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Indianapolis Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Emma Vargo won't allow dislocated shoulder to keep her from postseason. 'I love this team'
FISHERS — Emma Vargo was the last player to be introduced ahead of Zionsville's Class 4A Sectional 8 quarterfinal vs. Westfield. The senior patiently waited her turn, high-fiving and cheering on each of her teammates, before doing one last spin around and taking the field herself, sharing a laugh with teammates Leah Helton, Charli Westerfield and Hadley Bray as she passed through the pitching circle. Vargo fielded a fly ball to center in the second and had a front-row seat as the Eagles staged a dramatic sixth-inning rally, tying the score at 1-1 with an RBI triple by Hadley Bray, then taking the lead on a Westerfield double a few pitches later. Vargo nearly iced the victory with a diving catch in center in the seventh, but the ball dropped in ahead of her and the 2-1 win was instead completed with a groundout to second. "It keeps the energy up (even having Vargo in the field)," Westerfield said. "We know we can always count on her out there." Vargo was nearly denied these moments, at least in the capacity she experienced them Monday night. The senior outfielder popped her left shoulder out, reaggravating a years-old shoulder injury, while punching through the eventual game-winning two-RBI single against West Lafayette Harrison at the end of April. Vargo was bent over in pain at first base, but after taking a moment to collect herself, she finished out the final three innings. Vargo felt that same pain against Westfield eight days later. Only this time it was worse. Much worse. Her shoulder popped out "pretty good" while taking a swing against Shamrocks ace and longtime friend Chloe Tanner. The pain was excruciating, Vargo said. Garrett had seen it before and "could see something was wrong when she swung and missed." "I tell kids, kiddingly, if they make contact, it won't hurt. But if they swing and miss, it hurts," he continued. "Everybody's happy if you hit the dang ball. You're happy because you're not hurting (as badly) and the team's happy because you put the ball in play. We try to keep things simple in Zionsville." Shoulder pain is nothing new for Vargo. She first dislocated her shoulder as an 11-year old and has been living with the occasional "sharp pain" in the joint ever since. Surgery was an option, she said, but there were no guarantees it would work and "I had softball to play." "So we put it in a sling and called it a day." Vargo has effectively managed the pain the past few years, but it began to worsen this spring. Her shoulder was "mad," she said, flaring up when she swung the bat and deteriorating as the season progressed — a well-hidden subplot to what's been a tremendous senior campaign. Vargo started the season 12-for-26 (.462) with 12 RBIs and six runs scored. She homered in the opener at Carmel and drove in the game-winning run vs. then-No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern in mid-April. Vargo has constantly improved since joining varsity as a freshman, Garrett said, and her emergence in the seven-spot this season further balanced their power-packed lineup. "It's pretty hard to pitch (anyone), because we've had kids like Emma step in and just hit," he added. But when Garrett saw Vargo's swing-and-miss vs. Westfield, he knew it was time to pull back, pinch-hitting during the at-bat with sophomore Kate Skura. "I told Emma to just relax," he said. "We want her for every game, but these are regular-season games. We're zeroing in on the second season, the postseason. And I knew with Kate coming along … Emma could take some time off." As Vargo gingerly retreated to the dugout, her mind immediately went to the darkest outcomes. This is it. Her senior year and softball career were both going to be cut short by injury. "I'm never going to get to play this amazing sport with my awesome teammates ever again." Though understandable, that sort of negativity is uncommon of Vargo. She's been a voice of positivity in the room throughout her career; a player who's earned her teammates' respect and is not afraid to hold them accountable. "She has a good nature about her and is a great influence on everyone," Garrett said. "We hope she can carry these things to whatever career she goes into, (because) she's going to be in high-demand," he continued. "People want to be around people like Emma Vargo." It took time for Vargo to fully regain her positive mentality — she was still a positive presence in the dugout, and credits her teammates and parents for helping her fully regain mental form — but the morning after the Westfield game she was already asking what she needed to do in order to return for sectionals. Physical therapy, rest and determination. There is a possibility the injury could get worse, Vargo said, but this is "the picture perfect situation." Her senior year with an incredibly close and talented team that's capable of winning a Class 4A state championship. More: Noblesville and its 'incredibly impressive' offense dethrone defending 4A state champion IHSAA softball sectionals: Central Indiana scores, schedule, updated pairings With no plans to play in college, Vargo accepted the risk, working with her physical therapist, trainer, parents and coaches to return to the lineup in time for the thrice-delayed regular-season finale vs. Noblesville. There was uncertainty over what her role might look like — and how it may evolve if Zionsville advances in the tournament — but given the Eagles' outfield depth (Skura has been very good), they're able to adjust based on Vargo's availability (hitting only, fielding only, pinch-hitting, etc.). Whatever she can do to help her team on the field, Vargo's ready to do it. "At the end of the day, I love softball, I love this team and I'm willing to (risk further injury)," Vargo said. "I'm just sticking it out."
