Scouting the Class 4A Huntley sectional
Class 4A Huntley sectional
Matchups: Elgin (12-25) vs. Cary-Grove (30-6), 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; Jacobs (21-11-1) vs. Hononegah (23-10), 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Winners meet at 11 a.m. Saturday for championship.
Outlook: Will Cinderlla's slipper fit Elgin, will the sectional final come down to Fox Valley Conference Valley Division rivals, or will it be a battle of conference champions? And, will Mother Nature cooperate? Those are the questions to be answered this week at Huntley's Harmony Road campus.
In Wednesday's matchup, the Maroons get a crack at stopping one of the hottest teams and one of the hottest pitchers in the state in Cary-Grove and freshman phenom Lindsay Efflandt, who comes into the game a school record 26-3 on the season, over 200 strikeouts and an ERA hovering right around 1.00. The fireballing right-hander has proved to be the model of consistency despite her youth and that was no more evident than in the Trojans' 1-0 eight-inning win over Grant in the sectional finals when she allowed just 2 hits and had 15 strikeouts.
"They're a good team with a good pitcher," said Elgin coach Chad Dahlman of the Trojans. "Efflandt is pretty solid. She didn't set the school record for nothing."
The Trojans, who have won 15 straight and 20 of their last 21, have set a school record for wins and have done so with a team batting average of .340, which includes seven starters above .300. Center fielder and No. 2 hitter Alexis Haley, who tripled then scored the game-winning run on a passed ball against Grant, leads the way while leadoff hitter Elini Polites is a base stealing threat anytime she gets on. Abbe Wienckowski, Emma Gaulke, Taylor Dunne and Efflandt all can hit for power and there's more speed at the bottom of the order in catcher Sarah Leudo, second baseman Amy Palminteri and third baseman Colette Roth. Cary-Grove, the FVC Valley champion, won its sixth regional title and first since 2007.
"They have some speed at the top and they can hit the ball," Dahlman said. "We'll have to play solid defense. If we give them extra outs it could be a long day. If we play solid defense and put the ball in play we can give them a game. We're confident."
Elgin, which is in a sectional for the first time since 1995 and fifth time in program history, will need a solid game from sophomore left-hander Hannah Perryman in the circle. While Perryman is just 11-12 for the season, she's shown signs of being dominating and she was just that in the Maroons' 10-0 win over Larkin in the Streamwood regional title game when she was clocked as fast as 61 mph.
"She's a solid pitcher mentally and athletically," Cary-Grove coach Tammy Olson said of Perryman. "She pitched well (against Larkin) and we know from here on in it's going to be a tough road. (Elgin) played well (against Larkin) and we're going to have to play well to beat them."
Offensively the Maroons are led by leadoff hitter and senior shortstop Brandi Hernandez. The Miami of Ohio recruit is hitting .496 and has 34 stolen bases. Perryman is hitting .352 with 5 homers and 26 RBI and senior third baseman Samantha Doty hits .313.
"Hannah will need to be on and we'll have to put the ball in play," Dahlman said. "We've been hitting better lately so hopefully that will continue."
Cary-Grove beat Elgin 13-3 on April 10 in the Prairie Ridge tournament but neither Efflandt or Perryman pitched in that game.
On Thursday, Jacobs will carry the FVC Valley's flag into action against NIC-10 champion Hononegah, which went 15-3 in the league and won its second straight conference title for the first time since 1983-84. Jacobs is in a sectional for the first time since 2005 and just the third time in program history while Hononegah reached the sectional finals last year and has now won eight regional titles. The Indians advanced downstate in 1989 and 2004.
Hononegah is led by freshman pitcher Stevie Atterbury, who threw a 3-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the regional semifinal against Guilford and then held off Harlem, which beat Jacobs 6-4 at the Harlem tournament, 6-2 in the regional final. Catcher ViVi Marquez had a 2-run homer in the regional final and freshman third baseman Alex Lawler has been a top hitter as well.
"I know they've improved a lot throughout the season," said Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer of the Indians. "Their pitching is stronger and their hitting is better. It should be an evenly matched game."
Jacobs, which beat Huntley 6-3 to win the Huntley regional title, has been an offensive machine for most of the season. The Golden Eagles have been shutout just once and have scored 10 or more runs in a game 11 times. The batting order is led by junior shortstop Jenna Teson, senior center fielder Sara Jacobson, junior third baseman Kara Arceneaux and junior first baseman Kelsey Peterson. Junior Marissa Lombardo has been solid all season in the circle.
"It just depends on if we handle the fundamentals, play solid defense and continue to hit the ball the way we have all season," Bauer said. "Offensively we're fine, we just have to get into a defensive groove and make the plays."
Advancement: The Huntley sectional winner advances to the Judson University supersectional in Elgin on Monday, June 7 at 7 p.m. and will face the St. Charles North sectional champ for a trip to the state finals in East Peoria. Elk Grove takes on Geneva and York meets West Chicago in the semifinals at St. Charles North.