Homers, gems and steals: Vote for IndyStar softball players of the week (March 18-23)
IndyStar will be recognizing the top basketball players in Indiana with our players of the week poll.
Scroll to the bottom of the article to vote. Voting is open until noon Friday.
Reporter's note: Thanks to everyone who submitted nominees. I limited to one player per school, so if you nominated someone who's not on this list, but a teammate is ... that's why.
More: What you need to know about Indiana high school softball 2024 season
Here are this week's nominees.
Alaina Allyn, Mt. Vernon
The sophomore pitched a pair of shutouts, the first of which was a 12-strikeout, five-inning no-hitter against South Spencer. Allyn tossed a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in her encore.
Emma Borders, Jeffersonville
Borders struck out eight and allowed only one run on seven hits vs. Henryville, then punched out nine with only four earned runs allowed vs. Fern Creek. Both games were wins for the Red Devils.
Laylah Gore, Lapel
Gore is batting .571 with eight hits, seven RBIs, two doubles, two home runs and four runs scored. She lifted the Bulldogs to a wild win over Hamilton Heights on Friday, cranking a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh. Final score: 6-4.
Hannah Haberstroh, Center Grove
The Ohio State commit hit her first career home run against Noblesville, the highlight amidst a 2-for-4 performance that included two RBIs and a run scored. She also logged a pair of hits against Mooresville.
Ava Kainrath, Westfield
The junior Shamrock drove in five runs as part of a 2-for-3 performance vs. Kokomo. She also went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs vs. Carmel, and finished 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and a run scored vs. North Central. Kainrath is batting .700 on the season.
Zoey Kugelman, Mooresville
Couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the season for Kugelman, who’s batting 1.000 through her first two games (seven plate appearances). She opened vs. Center Grove with a 4-for-4 night that began with a first-pitch homer in the first inning (plus two RBIs and a run scored), then went 3-for-3 against Terre Haute South with a couple more RBIs and two runs scored.
Rylie Lanum, Carroll (Flora)
The senior helped the Cougars prevail in a 13-12 barn burner against Lafayette Jefferson, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a couple runs scored and an RBI. Land went 1-for-3 in a loss to Caston.
Audrey Lowry, Tri-West
Lowry allowed just one run on two hits and struck out 13 in a 1-0 loss to Fishers in the opener. She also registered one of the team's five hits at the plate.
Kate Murray, Fishers
Murray opened the season with a five-hit shutout of Tri-West. She struck out 12, didn't issue a walk and drove in the game-winning run on a groundout in the 1-0 win.
Carly Potts, Gibson Southern
The sophomore recorded three hits in four at-bats with an RBI in a 15-2 win over Sullivan. Potts also pitched a complete game, allowing zero earned runs, striking out five and issuing only one walk.
Piper Ramey, North Montgomery
Ramey pitched a five-inning, one-hit shutout for the Chargin’ Chargers (iconic nickname) against Sheridan. The junior struck out 13 batters, issued just one walk and went 3-for-3 at the dish with two runs and an RBI.
Sophie Robinson, Lebanon
Robinson opened the season with a hit, an RBI and a run scored vs. Benton Central, and followed with a 3-for-4 performance vs. Guerin Catholic that included three RBIs, four runs scored, a double and a triple. The sophomore reached base three times against Bethesda Christian, recording a hit, reaching on an error and getting hit by a pitch.
Delaney Rundle, Noblesville
Rundle was a homer away from hitting for the cycle against Western Boone, finishing 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, a triple, three runs and three RBIs. The junior logged a hit, an RBI and a run scored in a wild 14-10 loss to Center Grove.
Kassidy Schakel, Hamilton Heights
The senior helped Heights to an 8-4 win over Frankton, driving in three runs, scoring one herself and posting three hits. Schakel had an RBI double against Lapel on Friday.
Myah Seaton, Evansville Harrison
The junior opened her season with a 4-for-5 performance vs. Evansville Central that included a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored. Harrison won, 14-10.
Mallory Short, Speedway
Short marked her varsity debut with a 4-for-5 effort vs. Pike. She doubled twice, drove in a run and scored twice in the 20-0 win.
Grace Swedarsky, Hamilton Southeastern
Ten innings pitched, 21 strikeouts for the freshman Royal. 14 of her punch outs came in the season opener against rival Carmel, then she tossed three scoreless innings vs. North Central.
Ashley Sylvia, Brownsburg
The junior Bulldog finished a triple shy of the cycle vs. Eastern Hancock. Sylvia was 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs. Brownsburg won, 14-7.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school softball players of week (March 18-23)
