Fountain Central softball is looking forward to 2024. In 2023 FC went 11-13 and saw their most wins in over decade. Seven of those 13 losses were by four runs or fewer as the Mustangs were in most games they played. This spring, all chips are in for FC as they’ll be relying on the play of four great senior along with a group of sophomores that emerged last year as freshman.
Led by 2023 JR Softball Player of the Year in Zoe Foxworthy Dejournett who is one of those four seniors, expect FC to break through for a winning season.
A year ago Foxworthy-Dejournett simply did everything offensively for the Mustangs in her first season with the program. She batted .500 with 37 hits, 18 for extra bases, eight doubles, two triples and crushed eight home runs. She scored 40 total runs and was a force on the bases with 38 stolen bases. It’s more than just Foxworthy-Dejournett for FC however. Seniors Sami Krout and Kacey Kirkpatrick will both be big players for the Mustangs. Krout hit .410 with Kirkpatrick hitting .397 on 29 hits, 34 RBI’s, and seven long balls. Overall it’s a group the Mustang coach Ric Walke expects to compete with most on their schedule.
“Our expectations are to compete at a higher level and give ourselves a chance to win every game we play. We don’t feel that is too much to ask for from this team, with everyone returning from last year’s team we were able to get a running start to the season. It was helpful that the weather cooperated early and allowed us to get outside.”
In the circle, Kirkpatrick will be the No. 1 as she has been the last several seasons for the Mustangs. Last year Kirkpatrick pitched in 105 innings and had an impressive 3.33 ERA with 158 strikeouts.
Other players of note for FC include sophomores Jackie Weber (.377), Lily Bennett (.277), Kyra Kiger (.276) , and Foxworthy-Dejournette’s younger sister Kearney who hit .352 in her first season with FC. Katie Brown is the fourth senior for the Mustangs and will be behind the plate doing the catching. Overall with a core group of seniors leading the way, Walke spoke very highly of his leaders.
“This is a great senior class, they have worked hard throughout their careers with our program,” he said. “They have set high standards for themselves and their teammates. This group has put in so much time in the offseason to make themselves better. They get together and hit, work on their defense and they are not afraid of the weight room. We are fortunate to have four seniors that are self motivated and goal driven. All four will go on to further their education in college and three will continue to compete on the softball field for their schools of choice. They will leave a mark on our program that is going to be hard to repeat.”
The Mustangs begin their 2024 season next Saturday with when they travel to Rossville for a pair of games with a double-header. The Mustangs welcome Crawfordsville on April 4, Southmont a week later on April 11, and travel to North Montgomery on April 29.
