Hanover Central sophomore pitcher Jillian DeYoung is fully aware there’s a distinction between the regular season and the playoffs.
DeYoung also knows pregame preparations and games aren’t the same, although a reminder from senior catcher Sienna Stilley, a Jacksonville State recruit, doesn’t hurt.
“Every warmup we’ve had in the postseason, she’s gotten frustrated with herself,” Stilley said. “I’m just like, ‘It’s not the game yet, so just relax. You don’t have to force anything yet.’ Then she gets in the game, and she’s just so loose and so composed, and you can just see the maturity in her already just as a sophomore.
“She’s commanding that circle like any NCAA Division I player that I’ve seen. She’s doing great.”
Indeed, DeYoung was great during the Northwest Crossroads Conference champion Wildcats’ 5-0 victory over Greater South Shore Conference co-champion Griffith in the Class 3A Hanover Central Regional on Tuesday night. She fashioned a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and two walks, carrying a perfect game through four innings.
DeYoung’s exploits weren’t limited to pitching. She went 2-for-3 with two RBIs as Hanover Central, which reached the Class 3A state championship game last season, secured its second straight regional title and third in four seasons.
The Wildcats (23-6), who are ranked No. 10 in the state coaches poll, will play No. 2 Logansport (27-1) in the semifinals of the Twin Lakes Semistate at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“It’s so fun,” DeYoung said. “I’ve been looking forward to this time all year, and it’s because our whole team, we know we have the potential to go back to state. Just the confidence we have in each other and ourselves just brings us not so much stress but so much fun.”
DeYoung, who described the defense behind her as a “brick wall,” walked sophomore catcher Laney Poppa to start the fifth, giving the No. 12 Panthers (25-3) their first base runner in their first regional appearance since 2016. Sophomore left fielder Victoria Nudo collected their first hit to lead off the sixth, and freshman center fielder Jaida Wheatley drew a walk with two outs before DeYoung retired the final four batters.
“Griffith came to play,” Hanover Central coach Sam Antkiewicz said. “They’re a good team, and she (DeYoung) had to be on her ‘A’ game. She had to have her best stuff, and she did. She loves the ball in big games. She loves the bat in big games too. But she loves the ball in big games.
“She’s a gamer. She’s just a gamer. She stepped up big for us.”
After singling as part of a two-run first, DeYoung delivered a two-run single to highlight a three-run second.
“I was really confident in my team and I because I know we’ve been working really hard, and our at-bats were on point,” DeYoung said. “All we’ve been really focusing on is our at-bats because we know Camryn Young — she throws hard, and she has good spins — so we’ve really been working on the hack attack.
“I was just thinking anything close, I’m just going to swing away and hope for a hit. I’m going to put my bat out there and hope for the best. Just swing down because Camryn is very spinny, so I know just watch the ball and throw my bat out there.”
Antkiewicz wasn’t surprised by DeYoung’s offensive contributions.
“Any time we need a big hit, or they’re not expecting her to hit, she gets big hits for us,” Antkiewicz said. “She gets things going. She hits the ball hard. When she squares it up, she hits the ball hard. She’s a good hitter too. So we’re glad to have that too.”
The Wildcats were glad to have DeYoung at all against the Panthers this time around. One day after she threw a shutout against Lowell on April 22, she said “my shoulder was just bugging me,” so she sat out a 7-5 loss to Griffith.
“I feel like as a team, we just weren’t on our ‘A’ game,” she said. “This game, we talked before the game, and we were just basically really locked in to the point where we don’t want to lose this game. We knew we were going to put 110% into everything we do.”
DeYoung improved to 18-4 with a 1.35 ERA, 224 strikeouts and 40 walks in 130 innings. She’s also batting .360 with three homers and 31 RBIs.
As a freshman, DeYoung went 7-7 with a 1.88 ERA, 165 strikeouts and 44 walks in 111 2/3 innings, and she batted .362 with four homers and 17 RBIs.
“She’s gotten stronger, and she just kept working,” Antkiewicz said. “Being able to understand her body and the rigors of the high school season, she learned that from last year and was able to take care of her body this year. She’s hitting her stride at the right time again.”
