Latest news with #IndianaMissSoftball
Indianapolis Star
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Notre Dame commit Ava Zachary voted Indiana Miss Softball. 'Such a surreal moment'
Beth Zachary once compared her second-oldest daughter, Ava, to Rocky. "Ava does extra work that is intentional and purposeful. She does the basic things over and over," the Penn softball coach told the South Bend Tribune in April. "It's not pretty, but she has goals and knows what she wants. She's like Rocky Balboa. That's what makes her elite, special." That work ethic is a point of pride for Ava Zachary. The Penn senior third baseman is never satisfied. She's constantly looking to get better, to unlock a better version of herself as she plays for those around her. "That's always in my mind when I'm going to practice or going to work out," Zachary said Sunday morning. "I'm doing it for my teammates. I'm doing it for my team, for my coaches, for everybody that supports me. Not myself." That relentless dedication and selfless mindset are defining characteristics and have elevated Zachary among the state's elite. Now officially a freshman at Notre Dame, Zachary posted awe-inspiring statistics in her four high school seasons: a .482 batting average, 196 hits, 169 runs, 174 RBIs, 41 doubles and 20 home runs, 79 stolen bases and a .926 fielding percentage. She helped the Kingsmen to a 103-26-1 record, extended their regional championship streak to a state-record 11 straight and led them to the 2023 Class 4A state title as a sophomore, delivering the game-tying triple and scoring the eventual winning run in the ninth inning vs. Roncalli. Zachary is a three-time all-state honoree and on Saturday, she received one final accolade as a high schooler with the Indiana Softball Coaches Association voting her Indiana Miss Softball for 2025. Zachary is the Penn Kingsmen to win the award. She finished ahead of fellow finalists Ava Geyer (New Prairie), Katelyn Marx (Tecumseh), Izzy Neal (Brownsburg) and Addison Stieneker (Shelbyville). "It was really such a surreal moment," Zachary said of winning the award. "I had no expectations going into it at all. It was just such an amazing opportunity to be up there alongside all those girls and all the amazing talent throughout Indiana. I'm so grateful." Being the first from Penn to win the award exemplifies the support system within their community, Zachary said. "Everybody there really supports you and pushes you to be your best," she later added. "(And) when you have all those people behind you, it makes everything a lot more fun and makes it easier to work hard and be present in the moment." At the foundation of Ava's support system are her mom, head coach Beth Zachary; dad, assistant coach David Zachary; older sister, 2023 grad Aubrey; and younger sister, current Penn freshman Addyson. "It's been such a grateful journey and I'm so thankful for every moment I got to share with them on the field," Ava said. In softball terms, Zachary will go down as one of — if not the — best players in Penn softball history, a status she further cemented with an explosive senior campaign. Zachary batted a career-best .543 for the state semifinalists with 10 doubles, four triples and eight homers, career-highs in both RBIs (62) and runs (46), and 50 hits, which marked her third consecutive season with at least that many. She also stole 22 bases and maintained her status as one of the state's best defenders, committing just one error on 54 chances at the hot corner with 18 putouts, 35 assists and a double play. "Ava's dynamic. She's a great kid and plays hard," a Central Indiana coach said of her before the season. "She's ready to take control of the game at any time." Zachary's statistics, both this season and for her career, command attention. But that's not how she wants her legacy to be defined. "I'd rather be remembered as a good person, a good leader, someone who people could go to on and off the field," Zachary said. "People remember how you treat them, how you make them feel more than your stats or how you were as a player." That attitude was critical to Penn's success this spring. Though typically one to lead more by example, Zachary sought to become a more consistent vocal presence as one of the team's 11 seniors, doing her part to help foster the development of the incoming freshmen and underclassmen. The third baseman was intentional within her role, she said, constantly talking up her pitchers in the circle. "When you're able to talk to them on the field and have their backs, then they know you're there for them and playing for them," she said. As for what's ahead, Zachary is already enrolled and taking summer classes at Notre Dame, knocking out a few credit hours to help lighten her class load next spring. She's doing all this while still playing softball, of course, flying out on Thursday to join her travel team for that weekend's event. "It's definitely nice being able to play alongside all my teammates and friends from across the country," she said, "but I'm just making sure I'm seeing live pitching, live at-bats and getting reps; staying in the game and not taking the summer off."
