Few softball players are more motivated than Hanover Central senior pitcher Claire Edgerton this season.
After the Wildcats left the potential tying run on base at the end of a 5-4 loss to Indianapolis Cathedral in the Class 3A state championship game last year, Edgerton wants to help them take the final step.
“I’m excited to show people that I can hold my own on the mound,” she said. “I didn’t get to show that as much as I would’ve liked last year. I’ve been working on my speed. It had slowed down a bit, and I wanted to get it back up to where it was.”
Edgerton, who is entering her third varsity season, made the most of her eight appearances last year. She posted a 1.75 ERA and struck out 36 in 32 innings for the Wildcats (18-13), numbers that led coach Sam Antkiewicz to admit he probably should have used his No. 3 starter more often.
“Every time we put Claire in, I thought she did well,” Antkiewicz said. “There were times I was second-guessing myself, thinking maybe we could’ve gotten Claire in there and she would’ve done just as well. But I’m looking forward to seeing her in action more this year and seeing what she can do.”
A major offseason focus for Edgerton was sharpening her change-up, a pitch both she and Antkiewicz believe will be crucial for her.
“It’s important for her to be able to throw the change-up for a strike and then come back with something harder,” Antkiewicz said. “We’ve been working on that. In middle school, when she had command of that change-up, it kept hitters off balance and made her fastball look faster.
“So if she’s able to throw it for a strike, get ground balls and keep people off balance, it’s absolutely going to be one of the keys to her success this year.”
Edgerton, who also plays basketball at Hanover Central, has been tinkering with her pitches for nearly a decade. She first stepped into the circle when she was 8 years old.
“In one of our games in 8U, our pitcher got sick, and they asked who would want to step up and try to pitch,” Edgerton said. “I raised my hand, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
It was an out-of-character moment for Edgerton, who describes herself as quiet and shy, in contrast to her younger sister, Nora, a junior outfielder who is more outgoing.
Nora Edgerton said Claire has always been a steadying presence on and off the field.
“My freshman year, I was really nervous when I got pulled up to varsity,” Nora Edgerton said. “But she was always there to make sure I knew I was meant to be there. If I looked upset, she’d make sure I was OK. If I had a question, I could go to her.
“She’s my best friend. I go to her about everything. We’re not too far in age — we’re, what, 13 months apart — so she understands everything I go through. If I ever need anything, I know I can always go to her.”
Claire Edgerton, who hopes the Wildcats go to her often this season, said she believes a strong start will be important. They went 5-7 in the Northwest Crossroads Conference to finish fourth last year.
“We’re all pretty hungry to have a great year again,” she said. “We obviously want our postseason to go the same way it did last year, but it would be even better if we had more regular-season success too.
“We didn’t do so great in our conference last year, and because we play those schools a lot, it would be great if we could win conference or at least win more conference games than we did last season.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.
