Naperville Central earns 500th win for Nussbaum

It isn’t every day that Andy Nussbaum can celebrate a milestone like Saturday’s. He savored every minute of it.

Nussbaum’s Naperville Central Redhawks beat Stagg 4-0 in the second game of a doubleheader in Naperville, giving the 28th-year coach his 500th career victory.

Minutes after taking photos with players and his own children, Nussbaum was still basking in the glow.

“I love this job,” said Nussbaum, laughing afterward that “with respect to Mayor Daley, I have the best job.”

Nussbaum is the fifth softball coach from DuPage County to reach 500 wins, joining Bill Voves (Glenbard South), Brenda Whitesell (Hinsdale South), Tom Babyar (York) and Ron Havelka (Downers Grove South).

Nussbaum has two state tournament appearances on his resume and one DuPage Valley Conference championship. He can clinch at least a share of a second DVC title with a win Monday at West Chicago.

Nussbaum was all of 25 his first season as Redhawks coach — “before I even met my wife.” His wife, Wendy, and six of their seven children were on hand Saturday for the celebration.

“You think of all the teams and games, all the things that went into it,” Nussbaum said. “This is pretty satisfying. I love the game, I love the kids. I hope they’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.”

Kelsey Gonzalez singled in the Redhawks’ first two runs and played a sparkling shortstop. She knew how significant this win was to her coach, and for that matter the Naperville Central players.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for him,” Gonzalez said. “He’s been working at this for a long time. He reminded us Friday that this is a big day for him. It’s awesome to be a part of it.”

Kristina Vizza (8-3), starting for the first time in a week, threw one of her best outings of the year. The junior lefty struck out eight in 2-hitting Stagg (24-5) for her second shutout.

“I felt like everything was working, especially my dropball,” Vizza said.

No. 7 Naperville Central (20-7) lost the first game 2-1, two errors in the bottom of the sixth leading to Stagg’s go-ahead run. The Redhawks played a crisp Game 2, though. Gonzalez alone made 9 putouts. In the fourth she made a leaping grab of a sinking liner in short left field, and one out later she ranged deep into the hole at shortstop to gun the runner at first.

“We had a lot to prove after that first game,” Gonzalez said. “Good to get that second one in.”

Stagg pitcher Leah LaSota (19-3) started both ends of the doubleheader, and the Redhawks solved her with a second crack.

Nicole Kappelman singled and scored on a Gonzalez single in the first inning, and successive singles by Kappelman, Keegan Hayes and Gonzalez in the third made it 2-0. Hayes singled in Dierking in the fourth and Dierking’s sacrifice fly scored Maddi Doane in the fifth.

Kappelman was 3-for-3 and reached base 4 times, with Hayes and Gonzalez both singling twice.

“That was one of Vizza’s better games, if not her best game of the year,” Nussbaum said. “It was a pretty satisfying win against a very good team. We bounced back well.”