South Elgin's Pierce, Vitiello make their college choices

It was a big day Wednesday for the South Elgin softball program.

Kimberly Pierce, who transferred to South Elgin from Tampa, Fla., prior to the spring semester of 2007, signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a scholarship offer from Indiana State University. Pierce becomes the first South Elgin player to earn a Division I softball scholarship.

"I liked the coach (Brenda Coldren) a lot and I met all the athletic people and they were all really nice," said Pierce, who also visited Butler. "I got to meet all the girls on the team and they're all really nice."

Pierce, who started in center field last season when the Storm went 23-11 and advanced to the Class 4A sectional finals, hit .495 in 2007 and led the area with 8 home runs and 47 RBI. She also had 14 doubles, 4 triples and a 1.000 slugging percentage while only striking out 5 times in 97 at-bats. She also had a banner summer, helping the Bartlett Silver Hawks to win the ASA Northern National championship. Two of her teammates from that team are also headed to D-I schools -Kayla Oranger of Burlington Central (Texas-El Paso) and Elizabeth Kay of Bartlett, who signed with Illinois State Wednesday. Oranger will sign her National Letter of Intent today.

Pierce, who will study social work in college, will join a Sycamores program that plays in the Missouri Valley Conference. Indiana State was 19-30-1 last season and 7-16 in the MVC. Coldren, who played professionally in New Zealand, is entering her seventh year as the program's head coach.

"I'm just glad it's done and I can have fun with the girls this season and have another big year," said Pierce, who carries a 3.5 GPA and scored a 25 on her ACT.

Meanwhile, South Elgin coach Jason Schaal also announced Wednesday that senior pitcher/first baseman Lauren Vitiello had committed to NAIA Division I Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa.

"I went to visit and got a tour with one of the players and the campus is really nice and they have a new wellness center," said Vitiello, a 3.0 student who plans to study biology. "I got to be involved in one of their practices and sit in the dugout for a doubleheader and that was cool."

Vitiello, who hit .539 with 7 homers and 41 RBI for the Storm last season and played for the Northern Illinois Thunder this past summer, was equally glad to have her college choice made.

"It's taken a lot off my back," said Vitiello, who also visited Bethel and Goshen in Indiana, as well as Olivet Nazarene and Lake Forest in Illinois. "The last three months has been hard, deciding which schools I wanted to visit."

At Grand View, Vitiello joins a program that went 28-23 overall last season and 17-5 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.