Middendorf excelling for Steeleville softball

<span>One of the key ingredients for the state-ranked Steeleville Lady Warriors is only a sophomore.</span>

<span>Heading into this week's Goreville Regional, the shortstop was batting .568 with nine home runs, two triples, 16 doubles and 42 RBIs.</span>

<span>"When she goes up to the plate, I think she's really focused," said Steeleville coach Andy Gerlach. "She's very intense, really sees the ball very well and she gets in that rhythm and stays in that rhyth.</span>

<span>"I think she really watches the pitching in the three-hole, on deck and when she's up at bat."</span>

<span>Middendorf opened the season 14-for-15 at the plate with five doubles, four home runs and 14 RBIs.</span>

<span>She drove in five runs in Steeleville's 16-6 win over Anna-Jonesboro in March and has had 15 multi-hit games (nine of which consisted of three or more hits) for the Lady Warriors.</span>

<span>"I think it really helps out our team a lot," Middendorf said of her season. "Once I get a good hit, they usually follow up on me."</span>

<span>Middendorf had a bit of a rough game against New Athens on Saturday, striking out all three times she was up as Steeleville fell to the Yellow Jackets, 13-2.</span>

<span>Middendorf has only 10 strikeouts in 104 plate appearances - tied with Katie Myers for fewest of the team's players with at least 70 appearances.</span>

<span>"I think they feed off of her," Gerlach said of Middendorf's effect on the rest of the lineup. "A lot of our other players are having good years too. Some of them are batting over .400 and some of them are in the high .300s.</span>

<span>"It's nice to see, especially hitting in the three-hole for her, they pitch around her, you still have Mackenzie Pim behind her."</span>

<span>Pim is batting .370 with five home runs, four doubles and 27 RBIs. Pim and Middendorf are two of seven players batting .300 or better on the Lady Warriors.</span>

<span>"We've come a lot from last year," Middendorf said. "We've had a really good season this year, but we can still do better."</span>

<span>Steeleville was ranked 17th in the final Illinois Coaches Association Top 20 softball poll released on Monday.</span>

<span>Middendorf was leading the Belleville News Democrat's Metro-East rankings in batting average and slugging percentage - while second in RBIs, home runs and doubles - in the list released May 10.</span>

<span>"She just tries to get better," Gerlach said. "She tries to do everything right and that's great to see."</span>

<span>As far as next-level interest, Gerlach said emails and information has been sent out, but no bites yet.</span>

<span>"I think her travel team, the St. Louis Fusion, this summer...hopefully, some more colleges get to see her," Gerlach said. "I think there's a few girls on this team that want to go to the next level and I think there's a few on this team that can play at the next level."</span>