EAST PEORIA – There's little doubt that when discussions pop up about who the greatest athletes in Hardin-Calhoun's athletic history are, Grace Baalman's name will come up among the best the school has ever produced.
Baalman's stellar softball career came to an end in Saturday's IHSA Class 1A state championship game at EastSide Centre in East Peoria; while the two-time defending champion Warriors were dethroned 2-0 by Goreville in nine innings, Baalman's performance in the circle couldn't be denied, striking out 18 Blackcats and keeping them at bay until the fateful ninth inning.
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“It's great to be back at state for the third time in a row,” Baalman said after the game. “They're a good team, they hit the ball well; we were playing on the last day and that's all anyone can do.”
While disappointed with the loss, Baalman realizes that the Warriors' three-year run is something that will be looked back on as a great accomplishment. “It's going to be bittersweet talking about it right now,” Baalman said, “but looking back at it, we got second in the state and that's nothing to be ashamed of.”
Two championships and a second in the last three years is something many teams would like to have. “It's pretty nice,” Baalman said of the Warriors' achievement. “They weren't doing anything special, just put the ball in play” she said of the Blackcats. “Sometimes it got through and that's what killed us.”
Baalman also played volleyball and basketball for Calhoun, getting a second, first and third in three years as a basketballer in addition to the two firsts and second with softball. “I'll just remember all the friends I made and all my cousins, getting to play with them,” Baalman said of what she'll remember of her years at the school.
Now it's off to Lexington, Ky., to play for Kentucky beginning next spring. “I can't wait to play there,” Baalman said of playing for the Southeastern Conference's Wildcats. Baalman will major in architecture at UK, who reached this year's NCAA Super Regional before being eliminated by Oregon.
The chance to be in the national spotlight at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City is something that Baalman is looking forward to. “It would be nice to make it there,” Baalman said.
