs allowed last Saturday at semistate.
"She's starting to believe in herself," Moore said. "She's always lacked confidence, which is crazy with how amazing she is, but we've tried to instill in her, like, 'Dude, you're so amazing. Just believe in yourself.'"
Cathedral has turned more double plays (27) than it has committed errors (21).
None of its fielders have been charged with more than seven miscues, and the two leaders in that category deserve context. Hazelwood's (6) athleticism and understanding of the game allow her to make plays that more than make up for the occasional miscue (more on the up-and-coming middle infielder this week), while Liter (5) is among the team leaders with a .958 fielding percentage.
Cathedral went four consecutive games without an error, then recorded an out on 23-of-24 total chances against Memorial in the semistate championship game.
You have to earn your opportunities against the Irish, because they seldom beat themselves.
"It takes so much stress off my shoulders," Feczko said of her defense. "I'm not scared to miss a pitch, which is really important because you need to trust everything you have. If by chance you don't hit that spot, you need to trust your defense has your back."
When Hazelwood ripped that ball to the left field wall against New Palestine, Matthews knew Moore was scoring from first base.
In the championship game against Memorial, Cathedral stole four bases and scored three of their four runs on passed balls.
For the season, they've stolen 110 bases (120 attempts).
Cathedral's baserunners are taught to keep their hips pointed in the direction of the next base, Matthews said. They're always in a running stance and when they shuffle off, they're still looking at second base or looking at home so they don't have to crossover.
There are names and statlines atop that Cathedral lineup that will grab your attention immediately: Liter (Austin Peay commit), Moore, Valentine (Evansville) and Feczko have all been massive presences at the plate during their careers, and Hazelwood has met (if not exceeded) the sky-high expectations ascribed to her entering the season.
But it's been the emergence of outfielder Amya Gary, outfielder/third baseman Sydney Matthews and catcher Kelsey Beres in the 6-7-8 spots that has brought much-needed depth to this lineup and made it very difficult to pitch around anyone.
Gary, a junior, is in the midst of a breakout season, batting .436 with 34 hits, 20 RBIs and 24 runs. She's maintained a .511 OBP and stolen 18 bases on 19 attempts, with her game log highlighted by a couple three-hit outings. She had a double and a run scored vs. Memorial.
Matthews maintained her average around .400 most of the season, and currently sits at .362 with 25 hits, 19 RBIs and 22 runs scored. She has homered twice (first of her career) and swiped seven bases.
Beres has shined in her first season as starting catcher, going error-free in the field with a double play, while also logging 19 hits (five doubles) and 16 RBIs at the plate.
Another name to keep an eye on: Curstyn Hansbrough, who's logged 16 hits and stolen seven bases through 30 games.