Scouting Fox Valley softball
Bartlett Hawks
Coach: Jim Wolfsmith (8th season, 172-80)
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
Last year: 24-11 (13-7 UEC)
Key returnees: Seniors Nicole Beck (SS), Lisa Matsie (C), Jacki Gulczynski (1B), sophomore Kaylyn Zierke (C/3B).
Key newcomers: Juniors Andrean Taormina (2B), Cassie Hernandez (2B), Steph Tomazin (OF/IF), Amanda Montbriand (P), Tori Burke (P), Alicia Salata (P); sophomore Cara Carrion (OF).
Outlook: The Dennison era is officially over at Bartlett High School. After 8 years of Corrinne and Callie Dennison being major contributors to the Hawks’ success, they are both now gone, with Callie, the 2010 all-area honorary captain, now a freshman at Butler University. “We graduated a ton of players,” said Hawks coach Jim Wolfsmith, who lost 10 players to graduation. “But, we return our middle-of-the-order hitters in Beck, Matsie, Zierke and Gulczynski and we have a lot of speed at the top of our lineup with Hernandez and Taormina.” Wolfsmith also says he has a “tremendous player” in Tomazin, who is already committed to Division II Lewis University. The big question for the Hawks will be if the inexperienced pitching trio of Burke, Salata and Montbriand can handle the varsity level. “They’re good pitchers but they’re untested,” Wolfsmith said. Burke opened the season last weekend with a five-inning no-hitter as the Hawks swept a doubleheader from Addison Trail. Zierke hit .309 last year with 7 doubles and 16 RBI and is one of the top sophomores in the area.
Burlington Central Rockets
Coach: Cray Allen (1st year at BC; 135-23 career)
Conference: Big Northern East
Last year: 12-13 (7-3 BN-E)
Key returnees: Seniors Molly Harrison (OF), Abby Morrow (1B-OF), juniors Kelsey Johnson (P), Sarah Kisch (C), Haley Albamonte (OF), Emily Bell (1B), sophomore Rebecca Roscher (P).
Key newcomers: Senior Audrey Djukic (P/OF), sophomores Melanie Gajewski (3B/2B), Lauren King (OF), freshmen Tori Harvey (SS/C), Bekah Harnish (C/3B), Brooke Gaylord (P/1B)
Outlook: Youth be served on Rocket Hill this spring. Only three players have significant experience for first-year coach Cray Allen, who succeeds 11-year coach Scot Sutherland at the helm of one of the most successful programs in the area. Last year was, the Rockets hope, an aberration, but to get back to the level of the 2009 third-place state team will take some doing. And Allen knows it’s going to take time. “We want to peak at the right time and play our best ball at the right time of the season, and advance as far as we can in the state tournament,” said Allen, who took three Lake Park teams to state in his four years there. The experience returning includes Albamonte (. 357, 7 2Bs, 26 RBI) and Bell (. 362, 3 HRs, 17 RBI) as well as Kisch, who is just returning from an injury. She hit .310 last year and proved solid behind the plate. Johnson did get some varsity experience in the circle last year. The Rockets will be without Morrow indefinitely due to an injury. “I like the fact we have four pitchers who are throwing the ball decent,” Allen said. “That gives us some depth. I really like Kisch, Albamonte and Bell coming back and our freshmen coming up are good athletes.” Allen admits things will be a little trial by fire for him. He still teaches at Lake Park and will be learning a new brand of softball from the Upstate Eight. “I don’t know the competition in the conference,” he said. “We do have some 4A teams on the schedule but I don’t know the conference that well yet.” Instilling a mental toughness into his players was Allen’s trademark at Lake Park and that won’t change at BC. “The potential is there,” he said. “We have some experience in the key positions, I just hope we can get mentally strong. If we can get the girls mentally tough we should be OK. We’ll have to mature as soon as possible and everyone will have to contribute.”
Cary-Grove Trojans
Coach: Tammy Olson (18th year, 301-226-3)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
Last year: 32-7 (14-1 FVC Valley)
Key returnees: Seniors Emma Gaulke (SS/P), Alexis Haley (CF), Eleni Polites (RF), junior Taylor Dunne (LF/2B), sophomores Lindsay Efflandt (P), Sarah Leudo (C/3B).
Key newcomers: junior Sara Markelonis (3B).
Outlook: Encore? Or more? With 2010 all-area honorary co-captain Efflandt (28-4, 1.08 ERA, 215 Ks) back in the circle and already mowing down hitters like it was the end of May, there’s no reason to believe Cary-Grove, ranked No. 2 in the Daily Herald’s preseason Top 20, won’t be the best team in the Fox Valley area again. Coming off a tremendous 32-7 campaign that ended with a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to Elk Grove in the Judson supersectional. “Every day we’re just taking things one step at a time,” said Olson, the dean of area softball coaches. “You never know what can happen from day to day but these kids really want to do well again. We have five seniors and they want to accomplish at least what last year’s team did and if they can do more it would be awesome.” Gaulke (. 370, 5 HRs, 24 RBI), Haley (. 500, 9 2Bs, 4 3Bs) and Polites (. 305, 25 SBs), who just committed to McKendree University, along with Efflandt (. 379, 3 HRs, 27 RBI) and sophomore catcher Leudo (. 349, 9 2Bs) lead what can be a potent offense and Leudo is as solid as they come behind the plate. Junior Megan Leineberg will step into first base, junior Taylor Dunne (. 420, 5 HRs) will move from left field into 2B and junior Sara Markelonis will play third. Haley is one of the best center fielders around and she’ll be flanked by Polites in right and freshman Lisa Semro in left. Olson also expects freshman Jamie Deering to see plenty of playing time in the infield. “We’re very excited to get going,” said Olson, whose team is off to a 2-0 start.
