The St. Joseph Panthers junior high softball team hit its stride late in the season, producing a seven-game winning streak that featured the team scoring in doubles figures for runs in five of those contests.

The streak started on Saturday (Aug. 21) with an 11-3 win over Meridian.

That was followed by a 15-11 slugfest victory at home over Champaign St. Matthew on Monday (Aug. 23), then a 10-1 win at Urbana on Tuesday (Aug. 24), a 13-1 triumph over Bismarck-Henning on Wednesday (Aug 25), a narrow 3-2 conquest at home over Mattoon on Saturday (Aug. 28), a triumph at Rantoul Eater on Tuesday (Aug. 31) 14-0, and a shutout in the regular-season home finale, 15-0, against Danville North Ridge.

Against Meridian, Timera Blackburn-Kelly struck out six, allowed two hits and one run during her pitching stint. Delany Nekolny hit a triple and Hayden Dahl had a double.

Against St. Matthew, Amelia Huckstat struck out six during her three-inning pitching stint. Blackburn-Kelly accounted for four of the team’s 23 stolen bases.

Against Urbana, Nekolny, Dahl, McKenzie Atwood and Adalyn Jannusch all swatted at least two hits. Blackburn-Kelly allowed just one run.

Against Mattoon, Huckstat and Blackburn-Kelly teamed up to register 16 strikeouts. Atwood recorded two hits.

Against Rantoul Eater, Huckstat threw a perfect game. Leading the hit parade were Atwood with a triple and Ashlyn Miller and Jannusch with doubles.

Against North Ridge, Huckstat tossed her second shutout in two days. Katie Erickson, Dahl and Sami Kelso drove in runs during the fourth inning.

The winning streak came to an end on Thursday (Sept. 2) at Champaign Edison, 9-1. Jannusch, Blackburn-Kelly and Kelso all had hits for the Panthers.

Among the Panthers’ other highlights during the season were a shutout thrown by Blackburn-Kelly on Wednesday (Aug 11) at home over Fisher in a 15-0 triumph. Atwood and Jannusch both laced at least two hits.

In a 13-1 victory at Mahomet-Seymour on Monday (Aug. 16), Blackburn-Kelly pounded four hits. Adelyn Childers, Jannucsh, Atwood, Huckstat, Kelso, and Erickson all drove in runs during a sixth-inning uprising.

In a Thursday (Aug. 19) game at Hoopeston Area, the Panthers hit a season-high for runs scored during a 20-2 win.

In a narrow 2-1 win at home over Normal Kinglsey on Friday (Aug. 20), Blackburn-Kelly and Dahl scored the runs that led to a victory. Coach Maureen Hoffman said, “Delaney Nekolny was a wall behind the plate.”

Through the first 15 games, Blackburn-Kelly had notched 70 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings and Huckstat had fanned 48 batters in 30 2/3 innings.

The batting leaders, among players with at least 15 at-bats, are Dahl (.459), Jannusch (.410), Huckstat (.394), Nekolny (.333), Miller (.286) and Brynn Ikemire (.273).

During the regular season, St. Joseph (11-7 record) did not lose to any Class 2A opponents.

Third-seeded St. Joseph will open postseason play at home against sixth-seeded Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Wednesday (Sept. 8) in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal contest. The winner will play second-seeded LeRoy in a semifinal game on Saturday (Sept. 11), also in St. Joseph.

The post Panther softball on 7-game win streak first appeared on SJO Daily.

fred@mahometnews.com

Stories like Frankie Izard’s come along about once a century. Maybe twice.

They are the heart-warming tales that give credence to the theory that anything can happen and it’s never too late to get a start in a sport.

Izard played one year of high school softball, as a senior in 2018.

Now, two years later, she is heading to a Division I program (Louisiana Lafayette) that was ranked among the top 10 nationally in the final 2020 USA Today poll, and she has three years of eligibility remaining.

In truth, though Izard only played one year of softball at St. Joseph-Ogden – where she earned seven state medals in track – it was a sport she had participated in during the summer months for years with elite travel teams.

“I played junior high softball for the school, but when I got to high school, I had to decide and I decided to do track until my senior year,” Izard said. “I knew I could play travel ball in the summer.

“I loved both sports and still do to this day.”

What changed as a high school senior was the need to look to her future.

