For Halina, Abrie and Yorie Schulte, playing softball together is a dream come true

Jon Schulte first saw a future in softball for his oldest daughter, Halina, when she was 1. He would roll her a baseball and she would roll it back.

"I knew something was there. I'd take her out to the backyard and throw underhand wiffleball to her and she had this pretty swing at 3 years old," Jon said.

Now a senior at Lakota East , Halina believes her style of play hasn't changed much in the past 15 years, but she has improved on the intangibles and her mental approach. Something else that hasn't changed is her influence on her twin sisters, freshmen Abrie and Yorie.

The Schulte sibling connection is apparent on, off the field

All three started playing softball at age 5, but they've only been on the same diamond for about a year. They played on the same travel team last fall and now all don Lakota East's black and white uniforms.

"I've been dreaming about this season for a very long time," Halina said.

By playing on the same 18U team, Abrie and Yorie have gotten better by playing against girls two or three years older than them. It has been especially helpful for Abrie, who has played a lot at catcher in her first high school season.

"I don't really think about it that way, because I'm confident with my catching. I just think about it like, 'Play as best as I can' and always try and be better," Yorie said.

Jon knows Abrie is built for the pressure that comes with catching. He has spent countless hours at the kitchen table diagramming plays for his daughters. They were taking infield practice but in two dimensions.

Halina, who typically plays second base and has been the catalyst for myriad double plays, recently shifted to third base because of injuries. Now she can turn double plays with Yorie, who moved from right field to second base.

As much as the sisters have started to gel in the infield, they are very competitive. That fire applies to everything, from their friendly volleyball games to who sits where on car rides. Halina remembers a game of handball that ended with punches being thrown.

"It gets bad sometimes but it's a good thing to have to compete against each other because it only makes us better," Yorie said.

In the district semifinal against Mount Notre Dame, each sibling had a big moment they could point to, to try to claim an upper hand. Yorie had an RBI double to open the scoring in the second inning. Halina made a diving stop at third to prevent a run from scoring in the top of the fourth. Abrie had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the sixth.

A full Schulte family affair

Jon may have been ultimately responsible for putting a bat and ball in his daughters' hands, but he and his wife, Tara, have been the ultimate example of the "team parents."

This season, Tara was asked to help with the announcing and scoreboard duties. She said "yes" without hesitation. Jon could be found next to her in the press box at every home game, making sure the live stream was running smoothly.

"My mom, she's the type of person that will jump in and do anything," Abrie said.

Added Halina, "Our dad, he has been there for us the whole time. I'd be outside throwing every day after games and he'd want to too."

When Tara was pregnant with Abrie and Yorie, Jon hoped he would have at least one son. He figured there was a good chance at least one of the twins would be a boy. But it's been a blessing to have three girls share the field.

"It's awesome to get to see all three of my kids play together, and the pride I have in them is beyond measure," Tara said.

Seniors and freshmen help the Lakota East softball make history

After three straight losing seasons and three sixth-place finishes in the Greater Miami Conference, the sisters combined for four hits, five runs and two RBIs to help the Thunderhawks score a thrilling 12-11 win over Fairmont in the district championship. It's their first district title since 2019, a season that saw them finish as the Division I state runner-up.

The senior class of Schulte, Jaedyn Armbruster, Leah Arnett, Hailey Hensley, Olivia Luerman and Isabella Rodriguez has led them to this moment.

"(The seniors) have done everything to be successful. That would just be something that underlines it," head coach Kelley Haiber said.

There are also six freshmen on the roster. Just as Abrie and Yorie compete against each other, pitchers Kaleigh Crawford and Karlie Damen push each other to be better every day. The Thunderhawks allowed eight runs per game on average from 2021 to 2023. This year, that number sits at 4.1.

"They're great kids and great athletes. It just bodes well for our future," Haiber said of his freshman group.

Halina has been a leader ever since she broke through as a sophomore. The district title and anything that comes after would fulfill a dream the seniors have had since 2021. They can also show the freshmen what's possible in years to come.

"I think when we're all seniors, it's going to be a good year for us because we're going to meet our full potential by then," Abrie said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: For Halina, Abrie and Yorie Schulte, playing softball together is a dream come true