NEW PALESTINE — Winning a state championship in record-breaking fashion in 2017 wasn’t enough.
The New Palestine Dragons went right back to work.
Winning a second consecutive state championship June 9, in another record-breaking season, still wasn’t enough.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryAgain, the Dragons went right back to work.
Two days after winning the 2018 state softball championship, the program’s fifth title, the Dragons were back in the weight room. They’ve been there — four days a week when travel softball schedules allow — ever since.
The results speak for themselves over the years. Heading into 2017, the state record for home runs in a season by a team was 37. New Palestine shattered that last year with 57 home runs and then bested their own mark this year, upping the record to 69 homers.
While the Dragons have long used the weight room as a strengthening tool, things took a noticeable turn in 2013, when New Palestine football coach Kyle Ralph took over the program.
Dragons softball coach Ed Marcum saw the impact Ralph was having with his football team in the weight room. He started pushing his softball players to take Advanced P.E. with Ralph, hoping to see the same kind of impact with his team.
“The first time I saw the football team in the weight room while we were in there, I stood back in awe at what he got out of those kids,” Marcum said. “I knew if my kids would buy into it, he could do the same thing with them.”
To say they’ve bought in is an understatement.
During this year’s state tournament, the team was in the weight room Monday morning after winning semistate in Jasper on a Saturday. They were there the Friday before leaving for the state championship game, taking part in a “Championship Lift” with Ralph.
They won the state title, and when Ralph went to congratulate members of the team after the game in West Lafayette, he said many of them asked him when they could get back in the weight room and were talking about things to work on over the course of the summer.
Two days later, they were back in the weight room, putting in the work to improve for the 2019 season.
“It is so important because most players have talent, but once they hit the weight room you can just tell a huge jump in not only stats, but even in the way they play,” Dragons junior Tatum Biddle said. “Coach Ralph’s Advanced P.E. class has helped me tremendously. I wouldn’t be half the player I am today if it weren’t for Coach Ralph and the weight room.”
The strength program isn’t just about the weights. Many members of the softball team attended 6 a.m. football workouts with Ralph during the season, which consisted solely of running.
That, too, played a part, and it all added up to another championship season.
“The strength program made all of us stronger and want to work harder to get higher numbers in all of the categories,” senior Rieley Widmann said. “It made all of us push each other and motivate each other. Without him pushing us in the weight room, we wouldn’t have been able to hit 69 home runs, go 30-1 on the season, or win another state title.”
Only 69 players in the state of Indiana hit at least eight home runs in 2018. Six of those players were Dragons, led by Ashley Prange’s 17 and followed by 10 from Michaela Jones, nine from Jaylin Calvert and Biddle, and eight from Macy Miller and Emily O’Connor.
New Palestine boasting almost 10 percent of the state’s top power hitters is a testament to the work the team has put in and the program Ralph runs.
“When you have a group that is as talented as they are and combine that with the work ethic they’ve shown in the weight room to develop their power, explosiveness and speed, they’ve proven incredible results are possible,” Ralph said.
Prange, who won Miss Softball this year and holds the state record for most home runs in a career and most RBIs in a season, is a shining example of progression helped along by the weight room.
As a freshman, she hit three home runs. As a sophomore the number improved a bit, jumping up to five. That’s an expected progression.
Then, as a junior, the number jumped to a then-state-record 21 home runs. While her coach said she made some changes to her swing and gained confidence going into her junior year, he also attributed the weight room as a big factor to her growth.
“The time and effort Coach Ralph has put into the team and myself to make us stronger and better is indescribable,” Prange said. “His strength program is top-notch, and to say the least, very effective. Being able to break our own home run record from last year demonstrates the weight room’s impact and how important strength training is to softball and sports in general.”
While they have set plenty of records on the field, they are doing the same off the field.
Many of the Dragons now hold records in the weight room or appear in the top five all-time lifters for their class.
“Seeing them embrace that process in the weight room, which a lot of people aren’t willing to do, to get the best out of themselves and be rewarded with another incredible season was fun to be a part of,” Ralph said. “I’m proud of them, incredibly proud, and I’m honored they bought into my program and process and allowed me to be a part of it.
“They went out then and played as a team and followed great coaching on the field to be rewarded with their ultimate prize. An incredible group to be a part of that I will never forget working with.”