“I had to make a decision about what I wanted to play in college,” Izard said. “I figured I should get one year of school ball under my belt.”

An outfielder, she made an impact on the final SJ-O high school team coached by Randy Wolken. Izard earned second-team All-Area recognition from The News-Gazette in 2018.

“She was hurt (hamstring injury) for about the first quarter of the season and that restricted her some after that,” Wolken said.

He never doubted that she would contribute to the Spartans.

“She hit good pitching as well as anybody,” Wolken said. “She had a lot of potential.”

During the first portion of her freshman year at SJ-O, Wolken tried to convince Izard that she had a future in softball.

“She had played high-caliber summer ball and I thought her best ticket (to a college program) was softball,” Wolken said. “I thought she had the skills to play in college.”

Once Izard picked track, Wolken backed off, but willingly welcomed her when she opted for softball as a senior.

Before she had played a game for SJ-O, Izard had already committed to Lake Land College, in Mattoon.

“I knew I wanted to play for Coach (Nic) Nelson,” she said. “He had watched me and I’d gone to his camp when I was 12.”

Though she had no high school statistics at the point she gave her verbal commitment, Nelson knew everything he needed about Izard.

“The first thing is, she has speed,” Nelson said. “Speed never goes into a slump and speed keeps her in the game.

“I tell people that pitching is hard to find, but that kind of speed is even harder. You’ll take it every time.”

He wasn’t disappointed.

In Izard’s inaugural season of junior college competition in 2019, she batted .512 (131 for 256) and led all NJCAA players in hits and at-bats while striking out just twice in 271 plate appearances.

Her hit total and at-bats as a freshman were also Lake Land single-season records.

For a team that was 50-19, she stole 42 bases and totaled 12 triples, earning honorable mention status on the Fastpitch News’ All-American team. She was the Region 24 Player of the Year.

“She has an incredible work ethic,” Nelson said. “She understands the game and works hard at getting better.”

But Izard’s focus is not just on herself.

“She cares a lot about her teammates,” Nelson said. “I’ll miss her leadership.”

Izard and Lake Land played about one-third of their 2020 season. The Lakers were 21-4 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced all spring sports at all universities to cancel their remaining schedules.

“We had 70 games scheduled,” said Nelson, who was in his 11th year as the Lake Land head coach. “I tell people I’ve coached 10.3 seasons.”

During his tenure, 68 of his players have received scholarships to play at four-year universities.

The pandemic did more than play havoc with the schedules.

“Our history says, ‘If you play for us, here is what will happen (as far as college offers),’” Nelson said. “Because seniors got their year (of eligibility) back, that was thrown out the window this year.

“It really affected junior college transfer kids. A lot of schools we thought would be interested, weren’t. In a normal year, there would have been 20 to 25 schools looking at her.”

Instead, Izard had Division I offers from Louisiana-Lafayette (which was ranked eighth nationally this year) and Eastern Illinois University.

Wolken wasn’t surprised that Louisiana coach Gerry Glasco was interested in Izard.

“He had recruited some of our kids when he was at Georgia and Texas A&M,” Wolken said.

Izard is the first Spartan to sign to play for Glasco.

“Ever since Glasco has been at Louisiana, it has been my dream school,” Izard said. “I met him a few years back and saw the hitting style that he does.

“I love the way he coaches and can’t wait to learn from him and get better.”

As a bonus, all junior college spring-sport athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility. Izard will have three years to play at the Division I level.

“She is graduating this year (from Lake Land) and this is like hitting the lottery,” Nelson said. “I said you’ll get a year of grad school paid for.”

While she acknowledged that the situation went well for her, Izard also recognizes that’s not the case across the board.

“It worked out in my favor,” Izard said, “but I’m very sad because we had a great team and it would have helped a lot of people (to be seen) if we’d made it to nationals.”

Izard, who has maintained a 3.8 grade-point average at Lake Land will finish her on-line courses with the school this week. She plans on majoring in kinesiology at Louisiana.

Izard’s goal was to play Division I softball, but when she signed her letter of intent on May 1, she exceeded her expectations.

“I didn’t expect to go this far,” she said, “nowhere like Louisiana.

“I was very lucky. The coronavirus put a hold on the recruiting process. They had some (senior) players who left, and he offered me.”

