The pitcher and the ponytail: Aurora teen makes a name for herself

The pitcher, glove in one hand and a dusty baseball in the other, steps on the mound.

Five feet, 4 inches tall and sporting a green-and-white jersey, the all-star glances around the diamond and then focuses squarely on the hitter.

Finally, the pitcher goes into the windup and her long, sandy brown ponytail whips into view.

That's right, the pitcher - 17-year-old Cassie Wicklund - is a girl. In fact, she's the only girl in the Naperville Baseball Association senior league.

Cassie, who lives in Aurora, pitches and plays infield for the Gail Niermeyer Coldwell Banker team. She was one of two players to represent her team last month on the American League North team in the midseason all-star game.

When the self-described "tomboy" tells people she plays baseball, they usually assume she means softball, she said.

But Cassie never played softball and doesn't want to. She enjoys the intensity and speed of baseball and loves the dynamics and challenge of competing with boys.

Cassie's team recently played the same opponent on back-to-back days. In the first game, she struck out the same guy twice. The next day, the opposing team teased the player about it so much that even the umpires were laughing. She relishes those moments.

The Waubonsie Valley High School senior developed a passion for baseball early on.

"I've played baseball ever since I was, like, 4," she said. "My dad got me baseballs when I was little so I've always played."

Cassie began competing in T-ball at the age of 4 or 5 through the Fox Valley Park District. Since then, she has competed at four different levels through the Wheatland Athletic Association.

She was the first girl to try out for baseball at her high school, but didn't make the team. Coaches suggested she play softball instead.

As she practiced before the all-star game, some fans watching the game before hers noticed Cassie. Some expressed their amazement at her talent while others seemed taken aback.

Cassie's used to such mixed reactions.

She has been praised and supported for her efforts, but she also has faced obstacles and opposition along the way from coaches and parents.

Her mother, Chris Wicklund, said some parents have opposed having a girl in the league and some have even called the athletic association trying to have her removed from the team.

"It's been really awesome just being able to watch her prove herself over the years and see her grow and gain the respect of not only the other players but the other parents as well," Chris Wicklund said.

Coach John Broich of Naperville drafted Cassie on the team when she was 15 and has never regretted it.

"She's got outstanding ball control, and I intentionally drafted her because she was a girl and because she should be playing at this level. I just like the psychological effect of watching a girl strike out the guys because it's very humbling to them," Broich said.

Some batters initially underestimate her because of her gender, he said.

"(Her gender) hasn't been an issue," he said. "She proves herself in her playing abilities, and she's earned the respect of everyone that has ever played with her."

In the six years Broich has coached 15- to 18-year-olds, he hasn't seen another girl in the league.

When teammates and Naperville residents Zack McCabe and Eddie Smith, Cassie's fellow all-star, began playing with Cassie, they didn't know what to expect.

"It's been interesting," Eddie said. "A lot of other teams are like, 'Oh, they've got a girl, we're going to beat them,' and then she'll go up there and strike them out."

Although Cassie's all-star team lost, the highlight of the game for Cassie was when she nailed a line drive right down center field resulting in a single.

She draws inspiration from her favorite team, the New York Yankees, and has worn the No. 2 on her jersey in honor of her idol, Derek Jeter.

Beyond playing baseball, Cassie volunteers as a Star Raider, a program in which older students work as mentors to younger kids to keep them from trying drugs or alcohol. She also helps coach her younger brother's Little League team.

One day she hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon to help other athletes. She is considering playing baseball while in college; she plans to major in pre-med and likes the University of Notre Dame and Bradley University.

"(Baseball has) helped her in so many other ways, too, to become really who she is," Chris Wicklund said. "She's got a really strong personality, and she's not afraid to stand her ground."

Cassie's dad, Jeff Wicklund, who has coached her on and off since she was 4, became manager of Cassie's team two years ago after Broich already had drafted her. Although he is her dad, he said he has never given her any breaks.

"She's made a name for herself," he said, "and I couldn't be more proud."