The 1996 Turkey Run softball team highlighted their high school sports careers with a state championship.
We decided to pry a bit and see what the team was up to after winning that title a quarter century back.
With special thanks first to Melanie (Newnum) Miller, who is in touch with every player a little or a lot, it will come as no surprise that some of these outstanding softball players moved from playing to coaching.
It is also no surprise that success at the athletic level in high school has morphed into success as adults, whether as parents, coaches, business people or in other fields.
There was even an email from London, so one of the Warriors has put some miles on.
We asked the players for an update on what they are doing now, and for one memory from that state championship.
What follows is that look back.
• Amanda (Curley) Rushbrooke
I live in London, England with my husband James Rushbrooke and my children Ada, 4 1/2, and William, 1 1/2.
I’ve worked at Kingston University for five years in the philanthropic and alumni relations department. Prior to this I led the London Office of Afghanaid, an international aid agency.
My favorite memory was the drive back to Parke County and looking out the back window of the bus and seeing the never ending caravan behind us — it was like the scene in Field of Dreams! Just breath-taking.
• Adrianne (Young) Hill
Right out of high school, I went to Motlow State Community College in Tennessee on a basketball scholarship, but ended up also playing softball my second and third year there. I went into retail management and worked at Lowe’s for 19 years. I am currently at the Tennessee Department of Correction at the Tennessee Correction Academy as the learning management system coordinator for the state. We train all the correctional officers and probation/parole officers for the state. I am married to Philip Hill, who recently started his own business as well as working for a home health company and he is the director of sports medicine at our local hospital. We have two children, Jalen,15, who plays basketball, football and runs track, and Ava, 9, who loves to do gymnastics.
One of the memories I have is one before we made the memory a reality and that is the vision I had that we were going to be champions. I am not psychic by any means, but I saw it one day when I was getting out of the shower. I pulled the shower curtain back and there it was. I told Stacey about the vision...
The Turkey Run Warriors were determined to make it happen, and we did.
The best memory I have of the entire chain of events is the pride our crowd had for a group of young ladies who gave it their all. My dad passed away in September 2019 and that was one of the things he was most proud of; that our team accomplished one of the most fulfilling achievements that a small town could attain. It brought an already close community airtight.
• Kendra Bosley
I am married to Simon Spilkin and have two active boys, Max, 6, and Sam, 4. We live in Nashville, Tennessee, where I am the pediatric pharmacy manager at TriStar Centennial Medical Center. Both of my boys are interested in baseball already, with Max batting left-handed and frequently playing third base.
My favorite memory was at the beginning of the game, standing at third base and looking all the way around the fence and just seeing crowds of people. It felt like they were all cheering for us, but I also knew they were cheering for what it meant for us to be there and to potentially win.
• Melanie (Newnum) Miller
Currently living in Tangier (northern Parke County) and married to Matt Miller. They have three children, Cassie, 15, Hallie, 13, and Joel, 11. All three attend Parke Heritage schools. She is a history teacher at Parke Heritage High School and head varsity softball coach. She also was varsity coach at Turkey Run, winning three sectionals in the mid-2000s.
After high school, she played Division 1 softball for four years at Indiana State University.
First is the moment I knew that there was no way we could lose was the first game of the semi-state. There was a ball hit in right center and both Kim and I were going for it. The field was so muddy that we both slid in different directions past it. The runner continued from second to third, but I was able to jump up and hit the cut off and we got the girl out at third. It looks so terrible, but somehow we managed to still get the out. Right before the last out of the state championship game, the umpire turned to me and told me congratulations. We hadn’t won yet and for a brief moment it started to sink in. Then the next pitch we won! I’ll never forget the reception we had at the square in Rockville. It was after midnight and we for standing on a huge hay trailer for everybody to see us in the square was filled with people from everywhere in Parke County not just Turkey Run. Then we continue to the school and didn’t leave until 3 a.m.!
• Ariel (Smith) Legano
I am now a manager of a bookstore in Greenville, South Carolina, with my husband Joe and my two children, Raine and Brandon. I’m selling books, encouraging literacy. In my free time I love making costumes and props for complicated costumes.
One of the things I learned from the state championship was how much our community loved us and how everyone came together and helped in whatever way they could. We all came from an amazing community with amazing people.
• Kyla Clover (Ryan)
Living in Rockville, with my husband Shawn, and my daughters, Kailyn and Kendall. Currently employed as the matron at the Parke County Sheriff’s Office.
Being an underclassman on the team with minimal playing time was just as special as having a primary spot. It takes a TEAM to make the dream work and it truly took all of us to make that incredible event happen. No matter your role on the team, you serve a purpose. Such a special memory that I’ve been able to share with my own daughter who loves softball.
• Brianne (Everson) Walters
I was a freshman on the State Championship Team.
I live near Cayuga with my husband Dave and three children, Wyatt, Laney and Emmett. I am the assistant director of the Center for Bat Research, Outreach and Conservation at Indiana State University. I enjoy spending time with my family, going to my kids various activities (sports, 4-H, etc.), and spending time outdoors.
As a freshman, I really enjoyed watching and learning from my older teammates. It was a great experience and I am so grateful to have been a part of it.
• Carrie (Cox) Starkey
I was a freshman during the state championship. One of the things that sticks out in my mind were the fans. We had such a huge support system behind us. The entire place was packed with red white and Columbia blue every game, especially the road to the state title.
I currently live in Cayuga with my husband and our blended family of six. We have two boys and two girls ranging from 13-16. Between our two girls they keep me on the softball fields all year long. I love seeing the kids of my past teammates now playing on some of the same fields we did growing up.
I have my dream “job” as a real estate agent and love being able to help family and friends in the community find their dream home.
• Julie (Wooten) Arnold
I was the sophomore first baseman on that team and hit in the four spot.
