Softball: Scouting Fox Valley Class 4A and 3A postseason

After delivering the school's first conference championship this spring, Geneva's softball team is ready to take aim at a few more firsts.

The Vikings, along with Huntley and St. Charles East, are one of three Fox Valley area teams to earn a No. 1 sectional seed in the Class 4A postseason that starts next week.

Geneva has never won a sectional title. The Vikings, winners of 28 straight games and at 30-2 overall, will try to do that, starting in the Yorkville regional. They open against either No. 16 Waubonsie Valley or No. 17 Naperville North.

With three four-year starters in the middle of the order - Kaitlyn Plocinski, Molly Wrenn and Annika Radabaugh - the Vikings have experience on their side. Those three also have a chance for payback as Waubonsie Valley knocked them out of the postseason as freshmen and Naperville North did it as sophomores.

There's a chance Geneva also could play Downers Grove North, who eliminated the Vikings last year, in the sectional championship.

"We have a chance to knock off some demons," said Geneva coach Greg Dierks.

It's certainly been a memorable year for Dierks, in his 28th season. When he started he had a program without nearly the talent it has had lately.

"At one point I just wanted to get back to .500 for my career. I was 100 games under at one point," Dierks recalled. "We've blown by the .500 mark with the quality kids we've had in the last 10 years or so, been able to turn that around."

In addition to the three seniors in the middle, the Vikings have been strong in the circle with freshman Emily Viebrock at 17-0 and junior Ali Dierks at 11-2 after a strained tendon in her pitching hand sidelined her for a couple weeks. Katie Keller has done a great job catching them both, while igniting the offense from her leadoff spot with a .581 batting average, a .716 on-base percentage, and plenty of pop in her bat with 17 doubles and 11 home runs. Radabaugh and left fielder Alyssa Kramer have 10 home runs.

West Aurora (27-7), the Upstate Eight Valley champ, is the No. 4 seed and will play Geneva in the sectional semifinals at Bolingbrook if both win their regional. The Blackhawks are led by the pitching combo of Hannah Beatus and Payton Lundberg, headed to Grand Valley State and DePaul, respectively.

West Aurora will try to shake off late-season losses to Geneva and South Elgin.

"A four seed is about what we could have expected with a recent slump," West Aurora coach Randy Hayslett said. "I expect us to have that behind us now and get back to business as usual. Our keys are the same that they have been: get the quality pitching, play tight defense, and get our three runs or more on the board. Hopefully we can come out and put runs up early. A key will be our executing our short game and manufacturing some runs when need be. It's a highly competitive regional and there are several teams who could come out of this sectional. Should be fun and some great softball."

Batavia (20-12) is the 12 seed in the sectional and with a win over No. 6 Oswego East, the Bulldogs could get another chance at West Aurora who it led 6-1 before late mistakes led to a 7-6 loss. Batavia defeated St. Charles East on Wednesday to finish 3-1 this year against the two St. Charles schools.

"We're trying to play our best softball at the end of the season," Batavia coach Lupe Castellanos said. "We want to carry that into the postseason. We're playing great defense, we're getting really good pitching. I feel very confident because our schedule has been one of the toughest out there."

Huntley coach Mark Petryniec, whose team hosts a sectional, also is concerned about the teams in the Red Raiders' path. First, Huntley (26-6) has to prevail at the DeKalb regional where the hosts are a possible first round opponent, and either Rockton Hononegah or Jacobs in a regional final.

The Red Raiders will count on Tiffany Giese, with an area-best 23 wins, in the circle, and a lineup that includes Autumn Kasal, Caitlin Brown, Sophia Tenuta, Teagan O'Rilley and Rylie Porretto.

"They (DeKalb) are a very strong team with 7 left handed hitters in their lineup," Petryniec said. "They are a hard team to match up with defensively with their quick slap hitters. For our success, we will need a strong pitching performance from Tiffany, good defense. We will need our hitters to accomplish the small things needed to win big games against good teams.

"If our players do what is needed, we should have a good chance at a positive outcome."

Hampshire (22-10) also is in the sectional and hosts a regional, opening against Dundee-Crown (20-12), which is led by junior Sydney Ruggles, a right-hander who leads the Fox Valley area in strikeouts with 247 in 186⅔ innings pitched. Barrington, the other No. 1 subsectional seed, likely awaits in the regional final, and could eventually be Huntley's opponent in a sectional championship matchup.

"For some reason our regional and subregional seed by geography outside of the 1 and 2 seed," Petryniec said. "Until that changes, we will have tough regional opponents regardless of seeds. Overall, you play the games they put in front of you and if you want to make a run in the playoffs, you are going to have to face the best at some point."

The No. 1 seed in its own sectional, St. Charles East will have the home-field advantage if it gets through the Lake Park regional where the Saints could face the host Lancers in the regional final.

The Saints (27-7) feature a powerful attack led by senior catcher Rylee Stout, who has a school-record 18 home runs. Paige Ligocki, Maddy Stout and Delaney Devor also have slugging percentages over .600.

There's no shortage of Fox Valley area schools in the sectional including No. 5 St. Charles North (17-9), who hosts a regional that includes No. 3 Fremd. Bartlett earned the sixth seed at the Elk Grove regional and opens against Prospect, with No. 4 Elk Grove potentially in the regional final.

No. 7 South Elgin, with freshman McKayla Timmons and her record-setting 11 home runs, opens with No. 10 Glenbard North.

Class 3A: Burlington Central (16-8) and Kaneland (21-12) opened the season playing each other, with the Rockets prevailing 4-2 in extra innings. The two are on a path to meet again in the Sterling sectional if both can win regionals next week.

The Knights also are the supersectional host.

"We're excited, it's a great honor to host," Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler said. "We've got something to work for. We've got to work hard to get through our regional, go out to Sterling for the sectional and come back home for the super. At no point can we take a second off. Our girls are starting to understand that. I said at the beginning of the year this team is super young and if the kids buy in we're going to have a great year and these kids have. Their mindset now is so sharp."

Kaneland, led by 4-year starter Morgan Weber at shortstop and a strong lineup including Donatela Sommesi, Lexi Abruzzo, Hannah Theobald and Aly Jesionowski, is seeded first in its subsectional. The Knights open against either No. 7 Aurora Central Catholic or No. 10 IMSA, then would face either No. 4 Freeport or No. 6 Rosary in the regional final.

Second seed Burlington Central hits the road to the Belvidere regional where it could play St. Edward in the semifinals if the Green Wave get past Boylan. Either No. 3 Belvidere or No. 6 Genoa-Kingston would await in the regional final.

Danielle Yurgil and Kristina Ahlers lead the Rockets' attack while Julia Barnes is 13-6 in the circle.