Title defended: Tecumseh becomes seventh team in state history to repeat as champions

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There’s a reason this doesn’t happen often.

Winning one state championship is difficult. Asking for two? It’s naïve to believe it should come easy. Even for a program as decorated as Tecumseh. Even from a roster as talented as this one.

The Braves knew that. They still delivered.

No. 1 Tecumseh defeated No. 7 Caston 6-0 to win the Class A state championship on Saturday at Purdue University’s Bittinger Stadium. The Braves are just the seventh to repeat in IHSAA state history.

Not even Tecumseh could previously claim this feat.

“You get a big target on your back,” said Tecumseh coach Gordon Wood. “Everybody wants a piece. They learned to handle it. You have to hate losing more than you love winning. They got to that point.”

Talk about pressure. The kind playing for one of the state's more decorated programs — this was the Braves’ 11th state finals appearance. That of being the defending champion and ranked No. 1 for most of the season.

Most would have cracked.

Tecumseh was 8-8 in late April playing against a who’s who in the state. Yet, there were too many home runs allowed. Some were too worried about individual numbers. The perfect folly to what it could accomplish.

It never happened because this program cared too much. The Braves (25-9) won their final 11 games. It survived championship-level opponents in the final two weeks. This was their title to win.

“We were determined because there’s very few that can actually pull it off,” said senior Karsyn Flowers. “It means so much to this team. I told everyone to put their heart on that field. Everything you can for this team.”

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There wasn’t any drama in the championship. At least, Tecumseh didn’t show it. The Braves only needed 87 minutes to win their fifth title in program history.

Taylor Ash sacrifice fly in the third. Katelyn Marx and Jenna Donohoo doubles in the fifth. A two-run blast from Natalie Feather in the sixth that Wood believes still hasn’t landed. Tecumseh collected nine hits – Marx was a home run shy of the cycle while Payge Johnson and Feather had two apiece – and importantly struck out only three times.

The Braves only trailed for three innings in six postseason games. Great hitters figure out a pitcher the second or third time through the order. There was no better team in Class A over the past month.

“We have a target on our back,” said Marx. “We have to show up 100% every game. My dad and I always talk, ‘You have to be that clutch player.’ We just caught on to her after the first round through.”

The other reason this run materialized was the emergence of Natalie Feather. The junior struggled in April with too many pitches down the middle against good hitters. Wood gave credit to assistant coaches David George and Katelyn Flowers for turning her into “a pitcher instead of a thrower.”

Feather allowed only two earned runs and struck out 22 in 24 2/3 postseason innings.

“At the beginning of the year, we weren’t quite there yet,” she said. “The schedule we played helped us a lot. That’s why we got here. Great defense and a stacked lineup.”

Her teammates were determined to help her in the championship. The defense had several great plays including a 5-4 double play to end the fourth inning. Caston (22-5) had two runners on with no outs in the fifth but didn’t score.

This was arguably Feather’s best outing considering the stakes. She posted a four-hit shutout with one walk against a lineup, especially the first three hitters, that scared Wood.

“What a gutsy performance,” he said. “She had some games in the middle where she pitched very well and opened my eyes. The big thing was not walking anybody. (Caston is) a state championship-type team.”

“Natalie Feather dominated,” Marx added. “We thought we need to get the runs for her so she can settle down.”

Tecumseh joined a select few in state history with this victory: the fourth with five state championships and Wood is the third coach to win five titles. Names like Center Grove, New Palestine and Roncalli now joined by a small school in Warrick County.

The Braves make all of that sound easy. Like it’s supposed to happen year after year in Lynnville. This year proved, even with a nearly intact roster, it never is. This group proved to be different than others.

It won back-to-back state championships. A very short list.

“They finally fused together and it made a difference,” said Wood. “You don’t win state championships unless you have great players and amazing assistant coaches. They let me ride in the back of the truck.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Tecumseh defeats Caston in IHSAA softball Class A state championship