29-05-2025
Kiley Renick 'brings people with her.' When she has that command, she's 'a force to be reckoned with'
MOORESVILLE — Kiley Renick silently packed up her things and left the visitors' dugout. It was an unseasonably chilly, damp night in Mooresville and the mood on that side of the field was understandably somber, with the Franklin Central softball team still reeling from a heartbreaking 3-0 loss to Center Grove in the Class 3A Sectional 12 championship game.
Before reuniting with her family, Renick walked down the third base line towards left field. There, she was met by coach Erica Glasener, who tearfully wrapped the junior pitcher in a hug, before talking with her one-on-one for a few minutes.
"I know a loss like that is hard, especially on a pitcher," Glasener said. "So I was reminding her that she has one more year — and she's going to be a force to be reckoned with. She's doing amazing things in amazing ways, and just needs to keep that mentality of 'I'm a leader. I'm strong. I can fight through this and come back stronger.'"
More: Sydney Herrmann has been 'killing it.' She delivered again to send Center Grove to regional
If Renick progresses next spring like she did in 2025, she'll further solidify herself among the area's best — and within her class.
After posting an ERA around 4.50 the past couple seasons, the Western Michigan commit posted a 3.95 ERA with a career-high 10 wins and 98 strikeouts. She walked a few more hitters and allowed a couple more home runs than last season, but Renick also worked 101 innings (career-high) and emerged as one of FC's most dependable hitters, batting .454 with 44 hits, 27 runs, 38 RBIs, three homers, 18 doubles and a triple.
Franklin Central took care to preserve Renick's arm ahead of Wednesday's sectional finale, using her sparingly against Mooresville (92 pitches in 4.1 innings) and Southport (63 pitches in three innings). And though it very nearly backfired — Mooresville scored four in the seventh and led 10-8 in the eighth; Southport led 7-2 after four — the strategy ultimately paid off.
Renick was sharp from the jump vs. CG, striking out two in the first, another in the second and recording the first two outs in the third before encountering turbulence. Lead-off hitter Mae Munson was hit by a pitch, Brynn Meyer notched CG's second hit of the game then senior Sydney Herrmann chased them in with a double to center.
"I just didn't get the pitch outside enough and she barreled it up," lamented Renick, who finished her final appearance of the season with three runs allowed on five hits with zero walks and five strikeouts. "But you can't always get every pitch."
Renick is the type of player who wants to do everything, Glasener observed, listing off her standout player's contributions at the plate, in the circle and on the basepaths. And perhaps most importantly, she wants to be a leader, a vocal presence in the dugout who gets everyone involved.
It's a necessary role — and one Renick is well-suited for.
"One of the things I just told her was she can bring people with her," Glasener said. "People are going to follow her lead, her command, on the field. And when she has that command, we are solid. That's a special thing for her to have."
That command, Glasener continued, was not there at the beginning of the season.
And as an entire team, they were "timid."
This season was the first without Kathy Stricker leading the Franklin Central softball program. The 67-year old coach died in July following a five-year battle with cancer. She was remembered for being an advocate for girls' sports during her 45-year career as a teacher and coach at FC, and was literally the only head coach in the softball program's history.
The Franklin Central coaches and players didn't know what they were coming into, Glasener said. "It was a changing program."
"Nobody's been here besides Strick," she continued, pausing briefly to collect herself. "That's been a hard thing for us to overcome. … We carried (Stricker) with us (this season). She's been with us the entire time. And watching Kiley grow into that (leadership) role has been phenomenal to see."
Glasener pointed to a mid-April game against New Palestine as the turning point in their season. They held a memorial for Stricker that night and were run-ruled, mustering just five runs in a 10-0 loss. It was rough because of the emotions involved, Renick said, "but that also made us realize what we were playing for."
"It made us really think about what we were doing and lit a fire under our butts."
Three days later, Franklin Central headed to the Lake Central tournament, where they took down out-of-state powers Lincoln-Way Central and Edwardsburg, and went to the wire with Lake Central and its ace, Maddie Such.
The Flashes won 9-of-10 between the end of April through the start of May, and entered sectionals on a four-game win streak.
"I couldn't be more proud of our girls," Glasener said. "We stepped up and did things people did not expect us to do. We were in games that people did not expect us to be in, and we should be proud. We did a phenomenal thing this year, and there's more to come."
