Kate Renschen continues to etch her name in Lake Central’s record book.
But the junior third baseman tries not to get too caught up in the minutiae.
“I don’t really focus on them as much number-wise, but just accomplishment-wise over the years, just seeing how much I’ve grown since freshman year, sophomore year, junior year,” Renschen said. “It’s good to see my hard work pay off.”
Renschen’s efforts have resulted in her latest accomplishment. She went 3-for-4 in the Indians’ 10-1 win against Munster in the championship game of the Class 4A Lake Central Sectional on Friday, setting the program’s single-season record for hits.
That performance boosted Renschen’s total to 57 hits, eclipsing the 56 recorded by the iconic Kelly Komara in 1995. The Northwestern commit also has 35 stolen bases, surpassing her program record of 23 from last year. Earlier this season, with 58 total steals, she also sped past the career mark, which had been 47 by 2001 graduate Laura Carlascio.
Especially given Lake Central’s history and tradition, Renschen has an appreciation for the various records.
“I’m glad I could get my name in the legacy of Lake Central,” she said.
The Duneland Athletic Conference champion Indians (31-1) added to that legacy by topping Northwest Crossroads Conference champion Munster (22-11) for their fourth straight sectional title and will play at Hobart in a regional on Tuesday. The Brickies edged Lowell on Friday to claim their first sectional title since 2016.
Munster freshman Ally Compton accounted for the only run and the only two hits against Lake Central junior Sofia Calderaro, who had 10 strikeouts and no walks. Compton cracked a homer, extending her single-season program record to 15, with two outs in the fourth and added a double in the seventh.
Lake Central has beaten Munster in the sectional in four straight seasons, including three times in the final.
“It’s a little different for me because this is my first year as a head coach,” Lake Central coach Yvette Tovar said. “It’s my first sectional title. These guys have been working really hard this whole sectional, this whole season. We played Munster our first game, so we wanted to come back when it’s not freezing and sleeting on a semi-decent day. We wanted to prove it wasn’t the same team from the first game.”
Indeed, after Lake Central defeated Munster 3-1 on March 20, Renschen contributed to a more comfortable win for the Indians in the rematch.
“It’s always great to beat Munster,” Renschen said. “They’re our rivals every year. We played them our first game, and it wasn’t the game we expected. We wanted to beat them by a lot more than we did. We came out this game, didn’t take a pitch off and beat them by a lot more.”
Renschen, the DAC MVP, led off the first inning with a single, stole second and scored on junior shortstop Taylor Schafer’s groundout; tripled in a run and scored in the fourth; and got the record-setter in the sixth with an infield hit and came all the way around to score on a three-base error.
“She’s terrific, and she’s only a junior,” Tovar said. “She’s a quiet leader. She shows by her actions. She’s a great third baseman on top of the offensive side of her. She puts a lot of pressure on herself and sets herself some high goals. So when she does achieve that, it’s pretty spectacular.”
Schafer, an Ohio State commit who hit a two-run homer in the sixth, hasn’t been surprised by Renschen, a future Big Ten opponent. Renschen is batting .559 with four homers and 30 RBIs after she hit .500 with a homer and 28 RBIs last season.
“Kate, she’s one of my best friends,” Schafer said. “She’s a hard worker. She brings the intensity every day to practice. It didn’t just start in the season. It started in the offseason. She was doing everything she needed to do to put her success where it needs to be.”
