By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Opening Day, the first official practice session for the 2022 season, was one of those brutal March days that came in like a lion – growling, swiping with sharp claws, charging to pounce on the unprotected. Bedford North Lawrence got chased inside to safety from the bone-stinging cold as winter made a final stand.
That didn’t chill the excitement level for the Stars, who started their encore from a historic campaign with their own noise. Going out gentle as lambs? Not this team. They’re about to go out roaring, seeking whom they may devour, with a hunger driven by last season’s spectacular success.
Coming off a great 28-5 run that included a share of the Hoosier Hills Conference title (the first since 1998) and a regional championship (the first since 1997), BNL will look to duplicate – or surpass – that tall measuring stick. That won’t be easy, not after losing a superstar slugger and five other seniors, including three starters. There is plenty of returning firepower, including two Div. I recruits, and a talented incoming freshman class for the new phase.
So the first official Monday featured the thud of balls bouncing off hardwood, rather than the plunk off the rubberized ‘dirt’ on the turf field that debuted last year, but the sounds of spring – slapping leather, thumping bats, the sheer joy of the game – were not diminished. The sun will shine, and the Stars will shine on, soon enough. The countdown toward the March 24 opener has started.
“We had a great first night, high energy,” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “Everything clicked. It was a great day because of all the work the kids put in during the preseason. We had some great workouts. It shows what kind of kids we have and how excited they are for the season to finally be here, for all the good things that are about to happen.”
What’s been happening? BNL has been working out two times a week, for two hours each time, since December, and lot of those hours were spent outside during the mild winter. Until the first official day, of course, when the wind chill dipped below the Mendoza Line and snow was spitting like sunflower seeds in the dugout. Those sessions, along with the off-season work in the fall, were designed to sharpen skills and identify those who will plug graduation holes.
And there’s a huge void, no question. Sarah Stone, now with Indiana University, was a Miss Softball finalist who blasted 17 home runs, drive in 49 runs and hit .540. BNL will also miss Brynlea Bennett (now at Indiana Wesleyan) at third base and Haley Deckard (first base and the outfield) in the lineup.
“We had great seniors, great leaders,” Gilbert said. “When you look to replace those people, you look at what we have, start figuring out which kids can play what positions to make our team strong. We’re still looking. It’s still fluid. We’ll eventually have an Opening Day lineup, but we’re always trying to improve and give kids opportunities to win positions.”
When the dust – well, rubber dirt doesn’t actually kick up dust more than it leaves a trail of pellets – settles, the Stars will feature a nucleus of explosive offensive threats and an intact pitching staff.
Annie Waggoner, destined for Indiana State, set a school record by going 20-2 in the pitching circle, and she hit .404 with 8 homers and 36 RBIs. Center fielder Braxton McCauley, verbally committed to Purdue, clubbed away at .419 with 6 HRs and 41 RBIs. Senior shortstop Carlee Kern was solid in the field and at the plate (.358). Second baseman Lauryn Anderson claimed the lead-off spot and hit .392 while scoring 30 runs. Aliza Jewell hit .338 and went 8-3 as a starting pitcher.
Add in the experience and versatility of Carsyn Alvey, Maddy Bennett, McKaylin Turner and Emma Foreman, who have waited for their chance, and incoming freshman catcher Ava Ratliff is expected to sit comfortably behind the plate. Gilbert expects this team to feature the most speed, top to bottom on the roster, he’s ever had, and he plans to use it.
“We are fortunate we have a lot offense back, all of our pitching back, and that’s a big chunk of softball,” Gilbert said. “Every kid in our program has improved. It’s going to be exciting to see. They just need to relax, go out and play. We have so much talent, we’re so deep. Yes it’s hard to replace Sarah with her home runs and leadership, but we have kids who are ready to take that challenge. Let the chips fall where they may.
“We have a lot of kids hungry and competing for spots, so it will be a fun two weeks to see who wins those spots and who is ready.”
BNL’s main issue will be shouldering the burden of expectations. The Stars will wear a big target every time they step foot on the turf.
“Any time you have success like that, it makes the kids that were involved work harder, because they want to get back to that level,” Gilbert said. “And the kids that watched it, they saw the atmosphere and want to be a part of that.
“It’s just not putting the pressure on ourselves. Everybody will have their A game when they play us, they want to try to prove that last year was a fluke. We just have to stay within ourselves, play our game, not try to do too much. Just have a great at-bat, hit the ball hard. We just have to be ready. We won’t be able to surprise teams.”
BNL will host Castle in the opener, then face Loogootee and Jasper in a round-robin tournament on March 26.
