NEW PALESTINE — Take a look at the state softball record books, and you’ll probably see a lot of entries about New Palestine’s offense.
The Dragons have been well-known for their hitting prowess and home run power, putting up video-game-like numbers in recent years.
Moving a bit under the radar, but equally as dominant this year, has been the battery. New Palestine’s pitching staff has a 1.69 ERA this season, with a combined 216 strikeouts and just 47 walks.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe pitching was very good a year ago, when the Dragons won their second consecutive state championship and fifth overall. This year, as they prepare for Saturday’s state final against Hoosier Heritage Conference rival Yorktown, the defending champions somehow boast even better pitching.
They are striking out more batters, walking fewer and allowing fewer runs than either of the previous two title-winning teams, thanks in large part to several new faces on the varsity roster.
Kaylea Bullock, last year’s No. 2 pitcher as a sophomore, was back this year and was expected to be in the mix. From there, it was uncertainty and some question marks.
“We really didn’t know in the winter; truthfully when we started tryouts we didn’t really know,” New Palestine coach Ed Marcum said of his pitching rotation. “We had nine pitchers in the program. Any time you have that many pitchers, it builds competition. That’s what we talked about all winter was the competition for somebody to step up and kind of distance themselves from the others. We obviously thought Kaylea coming into the season was going to have a strong year for us with the contributions she made as a sophomore.”
They were right. Bullock has had a fantastic year, with an 11-3 record and a 2.16 ERA.
She hasn’t been the only one having a strong year.
One of those pitchers who stepped up and created some separation in the offseason was sophomore Sam Booe. Entering Saturday’s championship game, she has a perfect 17-0 record and a team-best 1.63 ERA, along with more than half of the team’s strikeouts with 110.
“A lot of teams struggle to find one ace, and we’re fortunate enough to have two aces where we can interchange them on a whim,” assistant coach Alyssa Dillard said. “Kaylea does have more of a true rise ball. She does have a couple miles an hour on Sam, so if they’re starting to get on Sam we can bring Kaylea in. Sam, her curveball is amazing. That’s more of her go-to pitch. But the way she’s been able to pinpoint her location has been key.”
Bullock throws the rise ball and has the speed advantage. Booe has the location and strong pitch variety. The team was splitting time between the two — Bullock has 80 innings pitched and Booe is up to 94 — giving the Dragons two dominant pitchers to use throughout a grueling regular season.
Freshman Katie Kottlowski has also been in the mix, throwing 15.2 innings this year. She has a drop ball that is a different look for teams than Bullock or Booe present.
It has also helped that the team has two catchers who are both excelling in their position. Another question mark the Dragons had coming into 2019 was behind the plate, as all-state catcher Michaela Jones moved back to her natural position of shortstop.
The Dragons didn’t find a catcher to fill that role. They found two, Raegan Hiatt and Vivian Long, who have each played in at least 20 games this season.
“At the beginning of the season, we decided to put both Vivian and Raegan on varsity because we thought they had proven a lot to us throughout the winter workouts and in tryouts they both did excellent,” Dillard said. “They have really bought into everything that I have said to coach them.
“Just their absorption of the game this year has been incredible. They’ve really taken everything to heart.”
Hiatt has a “cannon for an arm,” Marcum said, and Long is “very good fundamentally” at the catcher position. So, as they do with the pitchers, the team likes to mix and match its catchers.
Hiatt typically catches when Bullock pitches, while Long will catch for Booe. But neither is an exclusive pairing, and there was a lot of familiarity in the Dragons’ battery before the season even began.
“I’ve played with Kaylea and Sam both a lot when I was younger. I’ve worked with Kaylea since we were little kids,” Hiatt said. “I know what’s coming, I understand her pitches and when they are working and when they are not. With Sam, we’ve created a bond both on and off the field this season, and we’ve just clicked. I trust her. I would catch her with my eyes closed. I have so much confidence in her. She’s stepped up a lot this season, and I’m so proud of her and everything this team has accomplished.”
Despite playing the same position, Hiatt and Long don’t really view things as a competition.
“It’s been really great. Me and Raegan know we have to work as a team,” Long said. “We really work together to just get the team to state and get where we’re going. I don’t see it as one spot, one person gets it and we have to compete. The coaches work with both of us equally.”
Things in the battery have changed a bit since the tournament began. An injury to Bullock — a torn meniscus that will require surgery on Friday, adding on to a lingering back injury she’s been dealing with — has put Booe in the spotlight as the Dragons’ No. 1 pitcher.
When she found out she’d be starting not only the regional, but the semistate and now state finals, the sophomore was more shocked than anything.
“It’s time to knock ‘em down, I guess,” Booe said of her mindset. “I was just kind of really surprised that I was going to have to do this. As soon as I stepped on the field, all my worries went away.”
She started the regional championship game against Northview and both semistate games, against Silver Creek and No. 4 Danville, allowing just one earned run while striking out 16 in the three games.
Bullock, who had another strong season after impressing as a sophomore last year, is disappointed to miss out on her opportunity to start the championship game. She is confident in her teammates’ ability to get the job done, though.
“It’s kind of hard, because I was really looking forward to this game,” Bullock said. “This would have been my turn, you know? But I’m really excited for Sam. I know she’s got it in her and she can do it, especially with the team she’s got behind her. I think it’s maybe for the better with my back injury, so I can just fully heal and be ready to go for next season.”
“Obviously, we’re disappointed with what happened to Kaylea, but we’re also very fortunate that Sam had the type of year that she’s had and put up the numbers that she’s had in some big games,” Marcum said. “As a coaching staff we’re very happy that Sam had those opportunities and took advantage of them.”
A year ago, Mackenzie Jones had a career-defining game in the state final, helping New Palestine get past South Bend St. Joseph in what turned into a pitcher’s duel. Now it’s Booe’s turn, with Kottlowski waiting in the wings in case she’s needed.
The Dragons will face Yorktown at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette with hopes of completing the first three-peat in state softball history.
“Having a lot of trust in both the pitchers, and even Katie, who has stepped up a lot with Kaylea being hurt, has just been really nice for everyone,” Hiatt said. “I think everyone plays more relaxed knowing we have so much confidence in our pitching.”
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What: IHSAA Softball State Finals
Who: No. 1 New Palestine vs. No. 7 Yorktown
Where: Bittinger Stadium at Purdue University
When: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $10 per person
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Still to come this week, the Daily Reporter will have two more stories about the New Palestine softball team leading into Saturday’s state finals.
Thursday: A closer look at the power-packed New Palestine offense
Saturday: The Dragons look to make history with a three-peat
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