EDWARDSVILLE – Grace Baalman has long established herself as one of the Metro East's finest softball pitchers, having helped her Hardin-Calhoun team to two straight IHSA Class 1A state championships.
The senior will be heading to Kentucky next year, but still has a bit of unfinished business ahead of her as the 2017 season begins to wind down.
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“High school's a lot of great memories,” Baalman said. “I'm going to miss playing with my friends, so I'm going to live it up in the moment this year and enjoy what time I have left. We're going to work hard to get (to a third straight state championship) and hopefully improve our game; I think we can do it.”
Baalman currently sits at 16-4 on the year for the Warriors with an 0.50 earned-run average, having pitched 125 innings and conceded 51 hits and 26 runs, nine of them earned, with 263 strikeouts; last week against Edwardsville, Baalman threw a no-hitter but was on the losing end of a 4-2 decision against the Tigers.
“It's tough,” Baalman said of the loss to Edwardsville. “We've been overcoming some adversity – we didn't have our regular catcher. I had a few too many walks, I guess – it happens; we have bad games, we have good games. It's going to happen to everybody.”
Last Monday's game was a clash of two of the area's top programs regardless of class.
“It's fun to play them, it's fun to have the competition,” Baalman said. “They came out on top today; they're a good team. We just didn't execute like we should have; we'll get better, hopefully we can execute down the road, in the postseason when it matters.”
Baalman has been a three-sport athlete in her time with the Warriors, playing volleyball in the fall, being part of a basketball team that reached the IHSA Class 1A state tournament three straight years with a second in 2015, a first in 2016 and a third in 2017 and playing softball in the spring.
“It's fun,” Baalman said of being a three-sport athlete. “I get to be with my friends all the time – probably every day – and it's fun to play. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but it's fun; it's worth it.”
Baalman was also in Bloomington-Normal recently for the IHSA's All-Academic Banquet, one of a select few athletes in the state that were honored for their academic achievements.
“That was very awesome,” Baalman. “There's a lot of smart kids there and it's just amazing hearing all their stories.”
The goal for the Warriors, of course, is to reach the state Class 1A tournament in East Peoria and defend their state titles.
“We're just going to take it one game at a time and focus on the game ahead.” Baalman said.
