I once cornered a couple of LaRue County Softball players back in 2009 after a practice. Tesha Paysen and Christian Cox were both excellent players and both played key roles on the 2005 team as middle-school athletes. Somehow, the conversation steered towards the 2005 Lady Hawk team and what they accomplished during the 5th Region Tournament. Cox refered to it as the “Best Three Days of their Lives.”
What stands out about that three day excurstion from May 30th-to-June 1st wasn’t that it was an exceptional 5th Region Softball Tournament or that it decided who of the eight teams (four District Champs and four District runner-ups) would represent the area at the KHSAA Fastpitch State Tournament. It was several things like the strong competition between several squads, the Lady Hawks that were a mystery to me up until that week, the number of runs by scored in the three game stretch by the blue clad girls from Hodgensville and the weird Region final that was played on a cool dark evening surrounded by a mist and a aura of mystery that could only end in a strange but odd seven-inning score.
In what turned out to be my very first year covering high school softball, I still had plenty to learn about our area, but at the time four teams had ruled the Region during the past nine years since fast pitch had been introduced to the area. Central Hardin, North Hardin and Meade County had won Region titles and been to state, but LaRue County was the oddball of the bunch. Coming from the 18th District, the Ladyhawks had been coached by Peter DiStefano for many years and this time around Peter’s sister Mielle took over. LaRue County fastpitch had always had a great reputation winning two Region titles in 1996 and 2001 and the previous season (2004) won 21-games along with the 18th district and a Final Four appearance in the Region Tourney before they were eliminated by North Hardin.
The 2005 team looked to be just as good with a great mix of experience and youth with senior catcher Brandy Meers and shortstop Nicky Miller. Junior pitchers Karen Rice and freshman Taylor Carpenter in the circle along with junior Kim McDowell at second to help Miller turn the double play. Junior Whitney Brooks at first and Katie Hornback at third and the outfield of junior Kara Newberry and freshman Tesha Paysen along with freshman Christian Cox and they could be a dangerous team. Or so it seemed.
Mielle DiStefano’s first Lady Hawk team got off to a rough start going 3-5 and were still searching for an identity as many of the starters were key role players the previous season, but had yet to find any chemistry together. It didn’t help that both Meers and Miller, two of the key hitters in the lineup were stuck in slumps to start the season at the plate. For Miller, a veteran backstop a slow start was the least of her problems. Before the team left for their Florida trip, Miller’s brother was involved in a car accident, but she went on the trip anyway because he wanted her too. Then while in Florida, she took a foul ball off her leg and was sidelined for a couple games. The Lady Hawks lost both games during their trip and to make matters even more bizarre, the team actually stayed at a hotel in which a gruesome crime occurred the night before they arrived. According to coach DiStefano, it was a big story in Panama City Beach where a brutal murder was committed and ironically the team bus driver and Karen Rice’s father stayed in the room that the murderer had stayed in. “So we go to play and the girls are playing awful cause they want to go back to the hotel. Someone hit a line drive in the dugout and someone yelled “Heads Up” and the girls fell down laughing. Brandy and Nicky being the seniors didn’t think much was funny, so the side ponies decided to get a head of lettuce and wrap spaghetti on it with ketchup. They knock on Meer’s and Miller’s glass door and there’s the head. Scared them so bad all we could do was laugh,” recalled DiStefano.
After a 9-7 loss to Green County in which the Lady Hawks failed to score a run with the bases loaded in the seventh and eventually lost in eight, things started to turn around as they went on a 14-game winning streak. The hitting started to come around and the pitching became more consistent. The Glasgow Tournament was just the start when LaRue County took all three games outscoring their opposition 34-6. “It was freezing and raining and Karen Michelle pitched each inning in a sleeveless jersey and shorts. That pumped the team up and their attitudes changed. We went on a tear and enjoyed the ride.”
The biggest victory may have been a 2-1 nail biter over No.1 Ranked Grayson County on May 3rd. The key to that win was Rice and Miller working together as pitcher and catcher keeping the ball low and outside against the dangerous Lady Cougar batters and Miller came up with a key play when she picked off a base runner trying to steal second when a runner was on third. “Nicky Miller always had the green light on any runner any time she wanted and that’s how much we trusted her. Kim McDowell cheated up from second and Nicky nailed the runner. I believe that’s when the side ponies were born.” Said DiStefano.
The side ponies were pinch hitters and runners, who marked themselves when they put their hair on a side ponytail, but when they wore their batting helmets they wouldn’t fit right. They led cheers and kept the rest of the girls loose.
