Hailey Cripe headlines All-Loganland softball team
Jul. 7—Hailey Cripe is one of the best all-around athletes to come from Cass County.
One of the most decorated athletes ever from Pioneer, she was a key player in the Panthers winning state championships in softball, girls basketball and volleyball in the same school year a year ago. She was also a part of several other sectional, regional, semistate and HNAC championship teams.
Her main sport is softball and she is set to play at the University of Kansas on a fullride scholarship.
All of those accolades did not lead to her winning the Miss Softball award, which was decided by a vote by the coaches in attendance at the North/South All-Star Classic at Indiana University on June 25. Shelbyville catcher Karissa Hamilton won the award.
Pioneer coach Gabby Thomas thought Cripe was a deserving candidate as well. Cripe was a top five finalist.
"In my book she's the greatest player in the state of Indiana," Thomas said. "She works hard. She's up early in the morning to work. Not only athletically, she's giving it all in the classroom as well. She's that all-around player that every coach wishes they could have."
Hamilton hit .526 with 11 home runs, five triples, nine doubles, 39 RBIs and 53 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .600 and an OPS of 1.662. The Golden Bears went 24-6 and were a Class 4A semistate team.
Cripe said she already knew Hamilton through travel softball and that she was a deserving candidate.
"I wouldn't want to lose it to anybody else. Karissa Hamilton is a very talented softball player. Clearly, she's committed to Kentucky, so she is talented," Cripe said. "She is also a very sweet and humble person. I congratulated her after winning her award and she was very humble about it. So no better person to have win it over you."
Cripe is the Pharos-Tribune's 2022 Loganland Player of the Year. This is her third time winning the award and the only time she did not was the 2020 COVID year. She's also a two-time Loganland Player of the Year in girls basketball and was the Loganland Player of the Year in volleyball this past season.
The Panthers softball team finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and went 23-5. Cripe hit .662 with 15 home runs, two triples, 15 doubles, 56 RBIs and 53 runs scored. She was 16-for-16 in stolen bases. She had an on-base percentage of .757 and an OPS of 2.251.
She led the state in on-base percentage, finished third in batting average, fifth in RBIs, seventh in runs scored and eighth in home runs.
In 302 career at-bats, she hit .586 with 57 home runs and 172 RBIs. She had a career on-base percentage of .662 and OPS of 2.013.
She was recruited as a shortstop at Kansas but is also a good pitcher. She said she has a bullpen session scheduled this fall to assess her status as a pitcher with the Jayhawks. Her fastball and riseball have been clocked at 67 mph.
She went 17-3 with three saves and a 1.06 ERA this season. She allowed 42 hits and 28 walks and had 263 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings pitched. She finished seventh in the state in strikeouts and pitched two perfect games.
She went 43-4 with a 0.71 ERA for her career. She allowed 108 hits and 69 walks while striking out 577 in 286 2/3 innings.
She talked about her favorite memories of playing softball at Pioneer.
"Definitely winning state last year as a team. Also that loss in sectionals this year, it was tough but I think it showed that as a team we worked through a lot of things. Our record was awesome this year. I was really surprised with that. So I was glad the team was able to do that. Definitely my freshman year when I came into pitch because [Hailey] Gotshall got hurt, having all those teammates behind me throughout the postseason. My favorite all-time high school game will forever be Morgan Township in the 1A regional. We hosted it here and I've never seen this place so packed full of fans before. So that was definitely the best experience I think I've had in high school. We won the game 2-1 and Morgan Township was a very talented team. It was awesome to see us as a team come together and pull that win out in front of everybody in our community. It was also awesome to see that all of our community was there supporting us in that game."
With all of the success that her teams had, Cripe was accustomed to playing in front of a lot of Pioneer fans.
"Definitely last year for me was one of the biggest moments in high school honestly not just for an athlete at Pioneer but for an athlete in general for high school sports," she said. "It was a very rare thing that happened but we were a very talented group that had a lot of hard working athletes that had a lot of unfinished business in all those sports previously runner-ups in just about every single sport that we had in the previous year. So we were all out there hunting for something better and it worked out our way."
She said she will play with the Indy Dreams the rest of the summer and they'll finish up in late July in Myrtle Beach. She'll then head out to Kansas in mid August.
The following is the rest of the 2022 All-Loganland softball team in alphabetical order:
Kylie Attinger, Pioneer
The sophomore right fielder hit .494 with three triples, three doubles, 20 RBIs and 32 runs scored. She had a .539 on-base percentage and stole 13 bases.
