BREESE • Abby Braundmeier lives for those moments of levity.
The Mater Dei senior catcher can't resist the opportunity to put a smile on the face of her softball teammates.
"I love it when I make people laugh," Braundmeier said.
Braundmeier and the Knights have been doing a lot of laughing lately.
Mater Dei (15-10) has won seven of its last nine games and carries plenty of momentum into a Class 2A Newton Sectional semifinal against Arthur (24-6) at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Knights are peaking at just the right time with the hard-hitting Braundmeier leading the way. Her ability to relieve pressure through her antics has helped the team giggle its way to a third regional title in the last five years.
And there are many more good times to be had, if Braundmeier gets her way.
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"The team clown," Mater Dei coach Mike Palm called her.
Explained senior pitcher Hayley Palm, who has thrown to Braundmeier since the two were in the fourth grade.
"She just has a way of making me and the rest of the team feel good during times when there's pressure," Hayley Palm said. "I can't count the times she's come out (to the circle) when we were in a tense situation, and I'll end up smiling or laughing by the time she heads back to the plate."
Abby's mom, Karen said her daughter is, "silly — but in a good way."
Those recent antics include breaking out in a little dance behind the dish when there is a lull in the action. She led the team in something she calls, "the banana dance," during the regular-season finale against Woodlawn. Prior to the contest, she got her teammates and the crowd fired up with the off-the-wall ditty.
In the middle of a mundane practice, Braundmeier has been known to break out in song.
"She knows what to do and the right time to do it," Hayley Palm said.
Braundmeier simply likes to keep the mood light.
"I don't like to see people get down," Braundmeier. "It's my job to take control of the situation by saying, 'Relax, breathe, have fun.' Or maybe something funny. Everything's usually fine after that."
Braundmeier has a serious side too. Her father, Art, said she only cuts up with kids her own age that she's known for years. With adults or strangers, she's your typical shy, reserved teenager.
A starter on the basketball team as well, Braundmeier is capping off her softball career in style. She leads the Knights with a .447 batting average and a .500 slugging percentage. She has three homers and 18 RBI and has spent most of the campaign batting leadoff or in the No. 2 spot in the order.
Braundmeier, who plays the infield when she is not catching, has helped carry the team offensively the past few weeks. She has four multi-hit games in her last five contests, including an eye-popping 6-for-7 performance in a 3-2, 14-inning win over Highland on May 7.
The Aviston, Illinois resident is 5-for-6 in the post season with huge hits in wins over Greenville and Wesclin to claim the Carlyle Regional crown.
Braundmeier's synergy with Palm has played a key role in the Knights' success. Palm is 10-6 with 167 strikeouts in 111 innings, including 19 strikeouts in a no-hitter win over rival Breese Central.
"She knows what I throw," Hayley Palm said. "Abby just gets it."
Braundmeier has played on the varsity level each of her four seasons at the catholic school based in Breese. She has 12 homers and 77 RBI in three-plus seasons and has hit at least .333 each year.
In addition, Braundmeier played a key role on Mater Dei's highly-successful basketball team the last two seasons. She averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds for a 23-8 squad that lost to Effingham in the Salem Sectional final in February.
But softball has always been her favorite sport. She is following in the footsteps of her older sister Logan, who plays at Murray State University. Abby plans on attending Southwestern Illinois College and hopes to become a veterinarian down the road.
For now, Braundmeier and her teammates are focused on the task at hand.
Arthur boasts one of the best small-school pitchers in the state in Mackenzie Brown, who is coming off back-to-back 17 strikeout performances.
"Everyone's excited and that's making us work harder," Braundmeier said. "You can tell we really want it."