HUNTINGDON — Natalie Kreuziger stepped behind the pitching circle. The emotion was clearly visible on her face.
Kreuziger had tears in her eyes. She was potentially throwing her last pitch for Huntingdon at Fillies Field. She’s the last Kreuziger sister to play for the Fillies after Kathryn and Caitlin Kreuziger finished their high school careers in 2011 and 2019, respectively.
“Just being here since sixth grade, now it’s exciting; one chapter opens and another closes — it’s huge,” Kreuziger said. “I’m also very emotional, that’s just me.”
The senior had to hold back her tears for about 10 seconds. She powered through and finished the game the best way she could.
She struck out the batter.
Kreuziger fired 12 strikeouts in a 4-0 complete game victory over Union City on Tuesday . She allowed one hit in the win.
Whether Tuesday was Kreuziger’s last game at Fillies Field depends on the Fillies (15-4) seeding in the District 12-2A tournament.
If that pitch was her last at home, it was a perfect one. To make it better, her best friend and catcher, Josie Sanders, was behind the plate for it. Just as she has since the two started playing together when they were eight years old.
”Every game I’ve caught at Huntingdon, I’ve called,” Sanders said. “The majority of those games have been with Natalie in the circle. … It’s good to know her as a person and her being my best friend off the field helps me know how to approach her during the game.”
Where Kreuziger is the emotional one of the two, Sanders is the even-keeled anchor. A good trait for a catcher.
Sanders knows what to say to Kreuziger and when to say it.
“It’s easy to deal with someone when you’re with them all of the time,” Sanders said. “I know when she can take (criticism) a little bit, and I know when she can take the, ‘Hey, you’re doing good.’ There’s different ways to approach her, and it helps getting to see and be with her all the time.”
That’s where Kreuziger said Sanders has improved the most as a catcher over the years.
“Whenever I’m in my head, she’ll come out and chew me out, give me praises or just do whatever she needs to get me out of it,” Kreuziger said.
Both girls are going to play at UT Martin next season. Sanders was the first to commit as a junior. Kreuziger wasn’t far behind. They’re following in the footsteps of their Huntingdon coach, Alicia Warbritton.
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Warbritton has coached the team's senior class since they entered high school. She coached them a bit in middle school, too. So, she’s familiar with what these girls are all about.
The coach remembered watching Kreuziger pitch in eighth grade.
“She was just wild, she could hard but you never knew where that sucker was going to go,” Warbritton said, laughing. “It was great though, it was like an intimidation kind of thing. … She’d strike some people out then hit two people in a row. That just shows how far she’s come (through high school).”
Austin Chastain is a high school sports writer covering West Tennessee. Reach him by email at achastain@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Future UT Martin softball teammates ready for final playoff run for Huntingdon
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