Sport
16 February, 2024
A big hitter for young Caboolture softballer
Caboolture soft baller, Indy Munro, achieved the thrill of hitting a home run in the decider of the U18 girls national championships last month.
Indy and her Queensland teammates ultimately finished runners-up in the Elinor McKenzie Shield competition, played in the Perth suburb of Mirrabooka.
Queensland won eight and lost two of its round-robin matches, having beaten Victoria, Western Australia and ACT each twice, while having one win and one loss against each of South Australia and NSW.
After losing 7-3 to NSW on day two, Queensland beat NSW 5-4 when the teams next met.
This was NSW’s only defeat during the six days.
“I believe Queensland’s success during the tournament was our perseverance and determination to be better than the game before,” Indy said.
Indy was familiar with her teammates, having played with and against them at various carnivals.
Queensland had a respectable 3-1 loss to the competition pacesetter in a semi-final, before the team in maroon booked a rematch with the team in sky blue, as Queensland beat Western Australia 6-1.
Having fielded at third base and in the outfield during the competition, and also made some handy contributions with the bat, Indy hit an automatic home run in the first set of the decider.
This turned out to be Queensland’s only run, as NSW won 8-1 after an uncertain start.
“NSW had consistent batting and were able to execute all plays,” Indy said.
“It is always disappointing to lose a grand final, no matter what the score is.”
Indy first represented Queensland at the age of 10, starting in Queensland school sport and then progressing into representative teams.
She said she hoped to play for the Maroons again, with U23 being the next level.
“It is always a thrill to represent Queensland in soft ball,” she said.
Indy said the highlight of her time in Queensland colours so far was playing alongside her brother during her first nationals in Melbourne in 2016, and both winning the shield.
After starting her soft ball career about a decade ago, Indy has played for the Caboolture-based Warriors, as well as the Redlands-based Sharks and Redcliffe-based Colts.
Indy also represented the Aussie Diamonds in New Zealand in 2019, and was in the title-winning team as the grand final featured two Australian teams.