Louisiana, which has an enrollment of approximately 14,000 students, has been ranked in the final NCAA softball poll 13 consecutive seasons. The team was 18-6 when this year’s season was halted.

In addition to studying, Izard is working out daily at home, trying to stay sharp.

“There’s nothing like the actual game, but I practice every day, multiple times,” she said, “and I hope that will help me out.”

She has the facilities she needs right on her parents’ property.

“Dad has a setup in our barn with a couple of hitting cages and a pitching machine,” Izard said. “I can hit as long as I want.

“I hit once or twice a day and lift weights for an hour or two every day.”

From Wolken’s view, it is a success story with a capital ‘S.’

“It’s amazing,” he said. “One year of high school ball and basically one year of junior college. It’s quite a story.”

With Izard’s departure from Lake Land, Nelson said he will miss more than the former SJ-O athlete.

“She has a great family that is always supportive,” Nelson said.

The post Frankie Izard transfers from Lake Land College to play D-1 softball at Louisiana-Lafayette first appeared on SJO Daily.

fred@mahometnews.com

The final installment in our series on all-decade athletic teams (fall, winter) concludes today with the release of the elite spring-sport athletes.

Before we get to the particular sports, we will recognize two athletes. The designation is for Male and Female Athlete of the Decade.

In a sense, the winners picked themselves for their high level of involvement and achievement in sports during the school year.

St. Joseph-Ogden had nine boys and four girls who were chosen for all-decade teams in two sports.

The Female Athlete of the Decade is Chelsea Blaase, who was a two-sport state champion. She won titles in both cross-country and in track and field, in the 3,200-meter race.

Other SJ-O girls who were all-decade in two sports were Hanna Atwood, Hannah Dukeman and Josey Fruhling.

The Male Athlete of the Decade is Wesley Kibler, a state champion in wrestling and an All-Area first-team selection in football.

Other SJ-O boys who were all-decade choices in two sports were Andy Bensyl, Ty Brown, Jack Cook, Zeke Elkins, Austin Hedrick, Griffin Meeker, Jake Pence and Justin Phillips.

Before turning our attention to the spring-sport all-decade teams, two points should be remembered. The selections are based entirely on what the athlete did during high school. Subsequent college accolades were not taken into account.

Also, a great number of athletes from the school received All-Area first- or second-team honors during their time in high school and that recognition was the foundation for compiling the all-decade lists.

ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN BASEBALL

NAME                  POS.  GRAD YR.

Cole Berry            P          2015
Ty Brown             OF        2016
Austin Cain           P          2018
Colton Carr           P          2016
Mason Coon           OF 2017
Chase Gadau        C         2015
Colton Hale          P          2017
Hunter Hart          P         2014
Blake Hoveln     INF       2012
Brock Immke        P         2014
Dalton Parker      P          2016

Player of the Decade – Dalton Parker, who had an earned run average of 0.25 as a senior, 0.31 as a junior and 0.45 as a sophomore. He had a streak of 46 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings as a junior. He was the winning pitcher in eight games as a senior, 10 as a junior and four as a sophomore and totaled 289 strikeouts during those three seasons.

 ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN SOFTBALL

NAME                  POS.          GRAD YR.

Hannah Bowen       INF         2011
Stephanie Canfield   OF         2012
Andrea Coursey    SS         2017
Bailey Dowling        SS               2020
Hannah Dukeman      C               2020
Elizabeth Everingham  P 2012
Mickaela Fleming       C               2013
Emmy Graver         INF                 2018
Abby Immke         INF                 2012
Kenzie Pence         OF                 2018
Mady Poulter        INF                2015

Player of the Decade – Bailey Dowling, who has had batting averages of .650 as a freshman, .657 as a sophomore and .674 as a junior. She hasn’t hit less than 21 home runs in any high school season and owns the all-time IHSA state record with 65 career home runs. She has driven in 181 career runs.

 ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

NAME                     EVENTS GRAD YR.