Indianapolis Star
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IHSAA softball Fab 15: Center Grove, Cathedral move up in top-5; Westfield cracks rankings
Show Caption We're nearing the back-stretch of the Indiana high school softball regular season. Here's how the Indianapolis area's top teams stack up. 1. New Palestine (13-1) Last week: 1 The Dragons continue to look the part of one of the state's best, padding their record with wins over Noblesville (6-3), Center Grove (4-3) and Shelbyville (9-3). They continue firing on all cylinders with timely hitting (seven-plus hits in all three games this week) and really solid pitching (total of eight earned runs allowed this week; home run allowed vs. Shelbyville was first of the season). Now the big test: vs. Roncalli on Wednesday. The Dragons, who will likely encounter the Royals again in the state tournament, have lost five straight in the series. 2. Zionsville (12-2) LW: 2 The Eagles led Fishers, 7-2, entering the bottom of the fourth. Fishers tied the score in the bottom of the seventh. Zionsville answered with 10 runs in the eighth en route to the (probably pretty rare) 17-7 extra-innings win. Hadley Bray, Leah Helton, Sylvia Mudis and Olivia Kohler all had three-plus hits with Bray, Helton and Mudis all homering and driving in three-plus RBIs. Zionsville-Center Grove on Thursday. 3. Cathedral (16-0) LW: 4 The Irish host Roncalli on Monday, another quality test following wins over Lawrence North (9-4), Noblesville (7-5), Avon (15-10) and Cardinal Ritter (17-0) last week. The triumph over the Millers was headlined by Angie Valentine, who homered twice and drove in five RBIs. Ellis Land, the freshman, stole a base and Jordyn Hazelwood, Lola Scarsi, Anna Moore, Ellis Land and Maddie Liter all scored runs. 4. Center Grove (10-3) LW: 5 The Trojans grinded out a 5-4 win over Cascade, then dropped a narrow 4-3 decision vs. New Pal. CG took a 3-2 lead into the sixth, but the Dragons scored twice in the home half to pull out the win. Addison Wolff picked up two hits, Madisyn Tharpe drove in two runs (Brynn Meyer drove in the other) and Riley Fuhr allowed two runs on four hits over four innings in the circle. A trio of CG pitchers scored only one strikeout, but the defense went 26-for-27 behind them. 5. Hamilton Southeastern (11-5) LW: 7 The Royals bounced back from that 4-2 loss to Whiteland with shutouts of Fishers (6-0) and Pendleton Heights (5-0). Grace Swedarsky spun a two-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts against the Tigers, then spun a one-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts against Pendleton Heights. HSE hosts Lapel in between games at Noblesville and Brownsburg this week. t-6. Roncalli (14-2) LW: 6 The Royals went 4-2 on the week, beating Avon, Martinsville, Oak Forest (Ill.) and Benet Academy (Ill.) and falling to Franklin Central and Minooka (Ill.). This is an important stretch of games upcoming for Roncalli with Cathedral, New Palestine and Westfield this week, and Shelbyville and Noblesville lurking next week. t-6. Noblesville (11-5) LW: 3 The Millers' schedule is brutal. They went 2-4 this week, but those losses were against New Palestine (6-3), Westfield (7-6), Cathedral (7-5) and Plainfield (5-0). Each setback was competitive (a noteworthy development considering the level of competition. It's another busy, difficult stretch ahead with four games, highlighted by Hamilton Southeastern and Center Grove. 