Suddenly, the team started to develop an identity and with such interesting personalities. Cara Newberry was the team prankster. Kim McDowell was the competitive one and DiStefano split the two up in teams to fundraise for Florida. McDowell, a three sport athlete (Basketball/Softball/Volleyball) had a personality that was infectious. She once asked a referee during a timeout during a volleyball game she was playing in to buy some cookie dough.
So, the Lady Hawks are rolling before going 4-3 the rest of the way and then outscoring the opposition 13-0 in winning the District Tournament. Stories that the team to beat in the 5th Region Tournament was probably Central Hardin, Green County, Meade County or Nelson County all were powerhouse teams with reputations. The host team, LaRue County was among the top teams and could be seen as a spoiler, but the draw saw them pitted against Campbellsville first, then a possible meeting with Meade County with Central Hardin and Green County in the other bracket it wouldn’t be easy.
The Lady Hawks took down Campbellsville quickly 12-1 in just five innings and awaited the winner in the Meade County vs. Nelson County game. When the Lady Waves won, LaRue County knew that this would be a tougher matchup with a Mike Harreld coached team. Meade County sent Leah Ray into the circle against LaRue County and her hitters spotted her a 2-0 lead after two innings. And then it happened.
The Lady Hawks had always had a reputation of being a hitting team. “They don’t practice fielding, they just hit around in the hitting cage!” was something I heard quite often. Softball like baseball is about pitching and hitting, but like football, if you score enough runs, your offense can play defense. Ray got through the first two innings and then the roof fell in on her as the Lady Hawks pounded her and middle reliever Sarah Millay for six runs in the third and then four more in the fourth to go up 10-2. And then when the Lady Waves tried to make a comeback with three runs in the next two innings to only trail 10-5 after five, LaRue County just kept pouring it on. Miller was clearly out of her slump now with a couple of home runs, Meers also was peaking with a two-run home run to make it 8-2. Paysen had two hits, McDowell had three hits, Carpenter had three hits, Hornback had two and Cox had two hits as the Lady Hawks finished with 21-overall and 18-runs in a 18-5 blowout. The 18-runs was quite a surprise not to just Harreld, but to DiStefano as well. “I have so much respect for Mike Harreld at Meade and that was magical. I did apologize to Mike as I didn’t want him to think I was running up the score, because I didn’t realize what it was and I was so afraid Meade would come back no matter what. My brother Peter was giving me the stop sign in the crowd, but I thought we didn’t have enough runs.”
LaRue County had now scored 30-runs in two Region Tournament games and were suddenly the talk of the Tourney. They had just one night to enjoy it because next up were the defending Region Champs. The Central Hardin Lady Bruins were the last area team to beat the Lady Hawks (May 17th 6-0) and like LaRue County were playing exceptionally well. On June 1st, a night when it drizzled and there was a question as to whether the Championship game would be played that night, the umpires decided to play ball. Coach DiStefano also saw some significance before the game as both her parents were present in the stands to watch their daughter’s first attempt to make history with this team. Both coaches, Rita Highbaugh for Central Hardin and DiStefano of LaRue were familiar with the other’s personnel and there wouldn’t be any surprises or at least it didn’t seem like it. Highbaugh started senior pitcher Anna Morgan, who had a very effective season and were use to the Lady Hawk hitters as the Lady Bruins had seen them twice already (the first time April 18th 4-3 CH win). Even if she got in trouble, there was always Amanda Faulkner their other pitcher. Although Faulkner didn’t get the start, she wouldn’t have to wait long to warm up her pitching arm. The Lady Hawks batted around in the first inning and sent Morgan to the showers as first McDowell drew a walk, then Paysen moved her over and reached base and then Meers and Miller continued it and before you knew it the score was 6-0. Meers batted third and was on fire while Miller has moved down to seventh and was very effective. All told, LaRue County went once around the batting order before they were finally retired. Staked to a big lead early, Rice pitched with confidence in her first Region Final and with 15-wins coming in was able to keep the lady Bruins off balance and allowed just one run. Meanwhile, the Lady Hawks went out and eventually added four more runs to make it 10-1, which was the final score. When the Lady Hawks recorded the last out, a grounder that Brooks squeezed tightly, the celebration began in Hodgensville.
In three games, LaRue County had dismantled three of the better teams in the Region scoring a total of 40-runs and the pitching staff and defense had allowed just seven. The Lady Hawks 2005 5th Region Tournament Championship may go down as one of the most dominating performances in Region history. There have been teams since that have win as convincingly, but other than the Central Hardin teams of the past five years, you’d be hard pressed to find one and when you add in the slow start, a new coach and the makeup of the Region as a whole.