Indianapolis Star
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
IHSAA softball state finals: Scores, schedule, ticket information, complete coverage
Below are pairings, schedules, ticket information and TV information for the 2025 Indiana high school softball state championship games. The two-day, four-game event is scheduled for June 13-14 at Purdue's Bittinger Stadium. All-state: Coaches pick IHSAA's top players More: Meet the five finalists for 2025 Indiana Miss Softball Read more: 33 years later, North Newton trailblazers finally see Spartans win softball state title 'It means so much.' Lizzy Sinders caps Clay City career at state with dad, sister in dugout. Read more: Class 4A softball state championship game postponed to Saturday Read more: Why Cathedral is playing for 3A title: Chemistry, speed and unsung heroesd $15 per person per day. Children age 5 and younger admitted free. All seats general admission. No pass outs. Digital tickets will be available through your mobile phone and may be purchased through Eventlink (additional fees apply). Present your purchase verification on your mobile phone at the gate for admission. Gates open to spectators 90 minutes before the start of the first game each day. Spectators are also encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the hill overlooking center and right field. All four state championship games will stream exclusively at via pay-per-view for $15 per game or $20 for all games.
Indianapolis Star
04-06-2025
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana high school softball all-state teams: Coaches pick IHSAA's top players
The Softball Coaches Association of Indiana announced its all-state honorees for the 2025 high school softball season. Players are divided into Class A/2A and 3A/4A, with first, second and third teams for each class. Teams were selected through a process organized by the SCAI. More: Meet the five finalists for 2025 Indiana Miss Softball
Indianapolis Star
04-06-2025
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Meet the five finalists for 2025 Indiana Miss Softball
The finalists for 2025 Indiana Miss Softball have been announced by the Indiana Softball Coaches Association. Each district gets one finalist for the senior-only award as voted upon by their respective coaches. The winner of this year's award will be announced at the SCAI All-Star games 21 at IU's Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. Meet this year's finalists. Geyer finished her senior season with a 1.17 ERA (18 earned runs allowed) and it actually raised her career average to 0.98. She was that dominant in the circle, stringing together three consecutive seasons with a sub-1.00 ERA and totaling 1,096 strikeouts — 228 of which came this spring. The Western Michigan signee did this while also raking at the plate, batting .434 with 157 hits, 119 RBIs and 24 home runs for her career. She batted .444 with 40 hits, 37 RBIs, 12 doubles, a triple and five homers as a senior. Geyer led the Cougars to a Class 3A state championship as a sophomore, batting .478 with a career-high eight homers, and posting a 0.99 ERA with a career-high 300 strikeouts over 155 innings in the circle. Marx is a three-sport standout and among the most-decorated athletes in school history. She won three sectional titles with two state runner-up finishes in volleyball, helped secure a basketball state championship as a freshman and is currently in search of her fourth consecutive softball state finals appearance (titles in 2022 and 2023). Limited to her softball career, Marx set the single-season hits record as a freshman, broke it as a sophomore, then surpassed it once more with a couple hits in Tuesday's regional, leaving her with 56 for the season and 226for her career. The standout outfielder has also scored 43 runs and stolen 23 bases this season, and has 191 runs, 226 hits and 118 steals for her career — placing her among the all-time state leaders in each category. The future Buckeye batted an astonishing .588 (50 hits) against one of the state's toughest schedules as a senior. She only struck out three times, drew five walks and rounded out her line with 33 runs, a couple doubles and eight RBIs. Neal is a career .480 hitter with 153 hits, 114 runs scored, 35 RBIs and a paltry 22 strikeouts in 345 plate appearances. In addition to boasting a career-best .936 fielding percentage (42 putouts and two assists on 47 total chances), Neal broke her own school record with 39 steals, leaving her with 111 through four varsity seasons. Neal, a state track qualifier, helped the Dawgs to 63 wins during her career, with back-to-back 18-win campaigns. More: How a conversation her sophomore year helped Izzy Neal bat nearly .600 as a senior Stieneker exploded offensively this season, setting career-highs in average (.582), runs (52), hits (57), RBIs (49), doubles (20), triples (3), home runs (14) and stolen bases (8). She did her damage across 120 plate appearances (98 at-bats), and did so while striking out just nine times. The Marshall commit finished her career with a .459 average, 174 hits, 121 runs, 154 RBIs , 49 doubles and 29 homers. She did not strike out more than nine times in any of her four varsity seasons, and established herself as a dependable fielder, posting a .929 career fielding percentage on 325 total chances. Stieneker took part in two sectional championship runs, with the Golden Bears reaching the semistate finals her freshman season. Already a phenomenal fielder, Zachary is amidst her best season yet at the hot corner, committing a career-low one error on 45 chances at the hot corner with 17 putouts and 27 assists. She's increased her efficiency at the plate, as well, batting a career-high .548 with 46 hits in 84 at-bats. The Notre Dame commit has also driven in 60 runs, scored 43 runs herself, and rounds out her line with 10 doubles, four triples and seven home runs. Zachary is batting .481 for her career with 192 hits, 172 RBIs, 19 home runs, 19 triples, 41 doubles and 166 runs scored. She's also stolen 77 bases in four seasons (20this spring), and led the Kingsmen to a 4A state championship her sophomore season. More on Zachary: 'We're very lucky to be able to do this together.' Penn coach enjoys ride with daughters.