"Attinger, there is not a ball that drops between her and Farris because Attinger is out in right field, she's going to catch everything she can," Thomas said. "Her bat, she's going to do whatever it takes to get on base and move around and score a run."
Kinzie Byrd, Logansport
The Berries' junior right-hander went 7-5 with two saves and a 3.45 ERA. She had 105 strikeouts and 23 walks in 93 1/3 innings pitched.
She also did some damage at the plate, hitting .342 with five RBIs.
The Berries went 18-9 and were Class 4A sectional finalists with sectional wins over McCutcheon and Lafayette Jeff.
"Kinzie was our workhorse all season," Logan coach Cory Cripe said. "She took the ball anytime we asked her to take it. She was our No. 1 option on the mound. She threw against the toughest teams we faced in conference and out of conference and she did a great job for us."
Kellyn Cripe, Logansport
The Berries' freshman second baseman hit .304 with two doubles, 15 RBIs and 24 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .415.
"Kellyn came in in a tough spot. She had to fill in defensively for our team and did an admirable job doing so," coach Cripe said. "She started off the season in the No. 9 hole and was very productive down there. She was productive enough that we talked as a staff and moved her up into the leadoff spot. She really thrived there. Her on-base percentage was second on the team. She was second on the team in runs scored and fourth in RBIs. So out of that No. 9 hole for a good portion of the season and out of that leadoff spot, a very productive offensive season for her."
Madison Dormer, Cass
Dormer hit .359 with two triples, four doubles, seven RBIs and 19 runs scored. She struck out just two times on the season and fielded at a .963 clip.
She was also one of the Kings' top pitchers, striking out 35 and walking nine in 53 1/3 innings.
The Kings went 11-13 and were sectional finalists in Class 2A with sectional wins over Manchester and Wabash.
"Madi has just always been a solid foundation for us," Cass coach Jon Silcox said. "We tend to gravitate around her, work hard around her and when she's on the field we just play better."
Dormer will play softball at St. Olaf College in Minnesota.
Kylie Farris, Pioneer
Farris joined Hailey Cripe on the Indiana North All-Star team from Pioneer.
Farris, a center fielder, hit .495 with two doubles, 21 RBIs and 50 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .544 and was 22-for-25 in stolen bases.
"Farris has worked hard these past four years and did what she needed to do to deserve that honor," Thomas said. "Going from her right side her freshman year, then she transferred over to that left side from sophomore year on. That takes a lot and she was able to do that and be successful."
Ella Gearhart, Winamac
Gearhart made the Indiana North All-Star team as well.
She hit .544 with 10 home runs, a triple, 11 doubles, 48 RBIs and 25 runs scored. She had a .576 on-base percentage and 1.088 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.665. She fielded at a .973 clip.
She will be a catcher in college but she was the Warriors' No. 1 pitcher this year and went 9-8 with a 3.96 ERA. She struck out 104 and walked 44 in 104 1/3 innings pitched.
The Warriors went 14-10 overall.
"Ella was no doubt our leader this season," Winamac coach Jenny Belcher said. "She led us in about every offensive category, the pitcher's circle, and as a team. Ella made the transition from being our main catcher to our main pitcher. She has a bulldog mentality when competing and won't give in one bit to her competition no matter who they are."
Gearhart will join her sister Aubrey on the Indiana Wesleyan softball team.
Emma Goodman, Winamac
The Warriors' junior catcher hit .395 with four home runs, four doubles and 23 RBIs.
"Emma had a really good season for us," Belcher said. "She hit really well, was second in RBIs for us behind Gearhart and had four home runs. She took over the catching duties and did a nice job there, too. She has a great approach to the game with her mentality and attitude, and she loves to play."
Abby Henderson, Logansport
The Berries' senior shortstop hit .385 with five home runs, a triple, 16 doubles, 38 RBIs and 31 runs scored. She had a .423 on-base percentage and .729 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.152 OPS. She fielded at a .923 clip.
"Abby led us in every offensive category," Cory Cripe said. "She really put us on her back in the tournament. She carried us through those tournament games with her defense and her offense. I've never seen anybody do that before, the way she just said just get on my back, let's go."
Kinzie Mollenkopf, Caston
The Comets' junior right-hander went 11-2 with a 2.34 ERA. She had 131 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 83 2/3 innings.
She hit .404 with four home runs, three doubles, 24 RBIs and 33 runs scored. She struck out just four times on the season. She fielded at a .927 playing pitcher and second base.
The Comets went 19-5 and won the HNAC title with a 7-0 record.
