Prickelmyer's bat helps charge LMA's championship run as she claims Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

Laurence Manning's Lyza Prickelmyer's bat has been at the heart of the Lady Swampcats' run to the SCISA 4A state title.

As they made the push to this week's championship series against Wilson Hall, she was an absolute terminator, hitting .889 with two home runs. She stayed hot against the Lady Barons, hitting a solo shot in their comeback win in Game 2 on Thursday, which clinched LMA's second-consecutive state championship. Her performance also caught the eye of the tri-county, as she was named the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"I'm really grateful for everything our community does for us," Prickelmyer said. "They always get behind the athletes and encourage us."

When the season is on the line, LMA head coach Buddy Truett always knows he can trust Prickelmyer to come through. She did it time and time again in the postseason yet again this spring.

"She's a gamer," Truett said of his centerfielder. "She's a baller. I pick at her and nicknamed her my assistant coach because she's so daggum competitive, it's crazy."

Going into the state tournament, Prickelmyer and the Lady Swampcats knew they were enemy No. 1 for the rest of 4A. As the defending state champs, everyone knew they had to go through Laurence Manning, but that didn't bother the 'Cats.

"There's always a little pressure, especially after winning last year," Prickelmyer said. "There's a target on your back and everyone wants to beat you, but you just have to let it go and play your game. That's what I try to do. I just try to do the best I can do and help my teammates and encourage them. We just try to have fun doing it, that's the most important thing. If you have fun doing it, you play well most of the time."

The Lady Swampcats have always been an excellent offensive team, but they put a major emphasis on piling up runs during the state tournament. They lost Kayleigh Parmenter-Avins to injury late in the regular season, so Laini Kosinski was going to have to shoulder the entire load in the circle throughout the playoffs. They wanted to make that time in the circle as comfortable as possible.

"I felt like I was seeing the ball well last weekend. I was just focused on getting on base and getting runs in for my team," she said. "Especially with our pitching situation, just getting as many runs as we could so we could save her arm. Just thinking ahead and using what we have to save Laini."

Prickelmyer definitely saw the ball well. She opened the weekend with a home run and a single, driving in three runs while scoring three times in a 16-2 romp of Heathwood Hall. She followed that with two doubles and five RBIs in a 17-2 thumping of Hammond in three innings. She capped off the weekend with three more hits, including a two-run shot in the first, and four more RBIs in an 11-0 win over Ben Lippen.

"It definitely feels good. I'm not always a power hitter, and I don't know if I'd consider myself one now," she said. "I'm starting to feel like I have a little bit more of it. It's definitely something good to have."

In the state championship series, Prickelmyer showed off the number of ways she can use her bat to generate offense. In their Game 1 win over Wilson Hall on Tuesday, she doubled before sparking a two-run seventh inning with a bunt, reaching on an error before eventually scoring on an RBI single from Maggie Welch.

"I think small ball is a very important part of softball and can win you games," Prickelmyer said. "It's just as important as hitting home runs. Base hits are all helpful. Sometimes a bunt can do more damage than a double; it just depends on what's happening in the game."

Truett is blessed to have a seasoned batter who has the ability to do a little bit of everything at the dish.

"If she could've played in the seventh grade, she would've been a starter on the varsity level for Glenda Hodge. Not knocking who she had, but you saw it early with Lyza," Truett said of the junior southpaw. "She's a triple threat. Defensive with the bat with small ball and power. That's what you call a tough out to get."

Now Prickelmyer is a two-time state champion who has played in four consecutive championship series. She was glad to have one final run with a great group of seniors ahead of her.

"It feels great; we love playing together," she said. "I've grown up with them. I've played with them since we were seven or eight. I'm definitely going to miss them, and it's a bittersweet moment, but we've enjoyed our time together, for sure."