By Richard Torres
May 01, 2008 08:13 am
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PENDLETON — In the grand scheme of things, the Pendleton Heights Arabians’ 7-6 win over rival New Palestine 10 days ago proved a bit heftier than most.
True, the victory gave the defending Hoosier Heritage Conference softball champions a crucial edge in the standings. And yes, any win over those pesky Class 3A Dragons holds substantial weight. Just ask anyone wearing Forest Green and White.
Yet, it was the most obvious tidbit that seemingly slipped by unnoticed — at least at first.
“I didn’t even realize it until my dad told me,” PH senior shortstop Stephanie Robinson admitted.
“I didn’t know that was the game,” PH senior right fielder Shonda Garringer added. “I just knew we reached 100 wins. I didn’t know we just did it.”
As the fourth consecutive senior class in program history to eclipse the century mark, the inadvertent oversight can hardly be charged as an unforgivable offense.
Instead, simply turn your attention to the Arabians’ team motto, the one that reads: ‘Tradition never graduates.’
On track to surpass the ’07 class’s pace of 110-13 and the ’06 group’s 107-16 standard, the squad’s seven rostered seniors have already leapt past the ’05 seniors’ 100-22 career record with eight more regular-season games left.
However, when it comes to Arabians’ softball, nothing is singular.
“If you look at those 100 wins, it’s not all theirs,” PH softball coach Scott Hall said. “There were some good classes before them that taught them some things that helped them get these 100 wins. You have to pay some credit to those seniors that showed them how to do things the right way, and hopefully it will pay off for them this year.”
Based on past accomplishments, the dividends shouldn’t fall too short of previous watermarks.
Over the past four seasons, the seven rostered seniors have played a key role in the team’s string of three consecutive HHC titles.
During that same stint, the Arabians have amassed two sectional and regional championships, a state finals appearance, a Class 3A state runner-up finish and a crisp 11-3 playoff record.
The Arabians’ magnificent seven also helped establish two state standards in ’07 for most hits in a single-season (411) and most home runs in a single-game (5) while compiling a class record of 103-9. The group was also a factor in the program’s record-setting 31-win finish last season.
Yet, even more impressive, the Arabians have faced nearly 15 ranked opponents on average since Hall’s first year in 2001.
“We try to raise the bar every year,” Hall said. “Hopefully, we can this year.”
Indeed, but nothing comes easy. And in recent days, the Arabians have accepted both the good along with the bad.
By beating New Palestine two weeks ago, 10th-ranked Pendleton Heights snapped a short two-game skid, losing to both Class 4A Perry Meridian and No. 8 Franklin Central.
Before that, the Arabians fell to No. 7 Carmel, which erased their 9-0 record and a run at a second perfect regular-season in three years.
Able to recapture their winning ways by defeating Noblesville and HHC foe Rushville last week, the squad once again sits at a crossroad, succumbing to No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern and top-ranked Center Grove last weekend.
“We’re just like any other team,” Hall noted on the team’s four losses in the past seven games, resulting in 14-5 record.
“We need to go back out and earn respect again. We’re not going to get wins based on last year. This team has to go out and earn it themselves.”
“We’re not against losing; it’s how we lost this year,” the coach added. “I preach to them that we can take losses with the best of them. If we play well and lose, we’re fine with it. A lot of our losses have not been quality losses. That’s what we’re really struggling with this year.”
According to the players, the lessons learned are equally important as they intend to counter their momentary frustration with steadfast resolve.
“It’s not better that we’re losing, but I think it’s helping us learn from our mistakes more,” Robinson said. “We’ve gone undefeated before and it didn’t get us to state. I think everything is going to start to click at the right time.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but if we didn’t have pressure we wouldn’t have gotten where we are today.”
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Arabians Softball Century Club
In each of the last four seasons, the Arabians’ senior class has eclipsed the 100-wins plateau on the softball diamond. With eight regular-season games remaining, the class of ’08 is on target to become the winningest group in program history. Below are the Arabians’ Century Club classes with year-by-year records.
Class of ’08
2008 14-5
2007 31-2
2006 28-1
2005 30-2
Total 103-9
Class of ’07
2007 31-2
2006 28-1
2005 30-2
2004 21-8
Total 110-13
Class of ’06
2006 28-1
2005 30-2
2004 21-8
2003 28-5
Total 107-16
Class of ’05
2005 30-2
2004 21-8
2003 28-5
2002 21-7
Total 100-22
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