Portage junior Erin Fausch’s mojo has returned.
After missing her freshman season with a knee injury and struggling in her varsity debut as a sophomore, the first baseman-turned-outfielder has hit her stride.
“Last season, I had a rough year,” Fausch said. “This year, I just step in the box and shut everything off. See ball, hit ball. That’s something we say — see ball, hit ball, bat to ball, ball hard. It’s like a joke we say back and forth.
“It’s been more mental than anything. I didn’t really change too much of my mechanics for hitting.”
Fausch is hitting a team-high .486 with a team-high 12 doubles, a team-high two triples, 19 RBIs, 19 runs scored and eight stolen bases for the Indians (8-15, 5-8), who open Class 4A Chesterton Sectional play against Duneland Athletic Conference rival Merrillville on May 27.
That production has come while she plays a different position for first-year Portage coach Jena Alaniz.
“This year, she’s jumped into a new role as an outfielder where she’s typically a first baseman,” Alaniz said. “We were just looking for some other people who could play in the outfield, and she just jumped right into it.
“I’ve had multiple coaches we’ve played who have said, ‘Oh, my gosh, she’s so great out there.’ And I’m, like, ‘She’s typically a first baseman.’ They were like, ‘You would never know she’s not an outfielder,’ just because of how well she’s adjusted out there. She’s just been really good.”
Not that Alaniz, who started in left field when Portage won the Class 4A state title in her senior season in 2013, has been surprised.
Before coaching at Morgan Township, where she won two sectional titles and a regional title in three seasons, Alaniz spent two years as Portage’s junior varsity coach and was familiar with Fausch’s older sister Emily, a 2022 graduate.
“I knew her older sister and how good of a ballplayer she was, so I had no doubt Erin would be just as good,” Alaniz said.
Portage senior Savannah Riley has watched that unfold as Fausch’s teammate.
“Erin is such a versatile player,” Riley said. “She stepped up to play center field this year to help the team and has excelled at the new spot. Her knowledge of the game has grown tremendously since I started playing with her, and it has been a pleasure to watch her progress.
“Erin also knows how to make something happen at the plate and is always looking to get better. She is always open to putting in work and has an amazing drive to succeed. She has been a huge asset to the team the past three years, and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.”
Fausch, who batted .286 with four homers, 20 RBIs, 14 runs scored and four stolen bases last season, had earned a spot on the team as a freshman but suffered a torn meniscus in her right knee during tryouts.
Fausch had surgery that April and was sidelined until October. She also missed her travel softball season and Portage’s volleyball season. Something was missing when she returned.
“Last year, my heart wasn’t in it as much as it used to be,” Fausch said. “I lost the passion. This year, I just came back with a new mindset, a clear brain, and just play my game.
“With it being my first high school season, it was just a whole different game. I didn’t have a freshman season, so last year was like my freshman season. Seeing better pitching, the DAC is tough. So mentally, I wasn’t completely in it. This year, I just let it all go, and I feel like I’ve gotten better with that over time.”
Fausch, who didn’t play volleyball in the fall in order to focus on travel softball, has managed to make the best of the situation. She envisions majoring in kinesiology and playing at Calumet College.
“I did great at travel ball, and my passion came back,” she said. “I realized how grateful I am to be on the field and be with my friends. My injury was the biggest blessing in disguise because I want to be a physical therapist too. My career came from that too.”
Fausch’s renewed passion for softball has been obvious to Alaniz this season.
“She’s a positive light in the dugout,” Alaniz said. “She just tries to encourage everyone. She’s always positive, even when she’s not having a good game, which is really rare.
“When she has a bad at-bat, she doesn’t let it stick with her. She just lets it go and brings the positive light and cheers on her teammates and makes sure everyone stays up in the dugout. She’s a big part of the team. I’m glad she’s here.”
Fausch largely credits her sister Emily — who was the Portage class valedictorian, recently graduated early from Valparaiso and plans to continue with an accelerated two-year graduate program to become a physician assistant — for being here.
“My sister played, and that’s what got me into it,” Fausch said. “I grew up at the fields. She was always better at volleyball, and I was always better at softball, so we each had our own thing to shine at.
“She’s super smart, and I want to live up to her standards and keep my grades good and take hard classes.”
Alaniz has high standards for the Indians, who also won a state title in 2000.
“It’s nice to be back at my home field, at the place that I grew up playing,” Alaniz said. “I want to get back to that, the intensity of Portage softball. I want to bring all of the love that I had for Portage softball back.
“I’m close to home. I work in the Portage school system too. I just live down the street, so it’s nice, bring my family here.”
Fausch said the program has a family feel. She has grown up playing with some of her teammates. She said one of the other activities they enjoy is camping together over the summer.
“It goes to show how much the sport can give you and all the experiences and opportunities and people the sport gives you,” Fausch said.
“We have really good connections, friendships. We’re all just really close. It’s fun to play with girls you’re close with and have good friendships with.”
