NEW MARKET — Southmont’s road to a state title must now go through the 2025 defending 2A state champion Tecumseh. The Mounties will face the Braves in the semi-state at 1 p.m. Saturday at Forest Park High School in Ferdinand.
Tecumseh, located in Lynnville, defeated Sullivan (18-7) 18-0 in five innings on Tuesday.
Tecumseh’s softball history is impressive. The Braves have won three state championships in the last four years and have a total of six state banners. The school, with an enrollment of less than 300 students, has won 17 sectional titles, 15 regionals and eight semi-states.
This is the 20th season for head coach Gordon Woods who has compiled a won-loss record of 461-133.
Tecumseh enters Saturday’s contest with a 26-4 record and has won 16 of their last 17 games. The Braves do not seem to care who they play. Last year the won at Carmel and this season they played all the Evansville schools and traveled as far as Logansport. They did suffer a 2-1 lost to 4A Hamilton Southeastern back in April.
The last loss this season was against Daviess County, Kentucky (34-4) on May 12.
The Braves returned six starters from last season including Indiana State University commit Melanie Pfieffer and Breann Harris in the infield. Sophomore pitcher Audrey Seiler is considered by most as a top-Class of 2028 pitchers in the country. Seiler pitched a no-hitter and struck out 10 in the regional.
The Mounties (19-5) are on a six-game winning streak after defeating Monrovia 7-4 in Tuesday’s regional match. It is the second time Southmont has won a regional championship.
Southmont has consistently improved as the season progressed and is ready to face Saturday’s challenge.
Sophomore Ella Barry has put together a stellar season pitching and hitting. She has a record of 17-3 with an ERA of 0.68. She has struck out 231 batters and issued only 15 walks.
On offense, Barry is batting .545 with an on base percentage of .626. She leads the team with 36 hits, 35 RBI, 10 home runs and 11 doubles.
Mountie sophomore Kaylee Turner is batting .402 and leads the team with 30 runs and is second in home runs with six.
Catcher Kenzie Clate played a key role in Tuesday’s regional championship game. The junior was able to produce three hits after Monrovia intentionally walked Barry on three occasions. Clate has a batting average of .329.
The Southmont game will be broadcast on WCDQ Country 106.3 FM with Brett Cating and Bob Cox on the call beginning at 12:45 p.m.
In the 11 a.m. game of the Forest Park Semi-State, Eastern Hancock (19-6) will face off with Salem (13-9).
The semi-state championship is 7 p.m. Saturday with a trip to the state finals on the line. The state championship will be played at Purdue University.