Alex Arteaga       Hurdles        2012
Riley Baker          Hurdles        2018
Chas Cox          Mid-Distance 2012
Zeke Elkins        Mid-Distance 2012
Sam Gilly             Weights       2012
Thomas Jean          PV             2011
Cole Johnson       Sprints        2013
Matt Knipfer          PV             2016
Gabe Lyons       Mid-Distance   2016
Ethan Mizer          PV              2016
Cole Nachowicz  Hurdles      2016
Justin Phillips      Distance     2017
Eric Rydell              HJ              2013
Landon Vowels  Mid-Distance  2012

Athlete of the Decade – Zeke Elkins, who won three individual medals at state and a total of seven medals overall, including participation on relays.

ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

NAME                  EVENTS     GRAD YR.

Hanna Atwood     PV              2016
Rachel Ballard    Sprints        2012
Hailey Birt           Sprints        2020
Chelsea Blaase   Distance    2012
Parker Francisco Hurdles      2017
Kristen Hamer    Sprints       2015
Atleigh Hamilton Jumps        2021
Frankie Izard       Sprints       2018
Danie Kelso         Sprints       2020
Zea Maroon       Hurdles       2018
Abbey Mizer       Sprints       2018
Aleesia Reeves    Sprints     2017
Rylee Sjuts            Sprints     2019
Maclayne Taylor Sprints      2019

Athlete of the Decade – Atleigh Hamilton, who won two Class 1A long jump state titles and was also a member of two relay units which captured state title. She was the school’s only two-time individual state titlist for the decade.

The post Kroner’s Picks: St. Joseph-Ogden All-Decade Team (Spring), Blaase and Kibler named Athletes of the Decade first appeared on SJO Daily.

What does it take to realize your dreams?

Like many successful athletes, St. Joseph-Ogden’s Hannah Dukeman learned early on that a dream is only a dream without dedication and hard work.

“When I was younger, I wanted to play some sport at the professional level, I just didn’t know which one,” Dukeman said. “Sports consumed my time when I was younger, whether it was soccer, dance, basketball, football, volleyball, track or softball. I tried it all and I loved them all.”

But there was something special about softball.

“Compared to the others, softball was just a sport I found a passion for early on in my career; therefore, I have been playing it longer than most and been able to really develop a strong love for the game,” she said.

Before a professional career could become a possibility, Dukeman had to focus on the early years, succeeding at the high school level and setting herself up for the possibility of playing in college.

“Throughout the years, I have dedicated the majority of my time to softball,” she said. “I drove all over to tournaments, I lived in the gym to get stronger and faster, but I also have always cared about my grades because that is also a big deal in regards to college.”

Last week, she signed a letter of intent to play softball at Ball State University, in Muncie, Ind.

Although Dukeman has been committed to keeping her options open throughout the recruitment process, she said that the decision was simple.

“As time went on, no school compared to the way I felt about Ball State,” she said. “I went on my unofficial during the fall of my junior year, and fell in love with the campus but most importantly the coaches and the atmosphere they provide for their players. I felt at home and that was what was important.

“I knew where I wanted to go on the day of my unofficial. My family agreed with how I felt about Ball State and gave me more support than I could have ever asked for. There wasn’t a single person in my family that opposed my decision, as a matter of fact, they all supported me greatly.”

The fact that Dukeman has committed to playing in college doesn’t alter her determination to continue to excel in the classroom and on the field.

Currently, Dukeman is working her way back from an August surgery to repair torn ligaments in her wrist.

“Originally, the doctor had said I’ll be out for six months, which would sit me on the bench for my senior season of basketball,” she said. “I have had a cast on for three months and will soon get that off, and began physical therapy.”

Instead of leading the Spartans as the point guard, Dukeman is known to her peers as “coach.”

“Being on the bench is rough, but the girls are all willing to listen and are very welcoming to me as a coach rather than a player,” she said. “I hope that I am able to impact them with feedback in a way that they can become not only a better player, but also a better person.”

Her coaching philosophy has been molded by the countless coaches who have spent hours showing her what it means to be a great leader.

“I have been blessed with phenomenal coaches that not only want to win, but want to see us all succeed,” she said. “Their support is endless and I am so appreciative of everything they have done for me through this process. I have created a stronger love for the game, but also been able to create bonds with others that will last forever.”

As soon as the cast comes off, Dukeman said that she will not push herself past medical advice, but rather do what she needs to do to fully recover.

“As of right now, softball is looking like a yes for my senior year, and if things still continue to go as planned, then I will be able to play,” she said.

For Dukeman, that means playing with integrity.

