Lake Central junior Morgan Heinecke scanned the infield and joked that she’s simply making her way around it.
A longtime shortstop, Heinecke was recruited at that position and committed to play there at Northern Kentucky. But she ended last season as the Indians’ starting third baseman, and she has moved across the diamond to first base.
“It actually was really nerve-wracking because I never played first before until this year,” she said. “It was hard to adjust to the position. But it’s really exciting to be a starter and feel the actual vibe of Lake Central softball.
“Third base was out of position, so I learned how to play that last year. And then first base, I learned how to play this year. I’m just going everywhere.”
Heinecke has continued to settle into her new position, and she displayed her potent bat as Lake Central downed visiting Duneland Athletic Conference rival Crown Point 14-4 in six innings in St. John on Wednesday.
She went 3-for-4 with five RBIs for the Indians (7-1-1, 4-0), who are tied at No. 9 in the Class 4A state coaches poll. Her bases-clearing double in the first capped a five-run inning, and her two-run triple in a five-run sixth ended the game.
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“I just wanted to get the runs in,” Heinecke said. “I wanted to be there for my team. Anything I could do to help the team, I do.”
Heinecke, who also made a nice sprawling catch to end the second inning against the Bulldogs (4-3, 3-1), lifted her batting average to .474 with a homer, three doubles — tied for the team lead — and eight RBIs.
“We have a lot of depth here at Lake Central, so at the beginning of the year, I was like, ‘I need her bat in the lineup,'” Lake Central coach Brooke Baker-Runyon said. “I watched a few games over the summer, and she has good instincts on defense. So we actually moved her from shortstop or third base to first base.
“She’s never played first base before, and she’s starting to feel comfortable both on the field and in the box with her new position and new role on this team. She’s been coming around the last couple of games.”
Most notably, sophomore Taylor Schafer has a grip on the shortstop position. She went 3-for-3 with a walk and a pair of two-run homers, a blast to straightaway center field in the first and a lined shot to right in the fourth.
Schafer, scorching at .556 with three homers and 18 RBIs, appreciates Heinecke’s efforts.
“She’s super good,” Schafer said of Heinecke. “She’s always there for everyone. She never looks for her glory. She’s always willing to do whatever for the team. It’s nice knowing that as much as you want it, someone else does too.”
Heinecke was a significant contributor last season, eventually taking over at third base through a chain of events. First baseman Tori Olson suffered a right knee injury against Valparaiso on May 11, Katie O’Drobinak moved from third to first, and Heinecke slotted in at third.
Heinecke finished the season hitting .220, not up to her expectations.
“Last year I struggled a lot,” she said. “I was in a really big slump. I worked with my travel coach a lot, and he really helped me. Over the fall, I got back into it, and now I’m feeling better than ever.
“It was mental. That was pretty much all I needed. I was striking out a lot, and I was not in a good head space. But we really worked on that.”
Back on track, Heinecke committed in December to Northern Kentucky, which she visited earlier that month and described as her “dream school.” But her connection to the Norse extended back several years.
“When I was in 12U, we were supposed to research schools that we liked, and I found this school,” Heinecke said. “I thought it was awesome, and I really liked it. I always saw the coach at our games. Then I took a visit there, and it was amazing. It was anything I could’ve wanted.”
Heinecke said deciding on Northern Kentucky “gave me a lot of motivation” heading into this season.
“She’s a very quiet girl, very humble player,” Baker-Runyon said. “She just gets the job done.”