Rochester softball moves into sectional with Pioneer, Winamac

Baseball adds Bremen, LaVille, Pioneer to sectional mix

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Softball

The Rochester softball team was placed in Class 2A, Sectional 37 Friday. Pioneer, Lewis Cass, North Judson, Wabash and Winamac will join them in a six-team sectional.

This means that coach Jim Coleman’s first Lady Z team will not be in a sectional with Whitko, the team that knocked them out of last year’s sectional semifinals and the team that eventually won a regional title. In fact, if Rochester were to meet Whitko in the postseason, it would not happen until the semistate.

Pioneer won the Class 2A state title as recently as 2021 but might be retooling after the graduation of two-time state home run champ and pitching ace Hailey Cripe, now at the University of Kansas.

North Judson hosted last year’s sectional but Winamac has experience hosting the sectional also.

Rochester had no seniors on a team that went 10-11 last year.

Baseball

Rochester will be in Class 2A, Sectional 36 for baseball. It’s a six-team grouping that also includes Pioneer, Bremen, LaVille, Manchester and Wabash.

Wabash, who ousted the Zebras from last year’s sectional and who won the Three Rivers Conference last year, is a traditional sectional host. Manchester is also a traditional sectional rival.

Pioneer moves up from Class 1A. Bremen went 11-9-1 last year while LaVille went 12-12.

Rochester went 15-6 last year and graduated only outfielder-pitcher Evan Elliott.