WASHINGTON, Mo.聽鈥 Ellie Hopen is tired of hearing the same question.
Yes, the Washington High senior pitcher realizes she was given the unenviable task of replacing standout hurler Taylor Brown, who led the Blue Jays to the Class 4 state championship last fall before heading to Texas A&M University.
"Everyone kept reminding me of it, but I thought all along I could handle it," Hopen said. "I was a little nervous at the beginning of the year.
"But now, I feel pretty good."
Hopen certainly looked the part of an ace Wednesday afternoon.
The southpaw tossed a nifty three-hitter to lead the Blue Jays to a 5-1 win over Borgia in the opening round of the Class 4 District 3 Tournament at the Fields at South Point in northern Washington.
Red-hot Washington (21-9) will face Summit (23-8) in a semifinal game at 1 p.m. Thursday. Union (18-5) and Westminster (23-10) meet in the other semifinal at 3 p.m.聽The winners face off for the championship at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Hopen has done her best to take over from Brown, who dominated in the circle in leading the Franklin County school to three final four appearances.
She was in total control against Borgia (14-14), which finished second in Class 3 last season.
Hopen retired 10 of the first 11 hitters and set the side down in order three times.
As far as trying to replace Brown, Hopen is just happy to make the best of her opportunity after watching Brown from the sidelines the past three years.
"She just wants to be Ellie," Washington sophomore catcher Madisen Meyer said.
Hopen improved to 16-5 with what Meyer called her finest effort of the season.
"Waiting behind Taylor was a little hard," said Hopen, who threw just 13 innings last season. "But I knew as a senior I would eventually get my chance."
Hopen is making the most of that opportunity.
"She really took over the (ace) role midway through this season," said Washington coach Grant Young, who also coaches at East Central College. "It's fun to watch her. She keeps the other team off guard and having a good defense out there really helps out."
Hopen is one of several players who have had to wait in line behind a trio of uber-talented teams.聽
Senior designated hitter Karolyn Sowrheaver is one of those who remained patient.
She got a chance to flex her muscles Wednesday and came through with a long three-run homer in the first inning that highlighted a four-run explosion.
"I didn't quite square it up all the way, but I knew it was going somewhere," Sowrheaver said.
Sowrheaver took a realistic approach to watching others the past few seasons.
"It wasn't difficult due to the talent that we had everywhere," Sowrheaver said. "I understand. I just waited."
The Blue Jays returned only one regular from that 37-1-1 title team of last season.
Senior infielder Grace Molitor serves as the Blue Jays leader. She tops the team with nine homers and sports a .879 slugging percentage. Molitor will continue her career at Arizona State University and will graduate in December before heading to Tempe.
Washington took control early as the first three hitters reached base and scored. Maddie Kluesner slammed the second offering for a double before Molitor and Meyer drew walks. Kluesner skipped home on a wild pitch to set the stage for Sowrheaver's fourth home run of the season.
Borgia managed to stay within striking distance, but simply couldn't solve Hopen, who gave up back-to-back hits to Averi Glosemeyer and Annabelle Roellig in the fourth.
"I felt like I was cruising most of the time," Hopen said.
The Blue Jays are out to prove that they can overcome the loss of eight starters and keep the winning tradition going.
"It's not just about the players, but it's about history and the coaches," Meyer said.
Borgia spent most of the campaign proving it could handle the bump after moving to Class 4 this season.
Freshman pitcher Eve Schmelz gave up six hits but allowed just one unearned run after the difficult opening frame.
"I was proud of the girls, they did everything we asked of them," Borgia coach Debbie Frank said. "We've been respectable all year."
Class 4 District 3 softball quarterfinal: Washington 5, Borgia 1
鈥淪he is somebody that from the beginning to the end of the season has just improved tremendously,鈥 Oakville coach Rich Sturm said.
Washington's Ellie Hopen delivers the first pitch during a Class 4 District 3 quarterfinal girls softball game on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, at Fields at Southpoint in Washington, Mo. Washington defeated Borgia 5-1. Gordon Radford | Special to the Post-Dispatch.