Kelly Barnett, Tom Mazzie get their chance

Kelly Barnett still can picture legendary battles with Oak Park from her high school days at Glenbard West.

One stands out above all the rest: May 10, 2000.

A 28-inning marathon the two teams had to resume six days later that ended a 1-0 Oak Park win - the longest recorded softball game in IHSA history.

"No person on either team gave in," Barnett said, "and no one was going to quit."

If Barnett has her way, that attitude will permeate on to the diamond at St. Charles East this spring.

Barnett, who later played collegiately at Western Michigan, is the new Saints softball coach. Barnett was an assistant the last three years under Eric Ray. She has the eagerness of a rookie taking grounders at her first spring training.

"I've been real lucky," she said, "to have a great group of young women that are doing anything possible to be the best softball players they can be."

Barnett joins Tom Mazzie, who replaces Cray Allen in the dugout at Lake Park, as first-year coaches in the Upstate Eight. The conference coaching carousel is guaranteed two more spins next spring, as Michelle Schmidt of Neuqua Valley and Kris Kalivas of Waubonsie Valley are both headed for Metea Valley when it opens in the fall.

Barnett calls on two veteran coaches from her days growing up in Glen Ellyn as influences. Jim Schaudt, recently retired as coach of West Chicago, coached Barnett in middle school. Lee Maciejewski later coached her at Glenbard West.

Schaudt was the fatherly type, talking and molding young players. Maciejewski showed tough love.

"With Lee it was no excuses," she said. "They would line me up while we were practicing inside, hit a grounder to the other end of the gym and say, 'run and go get it.' If I got it, then line up and get the next one. It taught me to push hard in everything I do in life. Keep working and good things will happen.

"Definitely two different styles," she added, "but both knew what they were talking about."

Barnett teaches a host of subjects at St. Charles East from health to physical education. Come the final bell, though, her focus and that of her girls is singular.

"For the two and a half hours that we practice and play softball," she said, "it has to be completely about softball. That was something I learned in college, with so much going on. There's no reason that these girls can't be extremely successful."

The Saints return 11 players from last year's 15-15 team. With "16 athletes" who are going to run, play defense and hit the ball, coupled with Barnett's can-do attitude, she believes the sky is the limit.

"The one thing I like to pass on is to dream big and work hard," she said. "There is no limit to what you can do. Coaching has always been a dream of mine. I feel so fortunate to be blessed with the coaches I've had in my life. I want to be as instrumental in my girls' lives as my coaches were in mine."

Barnett interviewed for the job last summer.

For Mazzie, the call to coach Lake Park came out of left field.

He found out two days before tryouts that Allen was stepping down.

"The last two weeks have been kind of a whirlwind," he said.

Mazzie was an assistant for a year under Allen, Lake Park going 34-5 and finishing third in the Class 4A state tournament. The 1998 Glenbard North graduate previously coached baseball at Wheaton North, Willowbrook and South Mountain High School in Phoenix.

He'll never go back to baseball now.

"These girls are unbelievable," he said. "The two hours I am with them at practice take away all the stress I've had the last two weeks away because they work so hard. It's the best coaching experience I've had."

Mazzie has stood alongside with the girls in morning conditioning drills going back to November. Don't expect a new-look Lake Park team this spring.

"My philosophies are right in line with Cray's," Mazzie said. "We both are very aggressive. We like to take chances and encourage our girls to take control of the game."

Lake Park also must replace two Division I players this spring in shortstop Lynsey Ciezki and pitcher Missy Mazur. But third baseman Carly Willert, catcher Alexis Munaco and outfielders Vicki Tomaka and Jamie Pomahac form a strong returning core.

"The major reason I did this is more for our seniors than anything else," Mazzie said, "and I think the kids appreciate that I came back and took the job. While some things will change, overall we're on the same page. I'm hoping we don't miss a beat."