Can anybody take control in the DuPage Valley?
Veteran West Chicago softball coach Jim Schaudt may have sized up the first few weeks of the DuPage Valley Conference season best.
"People are knocking people off all over the place," Schaudt said Monday after his Wildcats knocked Naperville Central from the ranks of the unbeaten.
A year ago Glenbard North rolled through the DVC to a 14-0 finish.
Fat chance of that happening this year. With Naperville Central's loss, every team has at least one defeat and they're not even one time through the league.
"I don't think anybody's going to run away with it," Schaudt said.
For testament to the tightness of the conference, look no further than Glenbard North and Naperville Central.
The Panthers have lost three games in conference through Wednesday, each by one run and all three in extra innings. Sandwiched in between those three losses was a 6-1 win over Glenbard East on Monday.
Naperville Central has split four DVC games by scores of 2-1, 1-0, 2-1 and 1-0 -- two of those in extra innings.
"With it being so close, every mistake is magnified," Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum said. "I thought going in Glenbard North and West Aurora might be a cut above everybody else, but I thought we had a chance to be extremely competitive, that we had a chance to compete with or even beat those teams."
Hard-hitting Hilltoppers: Hampered by the inclement spring weather, Glenbard West faced live pitching just once before its first game.
But then, who needs spring training?
The Hilltoppers have punished opponents this spring to the tune of 8.75 runs per game in a 10-2 start through Wednesday. The team is hitting a collective .346, with Melissa Noland's .475 average leading eight girls over .300.
"I knew the team could hit," said first-year coach Mary McGrane, previously an assistant at Downers Grove North, "but it has been a pleasant surprise. One through nine I have girls that can hit. Different games it's been different girls stepping up."
Noland also had a team-leading 2 home runs and 21 runs batted in through 12 games. Kristy Borneman was at .444 with 17 runs scored and Jayme Hefler .419 with 20 runs scored.
Hitting practice is a priority for the Hilltoppers -- and with purpose.
They go station-to-station facing hitting machines in practice. Each station the girls encounter a different pitch and location.
"But when it comes time to playing the game," McGrane said, "I let the girls loose."
Strikeout queen: Julie Fonda experienced a rare treat Tuesday. Even better for Jill Trzaska.
Glenbard South's coach handed her senior ace pitcher the game ball after a 10-0 win at Yorkville in which Trzaska set a new school career strikeout record. With 13 against Yorkville, Trzaska has 435, passing Lauren Cuthbertson's 10-year-old mark of 429.
"It was a goal of hers," Fonda said, "but she definitely didn't know how close she was. It was nice to see her face light up. We tried to keep it under wraps. We wanted the focus to be on the game."
Trzaska is averaging almost 13 strikeouts per game this season, including 16 in a 1-0 no-hitter over Wheaton North.
"She throws hard," Fonda said, "but beyond that has worked very hard on her changeup. Anybody can hit speed, but Jill does a good job of hitting her spots and trusting her catchers."