Softball

Girls softball / DuPage County All-Area Team

Posted June 09, 2011 12:00 am

By Josh Welge

Danielle Chitkowski

Danielle Chitkowski, Glenbard South

The junior first baseman busted out at the plate in her third varsity season. “I think she surprised some people,” Raiders coach Julie Fonda said. Committed to Syracuse, Chitkowski hit .505 with 14 doubles, 5 homers 42 runs and 33 RBI. On the mound Chitkowski went 7-2 with 1.92 ERA for the 28-5 state semifinalists. “She loves to play the game,” Fonda said, “and she eats it up.”

Mary Connolly, West Chicago

No player meant more to her program the last four years. Connolly carried the Wildcats to a third DuPage Valley Conference and regional titles in her four years. The DePaul recruit went 18-8 with a 1.15 ERA and struck out 224. Connolly is the third pitcher in the county with 1,000-plus total strikeouts. Connolly hit .383 with 7 doubles, 5 homers, 31 runs and 15 RBI with 34 walks. “She may be the best opposing player we have ever played against during the regular season in my 28 years,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said.

Lilly Fecho, Glenbard North

The heart and soul of the 20-6 DuPage Valley Conference runners-up, this Purdue recruit continued to mature into one of area’s elite pitchers. The tall junior lefty went 16-5 with 1.11 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 132⅓ innings. At the plate Fecho had 7 doubles, 17 RBI and 2 homers and was the only hitter to go deep off Naperville Central’s Alyssa Wunderlich. “The sky is the limit for her,” Panthers coach Josh Sanew said.

Kelsey Gonzalez, Naperville Central

Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum calls this junior “the best shortstop I’ve ever had” in his 28 years in the dugout. Gonzalez hit .454 in the pitching-rich DuPage Valley Conference with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 28 runs scored and 25 RBI for the 24-11 DVC runners-up and regional champs. The Southern Illinois recruit struck out just 2 times in 120 plate appearances. “She can do everything,” Nussbaum said.

Hannah Granger, WW South

Committed to Minnesota, this versatile senior went toe-to-toe with other DuPage Valley Conference aces and provided a power bat in the middle of Tigers order. She went 14-11 with 1.14 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 160 innings. Granger led the county with a program-record 54 RBI while hitting .365 with 11 doubles and record 7 homers. “Her softball sense is amazing,” Tigers coach Denise McCance said.

Bekka Houda, Lisle

The backbone of Lisle’s state tournament team was this third-year Lions pitcher. Houda will play at Wisconsin-Whitewater next year. She went 21-4 with a 1.01 ERA with an area-high 231 strikeouts and 11 shutouts. Houda no-hit Geneva, struck out 15 twice and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of supersectional. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Lions coach Jen Pomatto said.

Katy LaCivita, Downers Grove South

The Mustangs relied on two inexperienced pitchers and still managed to go 28-7 and reach sectional final. Kudos go to this junior catcher committed to Loyola. “She is very intelligent back there and knows how to call pitches,” Mustangs coach Ron Havelka said. The cleanup hitter batted .423 with 9 doubles, 3 homers, 32 runs scored and 30 RBI. “She’s only gonna get better,” Havelka said.

Sammy Marshall, Naperville North

The Western Illinois recruit’s speed scared opponents like few can. Marshall’s 145 all-time stolen bases are a program record and 15th in the state. She also set Huskies records for career batting average, hits, hitting streak and multi-hit games. Marshall led the Huskies to their first regional title in 15 years and hit .430 with 34 steals and 37 runs scored. “One of the best players and best people who have walked through this school,” Huskies coach Jerry Kedziora said.

Maeve McGuire, Benet

The rare leadoff hitter “who just pounds the ball,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. Playoff opponents agree. The sophomore lefty is 8-for-10 with 4 doubles and has reached base 11 times in last her three postseason games. On the year McGuire is hitting .475 with 5 homers, 48 runs scored, 19 steals and 24 RBI for the first Benet state softball team. McGuire’s 26 doubles are a program record and 1 shy of the state record.

Marissa Mersch, Downers Grove South

The 2011 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area softball captain, is this senior center fielder committed to Wisconsin. Mersch ended her career with 250 hits, 2 shy of the state’s hit record, and her 65 career doubles are also second-most all-time. Mersch led DuPage County with a .575 average, with 6 homers and 43 RBI — batting leadoff — while scoring 53 runs with 16 doubles, 4 triples and 13 steals. “We’re gonna miss her a lot,” Mustangs coach Ron Havelka said.

Leigh Nebendahl, Neuqua Valley

The senior first baseman committed to Toledo boasted one of the area’s more powerful bats. Nebendahl hit .406 with 6 homers, 8 doubles, 30 RBI and 23 runs scored for 19-10 Wildcats. “She has the most powerful swing that I have ever seen,” Neuqua coach Melissa Wilson said. “She takes the ball where it is pitched as well as any hitter.”

Kahla Nolan, Wheaton North

A breakout player her senior year was this four-year varsity pitcher. Nolan went 14-8 with a 0.90 ERA, 126 strikeouts and just 15 walks and didn’t surrender a single home run. Nolan was even stingier in the DuPage Valley Conference, putting up a conference-best 0.58 ERA. Nolan will play collegiately at DePauw. “I’m so happy to see her do what she did,” Falcons coach Karen Calabrese said.

