A final look at the Tri-Cities softball season
Aurora Christian
Final record: 6-21.
How season ended: Lost 16-1 to Beecher in Class 2A Chicago Christian regional semifinals.
Top returners for 2011: Courtney Thomas (fr., 3B/SS)
Season skinny: The Eagles lose their best player, senior Shannah Morris who will play next year at Wheaton College. Morris hit .465 with 6 home runs and 43 RBI while Thomas batted .356 with 28 RBI, 6 doubles and 24 runs.
Batavia
Final record: 18-20.
How season ended: Lost 2-0 to West Chicago in Class 4A West Chicago regional semifinals.
Top returners for 2011: Katie Coleman (so., OF/P); Meghan Fabian (so., OF); Sami Villarreal (so., 2B); Brooke Nelson (jr., P); Emily Dorjath (jr., C); Katie Neubauer (so., P/INF); Alyssa Bleidorn (so., 1B).
Season skinny: The Bulldogs made the best of a turbulent season that saw a coaching change. They played well in the postseason beating Addison Trail and then battling West Chicago. A come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Geneva when the Bulldogs erased a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning was another highlight for the team that will return a majority of its starters for what should be a promising 2011 season.
Geneva
Final record: 21-17.
How season ended: Lost 3-0 to Elk Grove in Class 4A St. Charles North sectional semifinals. Won Class 4A Geneva regional title.
Top returners for 2011: Melissa Barber (jr., 2B); Dori Rogers (jr., SS); Kelly McCaffrey (jr., P); Julie Orwig (jr., INF); Kirsten Searcy (fr., 3B/1B); Clare Stribling (so., C); Bridget Weitzel (fr., OF); Elena Wright (so., 3B).
Season skinny: Nobody got hot at the right time of the year like the Vikings, who knocked off No. 5 seed Glenbard North and then No. 4 seed Lake Park to win a regional championship - their first since 2005. While Geneva loses valuable seniors Stacey Cladis (.325, 4 home runs) and Kristyn Ruitenberg (10-6, 2.33 ERA), the Vikings should be primed for a successful first season in the Upstate Eight with returnees like Rogers (.351, 29 runs, 19 RBI, 8 steals), Wright (.339, 2 home runs), Searcy (.348, 25 RBI, 24 runs) and McCaffrey (11-11, 2.10 ERA, 111 strikeouts in 150 innings) to build around.
Kaneland
Final record: 20-11.
How season ended: Lost 6-3 to Sycamore in Class 3A Sycamore regional championship game.
Top returners for 2011: Delani Vest (so., P); Rilee Vest (jr., C); Allyson O'Herron (fr., SS); Andrea Dimmig-Potts (jr., INF); Katy Dudzinski (so., INF); Samantha Hansen (so., OF).
Season skinny: Kaneland won 20 games for first-year coach Brian Willis. Even though the season ended with a slightly disappointing note losing to a team the Knights had defeated twice in Western Sun play, there is plenty to like about the future. That includes the Vest sisters coming back, the powerful bat of Dimmig-Potts and O'Herron who could be making big plays for the Knights at shortstop all the way until 2013.
Rosary
Final record: 18-17.
How season ended: Lost 8-5 to Oswego in Class 3A Sandwich regional semifinals.
Top returners for 2011: Brenda Rocha (jr., SS); Chelsey Frieders (jr., 3B/C); Mackenzie Astling (jr., OF); Tara Pfeiffer (jr., P).
Season skinny: The Royals stayed competitive in the Suburban Christian with a young roster that included only three seniors. Rocha was unstoppable on the bases with 33 steals, and Frieders and Astling were two of the team's solid bats. All three will be back for what looks like a 2011 team that should compete for conference and regional championships.
St. Charles East
Final record: 18-15.
How season ended: Lost 2-1 to Wheaton North in Class 4A Willowbrook regional semifinals.
Top returners for 2011: Rae Anne Payleitner (jr., C); Dani Asquini (jr., 3B).
Season skinny: The Saints went through their share of highs and lows this spring, putting up some impressive individual numbers but not winning quite as many games as they hoped. It's going to be an almost entirely new look for coach Kelly Horan next spring. She'll have her power hitting catcher back and a promising third baseman in Asquini who made major strides as a junior. But she also will have a lot of skilled bats to replace like Mary Kate Brooks, Jenny Niemiec, Steph Roan and Kayla Brooks, and the Saints likewise will have arms to replace in Katie Stengler and Gabby Moe.
St. Charles North
Final record: 29-4.
How season ended: Lost 8-7 to York in Class 4A Willowbrook regional semifinals.
Top returners for 2011: Taylor Russell (jr., 3B), Annie Korth (jr., C); Sydney Russell (jr., 2B); Amanda Ciran (jr., P); Ashley Seering (jr., RF); Natalie Capone (jr., SS); Loren Cihlar (jr., CF); Julia Clare Plezbert (jr., 1B); Emily Watts (jr., LF/P).
Season skinny: A stunning end to a sensational season. How else can you describe what happened to St. Charles North? They played almost perfect softball throughout the entire year losing just one Upstate Eight Conference game to defend their title, then lost as a No. 2 seed to No. 15 York in their regional opener. You can bet the North Stars will be plenty motivated next year when they return their starting lineup for their senior seasons. Half of that group will graduate as 4-year varsity starters, the others 3-year varsity starters. They will return five regulars - Taylor Russell, Korth, Sydney Russell, Seering and Cihlar -who all batted over .400 this year. Their ace Ciran also will return after going 13-1 with a 1.27 ERA.
West Aurora
Final record: 18-16.
How season ended: Lost 10-3 to Naperville North in Class 4A East Aurora regional semifinals.
Top returners for 2011: Christina Hunger (jr., P); Alyssa Reimers (jr., 2B); LaRi Mitchell (so., CF); Francesca Evischi (jr., P); Julianna Evischi (fr., INF).
Season skinny: The Blackhawks started strong with victories over Geneva and Burlington Central among others in the nonconference. They also had another good spring break trip. DuPage Valley play proved to be a challenge. West Aurora will need to replace a four-year senior Devin Vaughn who was a huge part of the program, as she was in volleyball and basketball. Catcher Maribeth Vasquez also will be hard to replace.