The (Run) Producers

The signs of warmer temperatures on the near horizon are many, one being the unmistakable noise a softball makes when popping the leather of a mitt on the heels of a frozen-rope throw. That is when it's not drowned out by chatter because, in softball, there is always chatter. Spring has officially sprung in Indiana and among its annual byproducts is the start of another girls softball season, a three-month journey replete with grass-stained heroics and the constant threat of early-season rainouts thanks to the indecisiveness of a wishy-washy Mother Nature. To avid followers of the sport, April couldn't arrive quickly enough. Those who not only play softball on the high school level, but excel, share that sentiment. Players like Pendleton Heights senior first baseman Erin Falkenberry and two of central Indiana's premier junior talents, Roncalli catcher Jennifer Barnett and Center Grove third baseman/pitcher Emily Gwaltney. All three are coming off outstanding 2007 seasons, which for better or worse, makes fans wonder what exactly it is they have in store for an encore. Falkenberry, who began her career in the Arabians' green-and-white as a designated hitter, took over at first base last season and looks to shoulder the same defensive burdens this time around. Owner of a 3.7 grade-point average, Falkenberry, who will further her academic and athletic pursuits at Butler University, hit .495 with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 50 RBI last season from the No. 5 spot in the order. "I wouldn't want to pitch to her. I do it during practice and that's why I say that," said Pendleton Heights coach Scott Hall. "She abuses me in practice." Despite the gaudy numbers, Falkenberry, a vital cog in Pendleton Heights' four Class 3A State Finals appearances in Hall's tenure, insists consistency at the plate is something she hopes to improve upon. "As a team what we're really focusing on is playing to the best of our abilities, becoming closer as a team and getting better," said Falkenberry. "We would like to prove that we're going to be a competitive team no matter who we have." As the saying goes at Pendleton Heights: Tradition never graduates. Nor will Barnett or Gwaltney. At least not this spring they won't as both Southsiders still have one more year of high school remaining, which qualifies as bad news for teams on the Roncalli and Center Grove softball schedules. Barnett's name has already made itself comfortable on the Rebels' record board displayed on the hallway wall immediately south of the school gymnasium. No small feat given Roncalli's years of softball tradition (the Rebels were Class 2A state titlists in 1999 and 2001) and the assembly line of talented players the program has produced. A novelty of sorts in that she is a left-handed catcher, everything else about Barnett has thus far been right. As a sophomore she batted a blistering .547, which included 11 doubles and seven triples for a Roncalli squad that was bumped from the Class 3A Whiteland Sectional by the host Warriors, 2-1, in the semifinals. In 2006, Barnett, as a freshman, laced a school-record 53 base hits and batted .510, but Roncalli lost a 16-inning marathon to New Palestine in the regional championship game. One guess as to where the junior and her teammates are aiming this time around. "I get really excited about a new season. At Roncalli, they really emphasize getting involved in extracurricular activities and it's like one big family," said Barnett, a 3.8 student who admits to not being a very good player when she first became interested in softball at age 7, yet persevered through hard work. "We're still on a quest for state. We want to win sectional, win regional and we have a dream of winning state." Same holds true for the 5-foot-10 Gwaltney, a two-time All-State selection who wasted no time establishing herself as one of Indiana's premier prep players by leading Center Grove to the 4A State Finals in 2006 with team-high numbers in batting average (.426), hits (46), RBIs (33) and home runs (3) as a freshman. As if that wasn't enough, she entered the finals with an 11-0 record as a pitcher. Seventeenth-year Trojans coach Russ Milligan has seen some awfully good players go through his program. After all, Center Grove is one of Indiana's more decorated programs having captured three state championships under Milligan (1995, '98 and 2003) and been runner-up on four occasions (1992, '96, 2002 and '04). Already Gwaltney is one of the best, not only because of her prowess at the plate and in the circle, but because of the mad skills she takes to the hot corner game in and game out. "Emily is very good at pitching and at third base, but I think she's better at third. She can flash the leather. Unbelievable quickness and just a natural athlete," said Milligan. "If I could put together a (all-time) Center Grove All-Star Team, she would be my third baseman. Emily just has a swagger to her. Those kind of kids think, 'I'm the best and I'm going to prove it.' She just has that air about her." In 2007, Gwaltney managed a .465 average at the plate with five round-trippers and 26 runs driven in. Her pitching numbers were every bit as impressive, a 13-1 mark with an earned-run average of only 0.44. With the 2008 regular season having been scheduled to start in late March, Falkenberry, Barnett and Gwaltney are geared to make April the launching pad of what should be impressive seasons by all three players. Like the weather outside, they're just warming up.