Historic Season for Male Softball in Kentucky
During the 2018-19 season, the Male Bulldogs football team lost only one regular season game and blew through the Kentucky 6A playoffs to win another state championship. However, the Male softball team in Kentucky also made national headlines that year.
Male’s softball program had been very solid in the years prior to 2019. They were used to winning about 30 games a year while losing around 7 or 8. Entering the 2019 season, the Bulldogs fielded a squad loaded with talented underclassmen who may be able to break through in a couple seasons. That relative inexperience didn’t stop Male from winning their first five games with football-esque scores. Through seven games, the Bulldogs were undefeated and outscored opponents 93 to 4.
Male’s first challenge came in game eight against Bob Jones (AL), who would go on to have a 31-9 record. The Bulldogs’ Jadyn Thompson batted two runs in and had three total hits to lead Male to a close 6-5 victory over Bob Jones. The Bulldogs were back to smooth sailing and won a whopping 23 consecutive games prior to the start of the state playoffs.
The Bulldogs’ dominant 2019 campaign was a result of equal contribution teamwide. Madison McCoy led the team in runs and hits by season’s end and Megan Konermann hit 12 home runs and 41 RBIs through 36 games. Pitcher Kelsie Houchens went 18-0 on the mound and had a stunning ERA of only 0.68. From top to bottom, this was one the most consistent and productive teams in the nation, and it showed weekly.
Throughout the playoffs, Male was not challenged, except in the semifinals against Clay County. The upset-minded Tigers scored a run in the first inning and held Male scoreless until the bottom of the 4th, when Jack Zuege stole home after a pitch. The game entered extra innings and in the bottom of the 8th, an errant pitch allowed Elizabeth Lampe to dash home for the game-winning run. In a matchup between 38-0 and 36-2 Kentucky teams, the undefeated season would stay alive for the Bulldogs.
Facing a 36-2 Warren East squad in the finals, Male got off to a slow start, allowing Warren East to draw first blood in the top of the 5th. However, after entering the bottom of the 6th up 2-1, Jaelyn Sanders hit an inside-the-park grand slam to pull Male away for good. The 39-0 Bulldogs would win the state championship and cement themselves as one of the greatest Kentucky softball teams of all time. Their success was widely recognized as well, and they ended the season ranked 4th in the nation.
Many teams nationwide could potentially replicate Male’s undefeated season. However, not many could play with the same consistency and balance the Bulldogs exemplified all season long. Male’s football team may have won state in 2018, but the school’s softball team shattered records and performed at one of the highest levels ever seen.
Written by: Dhruv Mohan
