BEECHER | Beecher junior Savannah Soppet keeps her busy daily schedule on a low-tech, big calendar that is kept for all to see in the Soppet house.
Soppet's summer will include a job with the Crete Park District and a turn with the Munster Magic club softball team. Anyone who knows Soppet knows that any free time the honor student has will quickly be filled, almost as if keeping herself busy was a job unto itself.
"I try to make good use of my time," Soppet said. "I'm not one of those people who can sit around and do nothing."
Soppet did much with her time with the Ladycats this season. The junior moved up to the third spot in the batting order for Beecher and delivered. She hit five home runs and batted .482 in 35 games, while driving home an area-best 59 RBI. Soppet was also 15-3 with an impressive 1.72 ERA.
Soppet's play both with the bat and with her pitching were a big part of the Bobcats success in winning 29 games and their 11th consecutive league championship. For her all-around play this spring, the River Valley Conference Player of the Year is also named The Times 2012 Player of the Year.
"All of the kids are expected to work hard, and she certainly fits that mold," Beecher coach Kevin Hayhurst said. "She has improved every year since she's been with us a freshman, and that is the result of her hard work. The best part is, she's back next year."
Soppet, who spent her 2011 summer season pitching every game for Beecher's club team, augmented that busy schedule with a more rigorous weight lifting program in the winter. Soppet said the weight program helped give her the strength to maintain her level of play this season. Soppet's 15 wins as a starting pitcher included a no-hitter against Elmwood Park.
"I remember being nervous that day, because (Elmwood Park) usually has good teams," Soppet said. "I walked the first two batters, and knew I had to make adjustments. I was thinking too much."
Soppet does her fair share of thinking. The junior is ranked in the top five in her class with a 4.32 grade point average out of 4. She said she is weighing the possibility of playing softball in college after her senior year at Beecher, as she lays the groundwork of her long-range plan to become a physical therapist.
"I thought we did great as a team this year," Soppet said. "I am tougher on myself than anybody could be, and next year, with it being my last year of high school, I plan to go all out."
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