By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC - There are few sure things in this world.
Of course there are death and taxes, but when it comes to Dowagiac softball, senior Maureen Pickar is almost a lock.
Pickar has never lost a high school softball game.
We are not just talking about her junior and senior seasons for the Chieftains. She literally has never lost in four years of pitching in the Dowagiac softball program.
Pickar is 16-0 this season and was 5-0 as a junior. In her sophomore season she posted a 13-0 mark for the Dowagiac junior varsity squad.
As a freshman she went 14-0 for the junior varsity.
That's a whopping 48-0 for her career.
Pickar hopes to continue that streak this weekend when Dowagiac competes in the Division 2 Regional Softball Tournament at Battle Creek Lakeview High School.
Pickar has an earned run average of 0.40. She has pitched 106 innings this season, allowing just six earned runs on 67 hits.
Pickar, who saw limited action as a junior behind hurlers Ashley Willis and Brittney Reist, has walked just 17 batters this season. She averages 7.92 strikeouts per game. She has fanned 120 opponents.
Willis is also a senior on this year's squad, while Reist now plays for Western Michigan University.
Pickar said that she just tried to keep a positive attitude and do whatever she could to help the team win.
She began pitching when she was 10-years-old. She said that her dad brought up the idea.
Dowagiac coach Mike Behnke believes that was one of the best ideas he has ever heard.
Behnke said he was not surprised that she has turned into a dominant pitcher for his squad.
He also knows how tough it was last season for her to spend much of the season watching from the dugout.
Pickar says she tries not to even think about being undefeated, although it is tough when people mention it constantly and it appears frequently in the newspaper.
The senior standout says she did not think she would be undefeated at this point in her career.
And what does she credit for all of her success?
Pickar is scheduled to pitch against arch rival Lakeshore on Saturday in the opening game of the regional tournament.
Pickar picked up a 3-1 win against the Lady Lancers back in April.
Another win would put Dowagiac in the regional title game for the second straight season against either Gull Lake or Vicksburg.