Lake Central coach Jeff Sherman gets a little emotional when speaking about Selena Michko.
Michko, a senior who spent virtually all of her career with the Indians as a pitcher, opened this season as the No. 2 behind classmate Alexa Pinarski.
Pinarski emerged as one of five finalists for Miss Softball. Michko shifted gears, locking down third base and going on to earn a spot on the Class 3A/4A all-state second team and the North All-Star team.
“Alexa ended up dominating in the circle and running away with the job, but I give Selena a lot of credit,” Sherman said. “There was an opening at third base and she ran away with that just as much as Alexa ran away with the pitching position.
“These are the situations you can’t help but smile about. Kids whose roles have changed, how many times do you see situations like that and they can’t mentally handle it? But here’s a kid who has found another situation and excelled.”
Michko had experience playing third base, particularly in travel ball at the 12-under and 14-U levels, so the transition wasn’t overwhelming. But since she was primarily a pitcher who had played first base before, she hadn’t played third on a full-time basis.
“In the beginning, it was a little rough,” Michko said. “But as the season progressed, I got progressively better. It came back to me like second nature.”
Michko looked particularly sharp in the field at the Class 4A West Lafayette Harrison Semistate. Lake Central (29-4) won to advance to the state championship game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against Decatur Central (31-4) at Purdue’s Bittinger Stadium.
“She’s gotten incredibly better over there,” Sherman said of Michko. “She’s much more aggressive. She’s not afraid to take chances. She’s been wonderful.”
Michko also has been stellar at the plate as Lake Central’s No. 5 hitter. She’s leading the team with a .458 batting average, seven homers and 34 RBIs. She’s also tied for the team lead with 10 doubles and has added 25 runs.
Michko has hit .474 (9-for-19) with two homers, two doubles and six RBIs in six postseason games.
“What’s been great — she hasn’t let her focus over there at third affect her at the plate,” Sherman said. “She’s taken what was a really good season and, the last three weeks, made it an incredible season.
“There aren’t a lot of kids who from the beginning of the tournament to the end of the tournament improve their stats.”
More Top Picks Best Flexible Seating For Special Education Classrooms
Michko is 3-0 with a 2.47 ERA in five games this season, having not pitched since April 21. She signed with Purdue Northwest mainly as a pitcher.
“I miss pitching very much,” Michko said. “I’m excited to get back to it. But this season has been amazing.”
Michko went 6-4 with a 1.17 ERA last season in 16 games, tying Pinarski for the most appearances and second in innings. She even started the sectional final against Crown Point. She hit .338 with a homer and 11 RBIs.
Michko went 1-0 with a 1.31 ERA in 15 games in 2016, serving as the team’s closer. She hit .320 with 13 RBIs.
She spent most of her freshman season on the JV, getting called up for the postseason. In the 2015 state championship game, she actually was a pinch runner for Maddie Blythe, who she succeeded this season at third after Blythe’s graduation.
“I was mostly just a girl in the dugout cheering for her team,” Michko said.
In Lake Central’s return to the state final, she’s a central component.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” Michko said. “The last game in a high school uniform for the seniors, we just have to be mentally and physically prepared.”