For the Lady Hawks and DiStefano, the Region Title should have been a perfect swan song for their season. A third trip to the KHSAA State Tournament loomed and as hot as LaRue County was in the three day tourney, they reversed themselves on an even hotter steamy Friday afternoon in Owensboro’s Fisher Park. LaRue County built a 5-4 lead after five and a half innings against Russell, but couldn’t hold it losing 9-5. Then in the Loser’s Bracket, they were held scoreless against Reidland dropping a 3-0 game and being eliminated. The Lady Hawks struggled to find consistancy at the plate compiling only 12 hits in two games and committed eight errors. “When you are as hot as we were during a three game stretch, a layoff like that really cooled us off.” Said DiStefano about the disappointing afternoon.
The 2005 team was one of the best in LaRue County Fastpitch history and has since been hardpressed to be repeated. The following season, the Lady Hawks were still loaded with lots of veterans, but DiStefano warned them coming into the season about the target on their back also the last two LaRue County Region Champs didn’t repeat the following year. True to point, the 2006 team struggled early again, but came together late to win 22-games, but were eliminated in the first round by North Hardin. Their best chance to get back occurred in 2008 when they won 19-games and reached the Semi-finals of the Region Tourney and had a 1-0 lead on eventual Champ Central Hardin in a game which was stopped early because of bad weather then restarted the following day in a game which LaRue County would eventually lose 2-1. After a making five straight trips to the Region Tourney, the Lady Hawks were eliminated by Hart County in the District Semi-Finals.
Coach DiStefano stepped down after the 2010 season greasing the skids for the next up and comer. Aaron Howell, a former North Hardin assistant took over and took the 2011 team to the Region Final after a huge extra inning win over his former team North Hardin in the semi’s. Ironically, the 2011 Region tourney was held at LaRue County. Sound familiar? After Central Hardin ended their dreams of repeating the 2005 magic, the Lady Hawks have been moderately successful since then making six trips to the Region Tournament, but have not captured the magic of that particular year.
Since then, things have changed not just for LaRue County, but the entire 5th Region landscape. True, there are still dominating teams like Central Hardin and Green County, but the parity that we saw during the late 90’s and early 2000’s is missing. There are plenty of theories. Travel ball has changed that to a point. Some coaches have told me that young athletes don’t always put the importance of playing for your high school as a priority as playing for your travel team. “From the time Peter took over to Karen / Whitney’s group our parents were involved in the little league programs whether it be coaching or umpiring. It was a privilege to be a Lady Hawk. It meant something to the players. I think the new generation felt travel ball was more important than high school.” Said DiStefano.
“ The concept of winning the region or even the district didn’t seem to matter. Coaching high school is so much different than travel ball. You get what you get. High schools don’t get the 10 best players in the area or state and travel. The mindset changed. I remember one practice I had five girls with World Series shirts on. One was from Florida, one from Indiana and so on. I said “You all just pay and play, but is there one true champion like in high school ball?”
So the “Three Greatest Days of Their Life” have led to some great memories for quite a few Lady Hawks as well. When I see any of the former LaRue County softball players of that era, that’s always a great jumping point for conversation. Tesha Paysen went on to play college ball as did Christian Cox. Karen Rice still lives around the area and I’ve run into her as well.
Brandy Meers was inducted into the LaRue County Athletic Hall of Fame and after the proceedings talked a bit about the good old days. Both Meers and Nicky Miller were the only seniors on that 2005 team and actually worked at HomeTown Pizza in Hodgensville together after school. It had been nearly seven years since that date and she didn’t really look much different. Just as happy and bubbly as before.
I still remember taking a photo of both her and Miller after the Region Championship posing with the trophy and for some reason, that image is burned into my memory. When I asked her if she could tell me anything interesting about their senior year with the softball team and coach DiStefano see smiled and said “I would, but I think coach would kill me if I did.”
I always wondered what the big secret was, but I’m sure it would add to some of the great memories that made that team unforgettable as well.
“ To sum it up, this team took pride in being a Lady Hawk and took pride in every aspect of being a member of a tradition that started with the 1996 team. They painted dugouts and added District/Region titles to them for all to see. McDowell and Rice painted a mural on the concession stand. We honored past players by retiring numbers. They supported each other and got better as a team every game. Yes. The Meade and Central games were magic because there was a different feeling in the air, but this team was building towards that magic all season.”
For some reason, I thought about Christian Cox’s remark, “The Best Three Days of Their Life.” At age 14, something like that happening so early in their playing careers it might seem like it, although that was nearly fifteen years ago and since then I’m sure the LaRue County girls that played that week have had plenty of greater accomplishments like graduations, professional achievements and many are even married with children. That’s why I knew that someday I’d write about that three day tournament at the LaRue County Softball Field and how it may have had an overall effect on so many after all.
So it might be incorrect to call the 2005 LaRue County Softball team the best in 5th Region history.
But for three days, you might make an interesting argument.
