Maybe it was just what they needed.
Headed into their May 7 contest with Notre Dame, the Highlands softball team had won 29 straight games over 9th Region opponents. But on that Tuesday evening, the streak was halted by the Pandas.
Then came a losing streak to 9th Region foes, two more losses to Dixie Heights and Ryle and all of the sudden what looked like a cakewalk through the 9th for a third straight region title was met with resistance.
“Each loss was one run. Didn’t play wonderful defense. All of them knew we had to step it up,” Highlands coach Milt Horner said. “We knew we had a target on our back all year. In some ways maybe it was a relief to lose the first of those games. Not sure we wanted to win so many games in a row going into the tourney, maybe we did get too full of ourselves and got our nose back to the grindstone. We reset ourselves.”
Highlands regrouped when it mattered most and won five straight games in the postseason and are headed back to Lexington for the third straight year for the KHSAA state softball tournament. They begin play on Thursday at 1 p.m. against Assumption at University of Kentucky’s John Cropp Stadium.
After going 2-6 in their last eight games of the regular season, Highlands five wins in the postseason came by a combined score of 49-6. Kaitlyn Dixon was stellar in the circle, the defense made some game-changing plays and the potent offense provided some timely hitting.
Now they face another challenge, winning down state, something they’ve been unsuccessful in their prior two trips in 2022 and 2023.
Six of the nine that start in the field currently were there for the first state tournament game in 2022, an 8-0 loss to South Warren. Only two weren’t on the roster in last year’s trip to Lexington, a 3-1 loss to Johnson Central.
“Last year we were a lot more relaxed,” Horner said. “The first year was the pressure of doing it, the pressure of being one and done and first year any of the girls played in a situation like that. We’re hoping that with the tough schedule we played this year sets us up knowing we can go down and play with these teams. Several of these girls are walking on the field the third time there.”
On the other side of the field is a different story, Assumption is making their first trip to the state tournament since 1998.
While the state tournament experience is there, it’s still a young Bluebirds roster. The roster this year has just two seniors on it, 14 of the 18 are sophomores and younger. Not a good stat for the rest of the 9th Region with the majority coming back for at least two more years.
With the youth, came with an up and down season. The Bluebirds started off hot, going 17-4 in their first 21 games that came with wins over Montgomery County, East Jessamine, Oldham County and a solid showing at the Cal Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, TN where they went 3-1.
Then came a stretch where they went 6-8 to close out the season. Horner feels it made them better as they battled through injuries.
“We knew still had everything in front of us and what we worked for,” Horner said. “We moved some people around to make up for injuries. Girls put their mind to it that they want to go back to Lex, to play at UK and participate in the state tourney and win region a third time in a row.”
Here they are. The lineup is powered by Michelle Barth, the Northern Kentucky Softball Coaches Association Division II Player of the Year. Barth hit an eye-popping .578 this season with the pop in her bat, hitting 10 homeruns to go with 66 RBI. Payton Brown sent 12 balls out of the ballpark this season to go with 56 RBI and a .509 batting average. Bailey Markus has also had a standout performance at the plate this season, hitting .472 and leading the team in stolen bases with 16.
“Michelle has raised her game to another level. Only three strikeouts in 109 at-bats. Bailey has one of the highest career batting averages ever for a Highlands player. Payton is hitting .100 points higher than last year,” Horner said. “That kind of production in the middle of our lineup is huge.”
It doesn’t just stop there, either. Cam Markus, Kaitlyn Dixon and Morgan Pompilio all hit at least .324 this season as the team averages 7.41 runs per game.
If they can get anywhere near that average starting on Thursday and through the tournament, they’ll have to feel pretty good about themselves knowing what’s in the circle in Dixon. Dixon sports a 1.62 ERA in 185.1 innings pitched this season with a whopping 284 strikeouts. The strikeout total is good for a tie for eighth in the state.
“When she is on, we’re really in good shape,” Horner said. “It makes it easier on our offense. When she’s pitching well, they know we only have to get 12 outs by other means when she’s striking out 8-9.”
Then there’s the defense, Horner stating they’ve committed just one or two errors all postseason so far. The region tournament was met with some highlight reel plays as Bailey Markus and Allison Meyers made diving grabs. Layla Zepf has been a standout in the field as well.
Highlands will head to John Cropp Stadium for a third straight year, is this the year they break through? We’ll know Thursday come 1 p.m.
The Opponent
The last time Assumption made the state softball tournament, none of the players were even born yet, that time coming in 1998. They had been to the 7th Region final nine times and losing in the championship game before breaking through this year.
The Rockets went undefeated in a stout 7th Region that featured four of the top 20 teams in the state. They hit .400 as a team and average 8.9 runs per game.
They can be had in the circle, their primary pitcher Ava Lou Mattingly entering with a 4.74 ERA.
“They’re obviously good if you beat Male and Ballard,” Horner said. “Tough region and to get out of it, you have to do something right. They play good defense, very balanced lineup of hitters. We’ll absolutely have to get our best out of everyone and hope for quick start.”
A Louisville area school has won the last four state softball titles, Male won in 2019, Butler won in 2021 and Ballard won the last two in 2022 and 2023.