“My coach Krisiti Paulson has always stressed that someone is always watching us,” Dukeman said. “That a little girl somewhere is looking up to us and desires to be just like us. Therefore, I want to be an example to anyone that is watching. There won’t be a time on the field when I won’t hustle or leave it all out there.”

The 2019 IHSA Regional Champions have their sights set on something bigger this year.

“This upcoming season at SJO is full of potential, I believe,” she said.

“There are some new faces that are a part of this team and I am very excited, to say the least. My goal is to lead this team, as a captain, to win a championship. I want Zoey Witruk, Bailey Dowling and I to be able to end our senior years off with a very big win.”

As with many programs at St. Joseph-Ogden High School, the consistency of playing multiple sports with one another over a long period of time has fostered something special for the athletes.

“Some may think that after being together for a long time, that we will soon grow tired of one another; however, chemistry between the girls at SJO has never been an issue,” Dukeman said.

“It’s not that I have forced myself to get along with all of these girls, rather that I truly enjoy being around them and we get along because we have truly created strong friendships throughout the years. In other words, we really have become a family and created long-lasting bonds and memories.”

Whether it is as a coach, a captain or just an upperclassman, Dukeman has her sights set on more than just the win.

“Each individual on the team is important to me, and I wish to be someone they come to whenever they need a friend,” she said. “So, I guess to me it’s important that they know that, yes, I am a captain/coach and want to win, but I also that I am someone who has their back and is willing to talk about anything.”

Now that her dream to play collegiate sports will come true, she’s setting her sights on working towards her next dream: to enter the medical field.

“Ever since I was young, I wanted to have a job that worked with kids,” she said. “I asked my mom when I was in kindergarten if a teacher or doctor made more money because both jobs dealt with kids.

“I matured and fell in love with the idea of being a pediatrician or neonatal nurse practitioner. I have been tossing around lots of medical careers that deal with kids the past few months so I am not 100-percent sure, but I am certain I want to practice medicine and help kids.”

The post Dukeman realizes dream to play collegiate softball at Ball State University first appeared on SJO Daily.

What did you do over holiday break?

It’s doubtful that St. Joseph’s Bailey Dowling was the only Illinois teenager to travel to Florida with family over the holidays.

However, it’s a certainty that she is the only teenager from the state in that time period to secure a spot on the elite 20-player USA Junior National Softball Team.

Tryouts took place in Clearwater, Fla., starting on Dec. 28. They ended on Jan. 1.

Dowling had to endure an extra day of tryouts before the final selection process began.

“It’s pretty insane to think that being from a small town, I’ll be representing the USA and have that on my shirt,” Dowling said Thursday night, shortly after returning from the 16-hour trip by car with her father, Brett.

The latest accomplishment is just another in a long line of remarkable achievements for the high school junior.

Less than two months after her eighth-grade graduation (July 10, 2016), Bailey Dowling gave a verbal commitment to attend the University of Alabama and play softball for the Crimson Tide.

She hadn’t even spent a day in high school.

Starting seven months after her collegiate commitment, she demonstrated the accuracy of her reputation.

She blasted 22 home runs as a ninth-grader, tying for the third-best single-season total in IHSA history.

She followed that up with 21 home runs as a sophomore and needs just 18 more to break the all-time IHSA career record.

Her ability to hit the long-ball was beneficial in the recent national tryout.

***

Twenty-nine players received invitations to the USA softball tryouts, which take place every other year.

More than 120 other athletes between the ages of 16 and 19 attended an open tryout on Dec. 28, hoping to join those 29 seeking spots on the Junior National Team.

Brett Dowling accompanied his daughter to the event.

“Where she separated herself is with the bat,” Brett Dowling said.

The hitting phase of the open tryout was structured so that each candidate was allotted 10 swings on a front toss from 15 feet and an additional 10 swings off live pitching from 30 feet away.

“Out of her 20 swings, she hit six over the fence,” Brett Dowling said.

Her approach?

“I pretended like it was batting practice,” Bailey Dowling said.

Unlike typical high school diamonds, where the fences are placed at 200 feet from home plate, the fences at Clearwater were set at 225 feet.

“She is a power hitter unlike any other I’ve seen at her age,” Brett Dowling said.

His opinion was supported by the results of the open tryout.

Only one of the other prospects at the open tryout hit more than two home runs. That player hit four.