"Mollenkopf, she's kind of like a silent killer," Caston coach Jon Burks said. "She doesn't have a whole lot of emotion like Isabel and Addison do but she comes and she's prepared every game. She comes ready to go and puts her best effort in every game. She might not have some of the numbers that Isabel and Addison did as far as offensive-wise but she puts the ball in play. The biggest thing is especially towards the end she wanted the ball during the sectionals to pitch and I let her have it. That shows her gamesmanship as far as wanting to take the ball and try to do what she can to win for the team."
Bayli Reed, Cass
Reed, who transferred from Kokomo, led the Kings in innings pitched and posted a 3.03 ERA on the season. She struck out 77 and walked 31 in 87 2/3 innings.
She hit .319 with three home runs, four doubles and 13 RBIs. She had an on-base percentage of .388.
"Bayli was a great addition as an incoming senior," Silcox said. "She fit in well with the team. She brought a great dynamic, her pitching abilities, her personality, it really carried us through."
Reed will play softball at Kalamazoo College in Michigan.
Mackenzie Robinson, Pioneer
The Panthers' senior left fielder hit .436 with two home runs, a triple, 10 doubles, 39 RBIs and 24 runs scored. She had a .505 on-base percentage, .627 slugging percentage and 1.133 OPS.
"Mack Rob, her bat just consistently — I'd chuckle and smile sometimes because she'd always take that first strike — she'd get in two strikes and I knew she was going to put the ball in play," Thomas said. "She's a gamer in that aspect."
Isabel Scales, Caston
The Comets' sophomore catcher hit .566 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 35 RBIs and 36 runs scored. She had a .602 on-base percentage, 1.105 slugging percentage and 1.707 OPS. She made just one error on the season and was 9-for-16 in throwing out would-be base stealers.
"She's just a gamer," Burks said. "She definitely does what she can to try to win a ballgame. She was a great catcher but she actually could play anywhere on the field if I asked her to. She leads by example like all three of them because they're all like in the same little nutshell."
Alexis Sheets, Winamac
The Warriors' senior shortstop hit .396 with four home runs, seven doubles, 16 RBIs and 26 runs scored. She had a .475 on-base percentage, .754 slugging percentage and 1.230 OPS.
"Our team was definitely better when Alexis was on the field, but she had to miss some games due to also participating in track," Belcher said. "Even though she missed some games she was still able to put up some really good numbers. She is an excellent defender and played shortstop for us all season."
Kendra Sutton, Logansport
The Berries' junior third baseman hit .348 with a triple, eight doubles, 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
"Kendra solidifies the infield," Cory Cripe said. "She plays a great defensive third base. I think when the ball's hit that way it's a black hole, she's going to field it and it's an automatic out. Offensively she improved this year. She was second on the team in RBIs, really came through when we needed a big hit in some of those games early in the season getting some wins early on."
Kaylie Williams, Cass
Williams, a senior catcher, hit .410 with 11 doubles, 17 RBIs and 20 runs scored. She had a .477 on-base percentage and 1.029 OPS. She fielded at a .978 clip.
"Kaylie's been a steady rock all year long," Silcox said. "She led the team mentally as well as just on the field with her leadership and abilities have carried us a long way this year."
Addison Zimpleman, Caston
The Comet sophomore hit .573 with 12 home runs, two triples, seven doubles, 26 RBIs and 47 runs scored. She had a .656 on-base percentage, 1.200 slugging percentage and 1.856 OPS. She fielded at a .957 clip.
On the mound she went 7-2 with a 1.26 ERA. She had 68 strikeouts and 16 walks in 61 1/3 innings.
"Addison is a wonderful pitcher, a wonderful infielder, can hit with the best of them and another one who can play basically anywhere, all I have to do is ask her and I'm sure she would," Burks said. "All in all, softball is her game and she works hard at it and also wants to win, does what she can to win."
2022 All-Loganland Softball
First Team
Kylie Attinger, Pioneer
Kinzie Byrd, Logansport
Hailey Cripe, Pioneer
Kellyn Cripe, Logansport
Madison Dormer, Cass
Kylie Farris, Pioneer
Ella Gearhart, Winamac
Emma Goodman, Winamac
Abby Henderson, Logansport
Kinzie Mollenkopf, Caston
Bayli Reed, Cass
Mackenzie Robinson, Pioneer
Isabel Scales, Caston
Alexis Sheets, Winamac
Kendra Sutton, Logansport
Kaylie Williams, Cass
Addison Zimpleman, Caston
Honorable Mention: Cass — Elly Logan, Cana Jones; Caston — Macee Hinderlider; Logan — Natalee Packard; Pioneer — Belle Blickenstaff, Addie Cripe, Winamac — Kaya Campbell, Maggie Smith.