I am now married to my husband, Andy, and we have two children, an 11-year-old daughter, Hailey, who I coach in 12U travel softball, and an 8-year-old son, Evan.
We live in Brownsburg and I work as an event specialist at Hendricks Regional Health. Prior to that I was an event director for eight years at Indiana Sports Corporation and helped manage and plan several NCAA championship events in Indianapolis (2016 and 2011 Women’s Final Four, 2015 and 2010 Men’s Final Four, 2013 and 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals, along with other NCAA Championships) as well as the 2011-2015 Big Ten Football Championship and the 2012 Superbowl, among other events. Prior to that I was an assistant athletic director at Butler University for five years.
After high school, I played four years of Division I softball at IUPUI. During my first two years there, I played with my 1996 State Championship teammate, Lacy Query, who later became my sister-in-law by marrying my brother, Kyle.
As far as memories go of the 1996 State Championship season, I will never forget that we just knew we belonged there. There was never a feeling of being overwhelmed or that we were out of place since we were from such a small school. The majority of us had played years and years of travel softball, we trusted and believed in each other, and we knew we had the experience and the talent to get us the win.
The memories of that night that stick out the most to me are:
Looking around at the size of the crowd. It was basically standing room only — several rows deep all along the fence line, the entire grandstand filled to capacity — and it felt like everyone there was cheering for Turkey Run! The way the entire community rallied around us that night was amazing. To this day there are still people that tell me “I was there when you won the state championship” and I had no idea!
The caravan back home from Carmel. I remember looking behind us as we traveled home and the headlights just stretched for miles and miles behind us. We toured around the courthouse square in Rockville and pretty much woke up the entire town.
That magical 10-run inning! Who could forget that?
• Stacey (Newlin) Falls
I was the pitcher for our 1996 team. In advance of this letter I’d sincerely like to thank you for recognizing our state title team. It was a special time for so many.
I live in Bloomingdale, a block away from my mother and father, Jerry and Vicki Newlin. My dad Jerry and his brother Keith were of course our coaches. Keith has since passed away sadly. I have taught first grade at East Side Elementary in Brazil for 21 years. My husband SFC Doug Falls passed away unexpectedly right before last Christmas while on active duty in the military (heart attack). Our daughter Gabby Falls is going to be a junior at Parke Heritage High School. She is a pitcher, like me! She was chosen as an Indy Star top 100 player to watch for the class of 2023. She also earned all-conference honors for her season this spring. We will travel with the Indiana Gators softball organization this summer to tournaments and college showcases. I also called pitches/assisted Coach Miller at Parke Heritage this spring.
One thing that has really stuck with me throughout the years, and especially now looking back, was how incredibly tough and resilient our team was. We took offense to the term “Cinderella Story.” We never had losing or failure on our minds or felt like we needed a “fairy godmother” to help get us through. We played on our ability. We played sick, hurt, good, bad and all in between. We were on a mission that I believe we all intrinsically knew was going to be a defining moment for small schools everywhere and we were proud to be the team to do it. It seemed we had a greater purpose than just softball. In addition, I’d like to recognize that our community support was second to none (we may even still hold the state record for game attendance). To this day the support continues not only for our legacy, but also for all Parke County sports and athletes.
• Kim (Newlin) Myers
I was the center fielder and lead off batter.
I graduated from Indiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in child development and family life in 2002. While attending ISU I met my husband, Marcus Myers. After graduation I taught preschool and was a director at a day care in Terre Haute until marriage and children came. I then choose to stay home and raise our three children. We lived in Muncie for about eight years and now reside in Cartersburg, Indiana, where my husband grew up. Our oldest son, Owen, will be a junior at Cascade High School. Our daughter, Loriese, is an eighth grader at Cascade Middle School. My youngest son, Henry “Hank: Keith, is a fifth grader at Mill Creek East Elementary. Hank is named after my father and reminds me of him too. He’s highly intelligent and can be a pistol. My dad could tell you what page a certain softball rule could be found in the rule book if we had one come into question while playing. He and my Uncle Moe knew the game inside and out and threw at us as much as we could take in. I’m grateful for them pushing us on and off the field to be the best we could be.
When we started the journey to state champs I would count our outs as a way to settle my nervous. I should add that I never doubted we would win state that year. I knew without a doubt from the minute we lost to Seeger in regionals the year prior. We had no business losing to them. We were the better team. After that though loss it just clicked for me. I knew what our coaches were preaching to us was the truth. We could win state. I knew we only needed to get 21 outs to win the game and eight wins to be state champs. In the bottom of the seventh in the championship game against Center Grove with 20 outs under our belts and only one to go I said a little prayer asking God to just let her hit a ball my way. If it was any where remotely close to me I knew I could track it down and get our last and final out of the tournament. If you were at the game that night you know God answered my prayer. I haven’t shared how I counted outs or my little prayer until now.
• Angie (Crum) Ryan
Married to Kenny. Currently works and lives in Lafayette as a nurse for IU and Pediatric Nursing Specialists. Has three children, Haley, Sydney and Noah.
• Jessica (Blake) Fisher
Married to Michael Fisher, with two daughters, Emma and Ella. She lives in Riley, IN (near Terre Haute). She is a wellness coach at a weight loss clinic (Lifetime Clinical Weight Control).
My favorite memory of the state championship was the amazing support from the community.
• Lacy (Query) Wooten
Married with three children. She was an assistant coach this year for Danville High School softball team (semi-state finalists). She has worked in education her entire career — teacher, assistant principal, school board member. Currently, she splits her time as a case manager for at-risk youth and part-time for Indiana Governor’s University as an advisor for education majors.
• Carrie (McKinney) Petras
She lives in Charlestown, Indiana, and works as a NICU nurse.