8. Plainfield (17-1) LW: 8 The Quakers scored a high-quality win Saturday, taking down host Noblesville, 5-0, at the Miller Invite. Kylie Fish and Kenzi Arnett both had multiple hits, while Fish and Maci Hanlin both homered and collected multiple RBIs. Kami Arnett and Sidney Parks combined for a no-hitter with six strikeouts and two walks. 9. Cascade (11-5) LW: 9 The Cadets played Center Grove tough on Monday, then swept the rest of the week, collecting wins over Greenwood, Hamilton Heights, Franklin, Franklin Central and McCutcheon. Grace Parks pitched a scoreless inning and collected three hits (one double) and two RBIs in a 6-4 win over the 4A Flashes. Cascade travels to Indian Creek on Tuesday. 10. Brownsburg (10-6) LW: 10 The Bulldogs rallied from a 4-0 deficit vs. Avon with a three-run fifth, but their rally fell short in a 5-3 loss. Izzy Neal had a couple hits and Ashley Sylvia had a couple RBIs, while freshman Etta Schroering allowed one unearned run on eight hits over 5.2 innings. Brownsburg bounced back with wins over Ben Davis and McCutcheon, and will continue its season with notable games upcoming against Plainfield and HSE. 11. Lapel (14-4) LW: 11 The Bulldogs split a Saturday doubleheader, falling to Triton Central and rolling past Greencastle. They finished the week 3-2 overall with additional wins over Mt. Vernon and New Castle and a 7-1 loss to Hagerstown. Lapel's week is loaded with Madison-Grant, Hamilton Southeastern and Eastern Hancock lined up. 12. Fishers (11-6) LW: 12 Wild week for the Tigers, who bounced back from the loss to HSE with a win over Mt. Vernon and that wild game against Zionsville. Kendall Jordan, Brooke Clayton, Cate Summerfield, Kate Murray, Adrianne Cook and Hailey Kinder all had two hits (12 of the team's 14, for those keeping count at home). Six of the Tigers' seven runs against ace Leah Helton were earned and they generated 10 hits. 13. Shelbyville (12-7) LW: 13 The Golden Bears offset a loss to New Palestine with a 10-run win over Greensburg and a 12-5 triumph over Triton Central. That win over the Tigers saw them jump out to a 10-2 lead after three innings, and featured seven total RBIs from Destiney Johnson (4) and Reagan Dillon (3). Anna Shearer had three hits; Gracie Crafton and Sydney Brown handled pitching duties. 14. Lutheran (10-5) LW: 14 The Saints dropped a 3-0 decision to Triton Central, then rolled to blowout wins over Warren Central and Scecina. They host Southport ahead of the Marion County tournament, which begins against Perry Meridian on Friday. Frankton on May 12 will be an interesting test for Lutheran. 15. Westfield (8-5) LW: NR The Rocks went 2-1, securing wins over Noblesville and Bishop Chatard, and dropping a five-run decision to Yorktown. Ava Kainrath clocked four hits and Sofia Easterhaus added three more against the Millers, while Chloe Tanner drove in three RBIs. Easterhaus, Kainrath and Makayla Watson all stole bases; Tanner allowed two earned runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings. Westfield has a brutal week ahead: Hamilton Heights, Zionsville, Roncalli and Mt. Vernon.
