Tough prep has Barrington ready for downstate tests

EAST PEORIA - The last softball team still standing from the Mid-Suburban League's West Division is Barrington.

And one reason for that might just be the fact that it played in the MSL West, a six-team division that featured four 20-plus win teams.

"I am truly a believer that the MSL West competition greatly prepared our team for the state series," said Barrington Hall of Fame coach Perry Peterson, whose Fillies finished second to Schaumburg (31-2) in the West this spring.

When it comes to preparation, Peterson certainly knows how to go about it for the state tourney.

He is guiding his eighth club to the state finals. It's the ninth team in Barrington's history, as Pam Devins' 1976 team also made it.

Barrington (32-6) will face Lincoln Way East (29-5) in Friday's 3 p.m. Class 4A state semifinal at the Eastside Centre sports complex in East Peoria.

The Fillies have one person who has already seen quality time on the Eastside diamond.

Senior Keenan Dolezal (31-6) pitched two strong games (combined 17 strikeouts) in East Peoria in 2013 when the Fillies took third place with a 5-1 victory over York,

Other current players who were on the 2013 roster are juniors Rachel Macdonald and Jenna Fingerman and senior Kat Panos.

Dolezal was in her second of a four-year varsity career in which she has become the winningest pitcher (90-19) in program history.

She broke the record of 80 wins by Abby Reed, who pitched downstate for Peterson's Class AA third-place team in 2004.

Dolezal lost in the 2013 state semifinal (3-2) on the last pitch of the game, a two-out walk-off double by St. Charles East. The Fillies finished 36-2 that season and hit a school record 54 home runs.

Dolezal took a 29-1 record in the 2013 state finals and set the school record that spring with 229 strikeouts, still trailing Claire Voris (who had 302 set in 2007).

This season, Dolezal broke her record with 334 strikeouts and owns a 31-6 record with a 1.36 ERA.

Dolezal's efforts, combined with the Fillies' solid offense and defense, have seen Barrington outscore its opponents 42-6 in the state playoffs over the last two weeks.

"What we have to concern ourselves with is our offensive consistency," Peterson said. "Often, playoff success is determined by how many quality at-bats your team produces in the game.

"I feel our team realizes this and the players expect to give it their best shot."

The 2007 team gave its best shot, taking second place.

Coincidentally, those Fillies defeated Lincoln-Way East 2-1 in the semifinals that year, with Voris earning the win before falling to Normal in the championship game.

This year, the other two teams in the final four are Oak Park-River Forest and Marist, who face off in Friday's 5 p.m. semifinal.

"The other three teams are all traditional powers," said Peterson, whose teams have been second (2007 and 2008), third (2004, 2005 and 2013) and fourth (1993) in the state tourney. "We look forward to the challenge each game will present."

• Barrington is one of the winningest programs in the state finals with an overall program record of 997-345.

Peterson (698-161 in 23 seasons), Hall of Famer Pam Devins (286-176 in 23 seasons) and Bob Murphy (13-8 record in 1977, when Devins was on sabbatical) have been the only coaches in program history.

Overall, with his 16-9 record at St. Viator in 1992, Peterson owns a 714-170 career record, the fourth most wins in IHSA softball history (Elk Grove's Ken Grams is second with 855).

Barrington's record in nine trips to the state finals is 9-9 while the composite record of MSL teams in downstate action is 15-22.

"That shows you how tough it is to win in the state finals," Peterson said.

• Lincoln-Way East was a 14-1 winner over Edwardsville (29-5) in five innings at the Normal supersectional.

Senior pitcher Nikole Van Gennep defeated Edwardsville in the supersectional for the second straight year.

She allowed 1 run on 5 hits with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.

• Barrington assistant coach Dennis Sander is becoming quite familiar with championship play the last 10 months.

Just last August, he was a coach and manager for Barrington's American Legion team that won the state championship at Lloyd Meyer Field in Arlington Heights.

Last month, Dennis' grandson, Cary-Grove freshman Luka Sisauri, was the state boys gymnastics co-champion on the pommel horse.

Now Dennis finds his Barrington softball team playing for a state championship.