MOROCCO — Frontier freshman pitcher Sarah Trapp didn’t shake her head after allowing a solo home run to North Newton freshman Blake Scheidt that put a once close game out of reach for the 2025 1A state champion.
Trapp kept smiling, high-fiving and kept throwing her best pitches.
“I’ve played on the other end when I feel like I’m nobody,” Trapp said. “I want everyone to feel encouraged and that they’re brought together as a team. I want to play for the love of Jesus. He’s given me this ability.”
A culture change that’s occurred in Chalmers following two combined seasons in 2024 and 2025 that saw the Falcons win just a single game during that time period. Frontier is 3-6 this season with all six losses against opponents like West Lafayette, Delphi, Clinton Prairie, Rossville, North Newton and Rossville that are expected to be sectional contenders in their respected 1A, 2A, 3A classes.
But now Trapp, a 5-foot-5 pitcher and shortstop with travel ball experience has arrived to bring consistency in the circle while sophomore Addi Govert is hitting .278 with three RBIs. Trapp is hitting .421 while steadily improving her command in the circle with 23 strikeouts and 17 walks in 25.2 innings.
“Last year we only won one game and it’s great to give a fight to teams that we lost to,” Govert said.
A dormant program in Frontier that previously won 10 IHSAA class 1A sectional titles 1998, 2007, 2008, 2009 (1A), 2011 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 has rediscovered its competitive foundation.
“It’s great to be an underdog when we have people like Sarah that can help us,” Govert said.
Frontier coach John Hudelson likes where his team is headed while carrying six freshman on the varsity level.
“We are building on that morale and everything else,” Hudelson said. “Take it one game at a time and the end game is sectionals. Everything we do is about the progression to sectionals. Learning the game and getting better and better.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Frontier softball rediscovering competitive ways
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
