Sophomore catcher Olivia Milton brings her superstitions and powerful bat to the plate, crushes two home runs and leads Trojans to 13-3 run rule victory over Portage

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

No need to rub a crystal ball or consult a gypsy to know what hitting glove Olivia Milton will slip on, which bat she will use and what color arm sleeve she will wear when Chesterton goes to Valparaiso to play softball Tuesday.
She’ll use the same equipment she used Monday.
It all worked well for her in a 13-3 come-from-behind, five-inning run rule home victory over visiting Portage. Milton slammed two home runs and drove in three runs with the same equipment that worked so well for her in the Trojans’ previous game, a 12-2 win at Illiana Christian on Saturday.
“When I go through slumps, it’s just a mental thing,” Milton said after parking one pitch over the fence in center in the first inning, another over the fence in left in the fifth inning of the Portage win. “Like I’ll switch my (hitting) glove, like that was the reason why. I’m superstitious, and I’ll just switch something up.”
Sometimes that something is her bat.
“I have two bats. One has a pink grip, one doesn’t. Today was the one without pink grip, which I like the pink grip better, but right now the other one is doing a lot better. I’ll stay with that one for a while,” Milton said.
An 0 for 3 day at the plate in a 14-4 loss to Mishawaka last Thursday prompted her to switch to the bat without the pink grip for the Illinana Christian game. Milton went 2 for 4 with two runs, two RBI and a double in that game, so she stayed with that bat against Portage and again went 2 for 4.
And it’s not simply a matter of Milton feasting on easier competition and failing against better teams. For example, Crown Point is a talented enough team to defeat the Trojans 15-3 last week, but the Bulldogs didn’t get Milton out once. She went 3 for 3 with a double and a triple.
When helping the Trojans improve to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in DAC play with the victory over Portage, Milton left her pink arm sleeve in the equipment bag because she went hitless wearing it against Mishawaka.
“I have to stick with the black arm sleeve for now,” she said. It’s not about fashion. It’s about superstition. At least that belief is what helps to keep the whole experience a fun one for her, but the truth is it’s about softball talent. A sophomore catcher, Milton has an abundance of it.
She and leadoff hitter Alexia Franco share the team lead in batting average (.476). Milton leads the team with nine RBI and has the Trojans’ only two home runs and has a team-high five extra base hits. Franco is second to her in extra base hits with four doubles. Only Franco (nine) has a higher run total (eight) than Milton.
The Trojans fell behind 3-1 through three innings against Portage, the lone run coming on Milton’s first-inning home run over the fence in center. Then the Trojans started bunching hits, scoring a a pair of runs in the fourth to tie the score, 3-3, and then exploding for 10 runs in the fifth to put an end to the contest.
Pretty much everyone got in on the act. Junior Hannah Florian, the winning pitcher in relief of starter Ava Vagner, went 2 for 2 and drove in three runs. Franco doubled twice went 3 for 4 and scored two runs. Claire Demeter drove in three runs. Kaydence Ford scored two runs and knocked in one. Payton Cherep drove in two runs.
First-year head coach Erin Cochran was pleased to see Chesterton cobble together sound defense, solid pitching and timely hitting two games in a row.
“The last couple of games we’ve come through,” Cochran said. “Our defense is coming along. Our offense is coming along, so, very happy with the last two games.”
Milton took it a step beyond that in saying, “I think we have turned it around. Hitting wise, we’ve finally clicked. I think everyone’s out of the yips phase and now we’re all just hitting.”
Milton twice experienced the joy of joining a party in her honor at home plate after circling the bases. It’s like the feeling one gets when walking through the front door and getting a greeting from the family dog worthy of a return from a month on the road. Except it’s not just one dog going wild. It’s everyone.
“It’s such a good feeling when you hit one over and then the whole team is waiting for you at home,” Milton said. “Not a better feeling.”