There wasn’t a lot to separate Bailey Dowling from the others during the infield defensive drills, where the requirement was to field eight ground balls at third base and make a throw to first base.

“The infielders there were all super-great,” Brett Dowling said.

When the day’s workout ended, Bailey Dowling was one of 14 to be extended official invitations to try out for the USA Junior National Team.

***

“The atmosphere was intense and, at the beginning, it was kind of intimidating,” Bailey Dowling said. “I was out of my comfort zone.”

She wasn’t alone.

“It was the same for everyone else,” she said.

Bailey Dowling has played summer-league ball since she was a 6-year-old.

“Most of the other 42 girls were ones I had played with or against my whole life,” Bailey Dowling said.

The hitting portion of the official tryouts was not like a typical scrimmage.

Four players batted each inning. Every fifth inning a different pitcher entered the circle.

“The whole goal was for each player to hit off of each pitcher,” Brett Dowling said. “That makes it pitcher-dominant because you didn’t have an extra at-bat to adjust.

“There were not a lot of balls put in play. They all struggled.”

The timing of the USA Trials wasn’t ideal either for athletes who had a spring season in 2018, followed by a full summer season and a limited fall schedule.

Bailey Dowling’s last tournament with her Georgia-based travel team took place in early November.

“I worked out after that, but I didn’t see a softball field or a live pitcher,” she said.

Entering the competition with the nation’s best players, she said, “I didn’t expect anything.

“I was going out to play the game, knowing it was softball and the game I love. I saw it as having fun.”

During her opportunities at the plate in the final tryout, Bailey Dowling walked once, hit two singles and clubbed one home run. She struck out four times.

Across the board, strikeouts were more the norm than the exception, Brett Dowling noting that at least one of the candidates struck out seven times.

***

When the last session ended on New Year’s Day, Brett Dowling found it difficult to be optimistic.

“I was hoping,” he said, “but I didn’t know how to feel about her chances.”

Bailey Dowling shared many of the same doubts, acknowledging she didn’t perform up to her expectations.

“I’m hard on myself and criticize myself,” she said. “I saw more negatives than positives.”

There was no ceremony to introduce the USA Junior Team selections. Instead, players were notified by email.

The final roster of 20 featured 10 athletes were are currently college freshmen, eight who are current high school seniors and two who are now high school juniors.

Bailey Dowling, 16, was one of the two youngest selections for the USA team.

She and three others made the team after first surviving the day-long open tryout that preceded the official three-day tryout.

The outcome helped Bailey Dowling gain a different perspective.

“I was thinking I should have looked more at the positives,” she said. “Seeing the best (junior) pitchers in the country, you won’t make it look perfect.”

Four of the 20 on the USA Junior Team are either at Alabama or have committed to playing there.

The others besides Dowling are current freshmen Skylar Wallace (infielder) and Montana Fouts (pitcher) and current high school senior Lexie Kilfoyl (pitcher).

Two other members of the travel team Dowling now plays for — Georgia Impact — were named to the 20-player Team USA roster: Kelley Lynch (pitcher) and Julia Cottrill (catcher).

***

Dowling won’t be taking much of a break from softball.

Open gyms at St. Joseph-Ogden will start on Tuesday.

“Two days a week,” Dowling said.

The open gyms will be led by the Spartans’ three captains, Dowling, Hannah Dukeman and Katie Poulter, since coaches can’t be involved.

Weather permitting, SJ-O will open its 2019 schedule on March 18 with a game at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley which will also mark Larry Sparks’ debut as the SJ-O softball head coach.

For Dowling, there will still be plenty of softball once the prep season ends.

Team USA will have a camp, followed by a series of exhibition games, in Columbus, Ga., starting June 28.

Another camp and a series of games will be scheduled for mid-July in Spartanburg, S.C., before the 20-player roster is reduced to the 17 who will participate in the Junior Women’s World Championships that will be held in Irvine, Cal., starting in early August.

“I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” said Bailey Dowling, who last spring was chosen as the state’s Gatorade High School Softball Player of the Year.

It has hit home for plenty of others, however.

“Since the announcement, our phones have blown up,” Brett Dowling said. “We’re super-excited.”

The post SJO’s Dowling named to USA Junior National Softball Team first appeared on SJO Daily.