Yorktown softball solidifies case as one of Class 3A's best

After a stellar freshman season, Jones has put in the work to make sophomore year even better. Even when she was helping Yorktown volleyball to a final four run this fall, she was putting in work for softball every day.

"I think I've just really practiced all winter and just worked on speed and spin," Jones said. "I was out in the yard or indoors just always working, every single day. Even in volleyball season, I was staying up until 10, pitching in my basement. I really wanted to dial in this year."

It's easy to see just how dialed in Jones is when watching her pitch. Her energy and emotion after each strikeout is unmatched, but she keeps that exact same energy whenever a teammate makes a big play in the infield.

For all of the highlight plays she makes as a pitcher and a hitter, Jones' favorite part of softball is being there to uplift her teammates.

"Being a pitcher, you have to have energy, and that's what I've always been told," Jones said. "The girls, we all thrive off who's on energy, and I feel like I'm always on. I'm always in the dugout cheering, and I just love to be in the center and cheering for my teammates. It's my favorite thing to do about this game."

Yorktown softball sophomore pitcher Liv Jones (9) gets fired up after striking out a batter during Yorktown's 5-2 victory over New Palestine on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.

After Jones' homer in the third inning put Yorktown up 2-1, the bats fell quiet on both sides for a few frames. The Tigers went down in order in the fourth and only managed one hit in the fifth before finally breaking through in the sixth inning. After junior first baseman Alexia Fields singled, senior catcher Anna Rinker drilled a two-run home run to increase the lead. Junior left fielder Olivia Jaromin followed with a solo bomb for her first homer of the season.

"Offensively, we came into this game prepared," Jaromin said. "I think a lot of us knew what was coming from the pitcher. We just told ourselves that we need to be confident, patient, aggressive, and I think that helped us have quality at-bats this game. I've been not necessarily eager to hit one, but you know, time comes, and it felt great, especially in a game like this one."

The Dragons managed another run in the top of the seventh that would have tied the game if not for Yorktown's sixth-inning three-spot. Penrod commended his team for staying aggressive yet patient throughout the game on offense.

"We know the good pitching that we're up against," Penrod said. "I said last week that we've got a tough road ahead this week. I mean, we're going to see another great team Thursday in Fishers, and we don't expect anything less than what we've just seen, so we've been really working on plate discipline and being aggressive. I felt like they did that tonight."

Yorktown has made a few early-season statements now with wins over Western and New Pal, but the schedule only goes up from here. The Tigers are at 4A No. 5 Fishers on Thursday, April 23, and have also scheduled Westfield, Hamilton Southeastern and Cathedral, just to name a few. With a 9-0 start under their belt, the Tigers are confident they can hang with anyone and put together a potentially special season.

"We're a confident team, and we've been a confident team since January," Penrod said. "We knew we had huge shoes to fill, not that we're filling those shoes or trying to replace a player. It's just the 'next man up' mentality, and these girls have done an amazing job. They've had confidence since January. They're ready for any challenge that they're faced with."

Yorktown will host county rival Delta (5-5, 1-2 HHC) in another HHC contest on Wednesday, April 22, before its visit to Fishers on Thursday, April 23.

Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Yorktown softball tops New Palestine between two top-ranked 3A teams