The battle raged on for years in the back seat of the Otten family vehicle.
Sophia, now a 6-foot-2 senior pitcher and slugger at Incarnate Word Academy and Caleb, a 6-2, 270-pound sophomore offensive lineman at MICDS, would square off in an attempt to get more leg room in the cramped quarters during the family summer vacations across the country.
There was simply not enough space for the fast-growing siblings from New Haven, who hardly ever fought while growing up.
Except for the heated automobile space confrontations.
"We would end up kicking at one one another or try to push one another out of way to get more room," Sophia recalled.
Explained Caleb, "Early on, Sophia would win, but now it's definitely me."
Sophia was never one to back away from a battle.
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The hard-throwing righthander is still that way.
Otten has developed into one of the top two-way softball players in the area. She has set the school record for strikeouts with 435 and could hit the coveted 500 mark sometime this season.
Plus, she has become a terror at the plate and recently passed the 100-hit mark for her three-plus year career.
And Sophia likens back to her childhood with her younger brother as a springboard to her success.
The two would play basketball together at the city park of their Franklin County home. Sophia, who is also a member of the IWA basketball team that has won seven successive state championships, more than held her own.
Yet that was friendly competition.
The car battles were a different story. The family, including mother Mary Beth and father Tim, has visited 43 different states in an effort to see as much of the country as possible.
Sophia still considers Montana her favorite.
But with each excursion, came a more spirited session of stretching out in the back seat.
"Let them figure it out for themselves," Mary Beth says of her motto.
Sophia has certainly figured out the game of softball.
Her gritty, determined attitude, along with a 62 mile per hour fastball, has vaulted her toward the top of the list of best pitchers in the state.
Otten recently committed to continue her career at the University of Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference.
"She's always been the pitcher nobody knew about," IWA first-year coach Mike McMullen said. "The girl is a workaholic. She's the total package."
Not only has Otten upped game statistically, but she has also fine tuned her approach to pitching.
"I've been focusing on the little things, eating better and getting better sleep at night," Otten says. "And also working on the mental side of softball."
Part of the mental progression came when Otten realized that she doesn't have to blow the ball past every hitter she faces.
"Before, she was just trying to strike everyone out," McMullen said. "That made her walks go up and she was missing location. Now, she knows there's so much more to pitching than just throwing the ball."
Otten has turned heads with several performances this season. She fanned 11 and allowed just three hits in a win over Cape Central on Aug. 31 and also tossed a one-hitter in a 4-1 victory over Ritenour last week. She has 64 strikeouts in 50 innings over the first three weeks of the campaign.
Just as importantly, Otten has sharpened her leadership skills.
The Knights are 5-4 and have won five of seven games including a 3-2 last at-bat win over a strong Lutheran South team on Thursday.
IWA carries hopes of returning to the state tournament after finishing fourth in 2021. Otten compiled a 8-8 record as a freshman on that squad.
"This team works hard, puts in the time needed to be a (state) tournament team," Otten said.
Otten has learned to have fun on the softball field and not treat every pitch like life or death. That ability to relax was never more apparent than during crunch time of a game last season.
"She's out there walking around and singing some song to herself," recalled IWA junior catcher Charli Niemczyk said. "Even the umpire asked me, 'What is she doing out there?' I just said, that's just the way she is."
The honor roll student is equally skilled at basketball but has had a tough time breaking into IWA's talent-rich starting lineup. She averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds last season.
It was only recently that she decided to play softball in college. Otten has actually received more basketball scholarship offers, she says around 15, than softball (10).
"When I look at the big scheme of things, I love both of them," Otten said. "It just came down to the school and the coaches at Evansville. When I walked on campus, I immediately pictured myself going there. I'm really excited."
But first, Otten wants to close her high school softball career in style.
And she thinks the Red Knights are final four material.
"We'll be ready," Otten said.