If you want to get a true grasp of just how far this North Hardin Softball team has come, then just go a few years back when the Trojans were just a four-win team and struggling just to achieve that. It’s never easy for a fastpitch program, which was at one time so rich in tradition, wins and State Tournament appearances to fall so far. After a three year stint where they were Region contenders (2015-2016-2017), the team nosedived as Elizaethtown became he new power contender in the 17th District to battle Central Hardin.
It didn’t help that a long list of talented players chose to continue their softball careers elsewhere while NH went through a series of different head coaches from 2015-through 2023 to further complicate things. So in 2024, Rocco Adessa became the Trojans next head coach and the win total jumped from 4-14 to 13-18. In their next season with a different group of girls (only three players where from the 2023 team Brooklyn Carmickle, Kaylee Johnston and Addy Vinton), North Hardin team began to make believers as they used strong pitching from freshman Brooklyn Carmickle, who would lead the state in strikeouts along with a strong defense that cut down on their errors and a potent batting lineup led by Johnston, Jacie Cain and Brooklyn Carmickle that put up runs and made one of the biggest surprise runs in the 5th Region Tournament reaching the Regional Championship, holding a lead until late.
As disappointing as that loss was, it was just the beginning as the Trojans had arrived, but even though the team was geared for another run, even Adessa knew they needed to be better. They had lost the element of surprise and everyone would be gunning for them this time around The loss of several key players during the offseason had the coach looking for replacements as the team started out 7-1 and outscoring their opposition 3-to-1. Even two ugly losses to powerful Central Hardin and South Warren didn’t cast a cloud on the NH energy as they were 10-4 and faced a tough stint against some major contenders. After four straight losses dropped the team to 10-7, The Trojans suddenly became a much more aggressive team on the bases as wins over Central Hardin and Elizabethtown changed that and the batting lineup which went through several changes at midseason suddenly came together. Adessa used the speed of Johnston, Davis and Cain along with several pinchrunners to take advantage of every chance to move forward and change their identity.
After knocking off Elizabethtown in the semi-finals of the District Tournament 12-2, NH dropped a heartbreaker to Central Hardin in the District Championship after leading for much of the game.
Now, the Trojans were now in the losers bracket of the 5th Region Tournament facing last season’s reigning Champ Taylor County in the first round. To make matters worse, the bracket shaped up where if NH won they could possibly face the two other teams they played in last year’s regional in clearly the toughest side of the bracket. Also, they would be playing the last game of Monday night and pitcher Maddie Hunt was on a roll, but despite missing several scoring opportinities early, the Trojans exploded for four runs in the top of the sixth (the biggest hit was Carley Everhart’s run scoring single that got them on the board first) qand Carmickle’s 11-K’s finished things as NH got a 4-0 win.
The Trojans next opponent would be Nelson County, who has one of the top pitchers in the Region in Aubrey Robbins, had 15-K’s last season in the playoffs against the Trojans. Another close game came down to another huge fourth inning when the Trojans put up 5-runs on seven hits (the biggst hit was newcomer Hailee Martin’s single that scored three runs ) and Carmickle again relied on the defense and 14-Ks to get a 5-1 win.
For the second time in two seasons the Trojans were in the final facing a surprising LaRue County team which was much like last season’s NH team. This was a game which many thought might be close to the cuff, but instead got out of hand real quick. After missing a scoring chance in the first, NH got on the board quickly thanks to an error allowing Cain to reach third and scoring on Vinton’s single. After Cockriel replaced Vinton as a pinchrunner, she scored on Johnston’s single. NH would get another run after TK Davis doubled, then scored on Carmickle’s single to make it 3-0. Then after Carmickle retired the Hawks in the top of the fourth, NH scored after hitting back to back to back doubles by Zoey Rogers, Johnston and Everhart to push the lead to 6-0. With Carmickle breezing along (she ended with 10 K’s) although Molly Abbott erased the zero with a two-run shot, the Trojans finally put an end to the suspense in the bottom of the sixth with six more runs sending nine batters to the plate wth Vinton knocking in the twelth run with a double to end the game.
After coming so close last season, this Trojan team showed why they were this season’s Region representative with a Superstar hurler, a batting lineup which came alive at the right time and a coaching staff that made the right changes to ensure that. In win-or-go-home games, sometimes being lucky isn’t just enough and Adessa always makes it a point to give his assistants (Jaime Johnston and Jordan Elmore) just as much credit for preparing the team for battle. Just as important were the fact that coach also employs as many lesser players in base running roles like Bella Cockriel, Tylar Craig and Atty Mench, who all scored in the Championship game and serving a bigger purpose in the future as they prepare to move up.
Now, the Trojans are in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen in Lexington and their first round opponent Apollo may not want to take them very lightly as they have proved all season long that sometimes the hardest road turns out to be the easiest and in the case of the 2026 NH Trojans that turned out to be true. And if you don’t believe it ask Coach Adessa. I’m sure he’ll change your mind.