Timmie Rappe, WW South

A positive presence in the Tigers dugout, Rappe was a pest to opposing pitchers. The four-year varsity player set program record for hits and runs. Committed to Ohio, Rappe hit .447 this season with 55 hits and 38 runs scored, all program records, with 18 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Rappe had 4 hits against West Chicago’s Mary Connolly in 17-inning, 7-4 Tigers loss. “Every year she got better,” Tigers coach Denise McCance said.

Julianne Rurka, Benet

Benet coach Jerry Schilf knew his neighbor was a good softball player, but “I didn’t know she was this good.” The freshman third baseman homered in her first high school at-bat, a harbinger of things to come. Rurka is hitting .474 with 5 homers, 21 doubles, 40 RBI and 30 runs scored for the 30-10 state semifinalists. “Pressure doesn’t seem to bother her,” Schilf said.

Dale Ryndak, Downers Grove North

The sensational freshman teamed with sister Kendall to form one of the area’s best pitching duos — and she swung a mean bat, too. Ryndak went 13-3 with 5 saves and 0.99 ERA, striking out 108 batters in 120 innings. A pleasant surprise at the plate, she hit .371 with 5 homers and 16 RBI. “Dale was all that we expected on the mound,” Trojans coach Mark Magro said. “I don’t think she’ll surprise anyone next year offensively.”

Kendall Ryndak, Downers Grove North

Everywhere this senior went — pitching circle, outfield or batter’s box — Ryndak made an impact. Ryndak went 17-2 with a 0.93 ERA and 159 strikeouts for the 32-5 Trojans that broke last year’s school win record and repeated in West Suburban Silver. Ryndak hit .472 with 7 homers, 28 RBI and 35 runs scored. Ryndak is committed to Lindenwood University. “Kendall put it all together this year,” Trojans coach Mark Magro said.

Allyson Staats, Benet

No pitcher in DuPage County has thrown more innings this spring than Staats’ 250 and counting. No player is more valuable to the state semifinalists. Staats shut out Downers Grove South for the second time this season in the sectional final. Staats is 28-9 with a 1.37 ERA and 214 strikeouts. She is batting .402 with 17 doubles, 4 homers and 32 RBI. Staats is committed to Union College. “She’s been a horse for us,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. “The glue who keeps it all together.”

Jane Trzaska, Glenbard South

Perhaps the best hitter in a lineup full of them is this versatile sophomore. Trzaska hit a team-high .542 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 33 runs scored and 29 RBI. She had a 30-game hit streak snapped in the sectional semifinal. Trzaska can play any position and usually left field for the state semifinalist Raiders. “She is pretty tough on herself,” Raiders coach Julie Fonda said. “She is such a coachable kid.”

Paige Wilson, Wheaton North

Committed to Georgia, this tall, rangy senior was one of the area’s most dynamic shortstops. Wilson hit .471 with 12 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, scored 34 runs and had 17 RBI. She also stole 15 bases. Wilson finished her with a program record 174 hits. “Her stats alone are impressive,” Falcons coach Karen Calabrese said, “but it’s the things she does that don’t show up in the stats that are even more impressive.”

Alyssa Wunderlich, Naperville Central

The Redhawks have been blessed with a recent run of great pitching, none better than this Southern Illinois-bound senior. Wunderlich had scoreless streaks of 41 innings overall and 47 in DuPage Valley Conference games. She no-hit Glenbard East, took no-hitters into the seventh inning against West Chicago and York and threw 8 shutouts. Wunderlich finished 15-7 with a 0.89 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 164⅓ innings. “The amount of work she puts in during the off-season is virtually unparalleled,” Nussbaum said.

Honorable Mention

Sarah Anderson (Downers Grove North, sr., OF); Mackenzie Buchelt (Lisle, jr., 3B); Sydney Benz (Glenbard North, fr., 3B); Katelyn Conenna (Immaculate Conception, jr., SS/P); Hannah Davey (Glenbard South, jr., CF); Jenn Faassen (Metea Valley, jr., C); Alyssa Jasinski (Glenbard North, sr., SS); Sarah Koch (Lake Park, sr., SS); Chelsea Lavin (Downers Grove South, sr., LF); Amanda Minahan (Waubonsie Valley, so., SS); Brooke Meyer (Neuqua Valley, jr., SS); Kelly O’Neill (Lake Park, so., OF); Tara Palandri (Lake Park, jr., CF); Bri Pasquale (St. Francis, jr., 3B); Taylor Ronchetto (St. Francis, sr., P); Taylor Steinhilber (Glenbard West, sr., P); Caitlyn Warren (Naperville North, jr., CF); Jess Wilkes (Glenbard South, sr., P); Jenny Wittenberg (Glenbard South, sr., SS); Jessica Wood (West Chicago, jr., CF); Bri Wyatt (Glenbard West, sr., CF).

DuPage County All-Area Captains

1989: Ceci Rettig, Wheaton Central

1990: Angie Webb, West Chicago

1991: Kelly Matthews, West Chicago

1992: Kate Enochs, Benet

1993: Amy Elza, Downers Grove South

1994: Amy Thompson, Downers Grove South

1995: Erin Enzbigilis, Downers Grove South

1996: Marie Barda, Hinsdale South

1997: Marie Barda, Hinsdale South

1998: Mary McGrane, Downers Grove North

1999: Krisi Rossi, Downers Grove North