When catcher Madison Scapardine transferred from St. Laurence to Shepard for her sophomore year, she knew for sure she wouldn’t be a stranger.
She had either gone to middle school or played on the travel circuit with several of the Astros’ players.
“A lot of my friends were here and people I knew,” Scapardine said. “I just knew I’d feel more at home here. I made the decision.”
What she wasn’t so sure about was her softball status. Scapardine had played on the JV team at St. Laurence as a freshman.
“Walking into it, I didn’t know what to expect,” Scapardine said. “I was really surprised when I made the varsity and got a starting spot.”
Scapardine has been solid behind and stellar at the plate all season.
She was a standout Tuesday for the host Astros during an 11-1 victory over T.F. South in a Class 4A Shepard Regional semifinal game in Palos Heights.
Scapardine was 4-for-4 with two RBIs for the Astros (22-7). Abbie Statham-Ball added two hits, while Sarah Kreamalmeyer fired a one-hitter and struck out eight.
Abby Kleidon had the only hit for the game for T.F. South (17-18).
Shepard will play Lincoln-Way West (21-11) — which beat Bloom 10-0 in five innings — at 4:30 p.m. Friday for the regional championship.
Scapardine ended Tuesday’s game for the Astros in the bottom of the fifth inning with a walk-off single. She had base hits in each of her previous three at-bats.
For the season, Scapardine is batting a robust .541. Of her 52 hits, 44 are singles. Shepard coach Andy Schindel bats her fifth in the order to keep the merry-go-round going.
“She leads the team in singles for a reason,” Schindel said. “She hits it hard. She might not be the fastest out there, but she hits it and she goes.
“We knew a good amount about Madison, but we hadn’t seen her play. When she came in, she impressed us not just with her ability but how mature she is for being 16 years old. The way she handles her business and works with our pitching staff is phenomenal.”
For Scapardine, being a catcher was more or less a natural part of her makeup.
“I just like the idea of being a leader on the field,” Scapardine said. “At catcher, you’re always a part of the play. It can be fielding because a bunt can happen. With catching, there’s framing.
“There’s always something for a catcher to do.”
Statham-Ball has been a classmate of Scapardine’s since first grade. She already knew the personality but has learned about the work ethic at Shepard while watching her from shortstop.
“Madison is very sweet, very kind,” Statham-Ball said. “She cares about everybody and is always encouraging. She’s been a critical part to our team.
“Behind the plate, she really knows what she’s doing. To get the strike, she knows how to put the ball exactly where she wants to.”
No one can attest to that more than Kreamalmeyer.
The junior right-hander had at least one strikeout in every inning Tuesday. Some of the strikes?
“Madison frames the ball really well,” Kreamalmeyer said. “There were a couple of calls in this game that I wasn’t too sure about, but she got me a strike.
“There was one for a lefty where there was an outside pitch, and I didn’t think it was a strike. But they called it.”
Scapardine knew exactly what Kreamalmeyer was talking about.
“I love doing that,” Scapardine said, smiling. “Catching Sarah is so fun. We’ve always been competitors in travel, and we both knew each other was a good player.
“It’s great to get to work together.”
