When Katelin Hoppe graduates from Bordentown Township High School in June, it will be the end of an era for the Scotties softball program.
“It’s gone by so fast,” said Hoppe. “I can’t believe it’s already almost the end of the season, but we’re really looking forward to playoffs this year.”
The senior pitcher has followed her twin sisters Allison and Erin Hoppe up through the ranks from Little League through Bombers travel ball and into high school. All three were on the team for her first two years of high school, and Hoppe has made a huge impact over the last three seasons.
“She just works hard,” said Bordentown coach Nicole O’Leary. “She’s a great kid. She is always trying to improve and not only is she key for us on the mound, but she’s been a great hitter in our lineup as well. Most recently she’s been in our 4 spot, so she’s kind of doing it all — offensive and defensive.”
Hoppe was forced into a big role earlier than expected. When her sister Allison was injured leading into the 2023 season, Hoppe had to take over the main pitching role as a sophomore for that spring. She responded by pitching 97 innings and allowing just 2.60 earned runs per game while striking out 116 to help the Scotties go 14-9.
“Sophomore year, I was expecting to pitch a little bit, but definitely not that much,” Hoppe said. “She got hurt right before the season, so it was a little last minute, but it gave me time to work with the catcher at that time, Kaci (Benton). So last year was a lot smoother of a transition from like sophomore to junior year.”
With Benton again catching last year and Hoppe having a season of experience under her belt, her innings went up to 136.2 and her walks went down while she sustained her strikeouts at 119 and her ERA at 2.77 in a 13-win season for Bordentown. The Scotties graduated Benton and two other seniors to set up this year.
“We definitely lost some good players, but we have a lot of team chemistry,” Hoppe said. “Even some of the freshmen that came in, we’ve played together for a long time. So that definitely made us a lot stronger, and we have two new volunteer coaches this year, which was definitely very nice.”
Hoppe has been as strong as ever while helping Bordentown start the season 13-6. Her ERA is the best it’s been at 2.15 through 84.2 innings in which she already had 81 strikeouts. She’s done so while adjusting to new catcher Julianna Morolda, who moved in from first base this year.
“Jules used to catch for me back in the day when we were on the same Bombers travel team, so we also have a lot of team chemistry together,” Hoppe said.
Not to be overlooked is Hoppe’s hitting. Her average is more than 100 points better than ever at .383, and she has 12 RBI and 18 hits, including five doubles. Her prowess at the plate has landed her in the middle of the lineup.
Said Hoppe: “I think I’ve just been a lot more aggressive in the plate, jumping on pitches that I know I can hit well, and last year I hit better. Sophomore year, I got some at bats, but last year I really started putting in the work out of team practices and stuff which I think has helped a lot.”
Hoppe’s pitching and hitting has been a consistent part of a Scotties team that has had some ups and downs in a true roller coaster of a season. Bordentown opened the year with six straight wins, then lost five of their next six games before ripping off another six straight wins before their next loss.
“We started off super strong, everyone was getting hits and stuff and then we did struggle a little bit at the plate,” Hoppe said. “And then we started that little losing streak. That was our spring break.”
Hoppe was ill and missed a pair of those losses, but she returned and has been a strong leader for the team. It’s been different as an upperclassmen, but she’s enjoying seeing the team come together through the season.
“I think that we have a really good defense so it’s nice to know that I have them behind me when I’m pitching,” Hoppe said. “I have a lot of trust in them. The only thing we struggled a little bit this year with was getting runs across in the beginning. But I think everyone’s dedication is starting to pay off at the plate so it’s really great to see.”
She had plenty of guidance growing up with her sister’s leading the way, and it helped to shape her into a player that could step in right away and contribute and now is a mentor for others.
“It’s been great,” Hoppe said. “We all grew up playing together, and it definitely allowed me to push myself. I used to play up with them sometimes so seeing the older age was very helpful too.”
At one point, all three Hoppe sisters were pitchers. In high school, Erin moved away from the circle and Allison took on the main pitching role of the two twins. But the family shared their wisdom and helped Hoppe develop her strengths.
“Growing up, my dad was always the one taking me to hitting and pitching lessons, and my one sister, Allison, is also a pitcher, so she would help me out with spins and stuff,” Hoppe said. “She’d show me new pitches, stuff like that.”
She’s had plenty of innings of her own to sort out what’s been more effective for her. “Through my experience, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at attacking the zone in the beginning and getting ahead in the count, which definitely gives me more opportunities to work in some of my other pitches when I’m ahead,” said Hoppe.
Being the youngest helped Hoppe compete from the outset. And her background was something that her success can be attributed to along with hard work.
“Growing up around softball, her dad was a big advocate for the game and for her and her sisters, and they just taught them not only how to be good athletes and good players, but they taught them softball IQ, how the game works and it helps in developing those awarenesses of the game in those different types of situations that games can get into,” O’Leary said. “And she’s just kind of grown into her own.”
Hoppe has appreciated the way this year’s Scotties team has performed. Ciara Knight has blossomed in a bigger role this year and is not far behind Hoppe with a .345 batting average while hitting leadoff. Samantha Brown has come in hitting .289 as a freshman while Morolda is batting .275 while adjusting to her new fielding position.
Fellow seniors Natalie Crowell and Mackenzie Morton have provided valuable experience. Alexa Kraus and Brianna Gallo have also had some time in the circle to spell Hoppe.
“It’s definitely been a bit of a crazy season and we’ve been doing some really, really good things and we do have a strong schedule,” O’Leary said. “Some of the teams that we have lost to are some really good programs in the area. So it’s not always a bad thing, I mean especially before the playoff run, it’s always nice to get those good competitive games in, but we’ve been doing some really good things up with that. Defensively, we’ve been playing really strong and we’ve seen some great innings out of Katelin and some of our other pitchers.”
Hoppe is looking to wrap up her career on a high note. While her sisters play Division I softball, Hoppe will focus on her allied health major and psychology minor at the University of Tampa with hopes of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist.
She may play club softball, but if she doesn’t she will have more time for art and going to the beach, two of her favorite interests. In case she doesn’t play again, she’s trying to make the most of her final season of high school softball.
“Even some of the other seniors like Mackenzie and Natalie are going on to play in college, but it’s a very meaningful season just because we’ve all played together for so long,” Hoppe said. “So either way, it’s just our last season all together, so we want to go out on top.”
Well established as a pitcher for Bordentown High softabll, Katelin Hoppe has really stepped up at the plate in her senior season, boosting her batting average by more than 100 points. (Photo by Dennis Rebadavia.),
