Morgan Township senior Kayelee Dudzik has been playing with a high degree of comfort.
The Huntington commit made strides and gained confidence with a new travel team last summer, and she’s in her second season starting at third base for the Cherokees after shifting from the outfield.
It has translated into a monster season for Dudzik.
“I’m making so much more contact with the ball,” she said. “Fielding, I’m not tense on the field. I’m just playing really relaxed. I think every ball is going to be hit to me, and I know what I’m going to do when the ball is hit to me.
“I’ve worked really, really hard because I really wanted to improve myself, not only for myself but to help out the team this season. I’ve worked hard every day — at practice, after practice, at home.”
Dudzik ended the regular season hitting .531 with 11 homers, four triples, 13 doubles and 50 RBIs, leading the team outright in each of those categories except triples, in which she was tied. She was tied for eighth in the state in RBIs.
Dudzik added to those numbers in Morgan Township’s 29-2 win in five innings against DeMotte Christian in the first round of the Class 1A Kouts Sectional on Monday.
She went 4-for-4 with three homers and seven RBIs for the Cherokees (18-6), who will play Kouts (16-7) in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Dudzik blasted a three-run homer in the first inning to open the scoring, hit a single and a two-run shot in the second, and delivered another two-run homer in the third. She was intentionally walked twice in the fifth.
“I try to stay humble,” Dudzik said. “I try not to think too much about it because when I do think about the numbers too much, that’s when I start to get into hitting slumps.”
Not that Dudzik has been prone to such spells. She couldn’t produce much more for second-year Morgan Township coach Jena Alaniz, who won the Class 4A state title at Portage as a senior in 2013.
“Phenomenal,” Alaniz said of Dudzik. “This is only my second year with her, but the improvement I’ve seen from last year to this year is just immense. I’m so excited for her, and she’s going to do phenomenal next year when she goes away to college. I’m excited to see what she does. She’s doing really great.”
Dudzik started mostly in the outfield as a sophomore, but also got some time at catcher, and hit .239 with a homer and 14 RBIs. She jumped to .352 with three homers and 21 RBIs last season while utilizing her arm and athleticism at third base.
“Last year coach Jena put me at third base rather than catching, which is fine by me,” Dudzik said. “I don’t like catching very much. Outfield, I love it out there.
“But third base, it was a huge transition. Last year I was scared of the ball and playing really tense. Everything that was hit to me, I’d react really fast. This year I’m just waiting for the ball to get to me, and I’m soaking it in.”
Ally Parsons, Morgan Township’s senior catcher and cleanup hitter, knows how important Dudzik has been to the Cherokees.
“Kayelee has been the leader on this team,” Parsons said. “Offensively she really plays a huge role and defensively too. But she really gets those runs in, gets us going. Kayelee’s been instrumental in our team’s success this year.”
There has been a lot of that for the Cherokees, who are ranked No. 9 in the state coaches poll. At one point last month, they were No. 1.
Up next for Morgan Township is Porter County Conference rival Kouts. The teams split two games during the regular season.
“We’re really confident,” Parsons said. “Kouts is our biggest rival, so we’ve been preparing a lot in practice — tight defense, getting those hits when needed, smart base running. We all have a lot of confidence in each other.”
Dudzik isn’t looking past Kouts but also said she likes the Cherokees’ potential.
“(Monday) is a step closer to state, which is our main goal,” Dudzik said. “I definitely think we can make it there if everybody plays with the same mindset.”