Crystal Lake South Gators
Coach: Scott Busam (8th season)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
Last year: 15-16, (fifth place conference finish)
Top returning players: Seniors Shannon McGinnis (IF-OF), Jamie Beelow (OF), juniors Liz Adams (C), Sam Golf (SS-P), Hannah Mahoney (P)
Key newcomers: Freshman Sam Mc Lean (IF)
Outlook: Injuries derailed the Gators big-time in 2010. Busam now has a healthy group and is looking forward to a prosperous season. Both Adams and McGinnis were all-Fox Valley Conference picks and both hit .400 last season. Golf and Mahoney will do the majority of the pitching for South. “The strength of this group right now is its work ethic,” said Busam. “They have really come out of the gates fast. Last year we had a ton of injuries and may have fell back on that. This time, they have come out ready to go and they want to battle and be in every game. They are working really hard and are working as a team. They push each other to get better. It’s been real positive here in the preseason. With all the injuries we had last year, it’s almost like we’ve got new players on the team.” Busam said teams like Cary-Grove and Jacobs will be top-tier contenders in the division. “I’m looking forward to the season,” he said. “Our girls are hitting well and we’ll be supported with some nice pitching.”
Dundee-Crown Chargers
Coach: Tracy Beatty (4th season)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
Last year: 1-28
Key returnees: Seniors Tiffany Rawlinson (1B/OF), Brittany Flynn (3B/SS), Shelby Spjuth (C), Brittany Schultz (UT), junior Melany Love (P/IF/OF), sophomore Amanda Eisler (P).
Key newcomers: Seniors Lindsey Peterson (P/OF), Sarah Miles (3B).
Outlook: The Chargers are hoping to increase their win total this season with some experience back as well as a full roster of 15 players. Love (. 409) is one of the top returning hitters in the area but she’s currently not pitching due to an injury. “We want to be competitive in the conference,” Beatty said. “I want to see us get more aggressive in the batter’s box and hit with confidence. I want to make the routine plays and limit our fielding errors. We need to pull together as a team and stay focused on the field.”
Elgin Maroons
Coach: Chad Dahlman (2nd year)
Conference: Upstate Eight (River)
Last year: 12-26 (4-16 UEC)
Key returnees: Seniors Jaclyn Navarro (C/SS), Elizabeth Gorski (2B), Jennifer Fulton (OF/1B/P), juniors Hannah Perryman (P/1B), Rachel Roth (OF), Alex Bell (OF)
Key newcomers: Sophomore Monica Stockman (1b/OF), Freshmen Jennah Perryman (P/3B), Kelley Bremer (C/3B), Anna Eckholm (UT).
Outlook: The Maroons are coming off a losing season that ended on a high note with a regional championship. And with Hannah Perryman, who won all 12 of Elgin’s games last season and struck out over 150, back in the circle along with her freshman sister Jennah, Elgin could beat anyone on a given day. Hannah Perryman also hit .390 last season and Navarro, Gorski, Fulton and Roth give second-year coach Dahlman some experience back in the lineup. “Being able to throw Jennah as a No. 2 is a good thing,” Dahlman said. “With those two it gives us a shot every day.” The offense will have to produce for the Maroons to be successful and they lost one of the area’s best in SS/CF Brandi Hernandez, who is now playing at Miami of Ohio after hitting .500 and leading the area in stolen bases last year. “That’s our biggest hole right now,” Dahlman said. “We need to find someone who can consistently get on base. We also need to play good defense and not give up extra outs.”
Hampshire Whip-Purs
Coach: Ken Bram (5th season)
Conference: Big Northern East
2010 record: 7-27 (0-10 BN-East)
Top returning players: Juniors Grace Jakubowski (C), Tiffany Bentley (SS), sophomores Jen Hurst (P-1B), Christina Potempa (OF, C)
Key newcomers: Juniors Ally Bosley (IF), Elisa Wood (IF-P-OF)
Outlook: Hampshire returns a pair of all-conference performers in Jakubowski and Potempa. “Grace will be our leader this year,” said Bram. “The young team we had last year should all improve at the plate with one year of varsity under their belts.” Bram said defense and pitching should be key assets and termed the team’s defense as the most improved area. “I’m looking for our defense to do a much better job this year,” said Bram. “Elisa Wood and Ally Bosley should help us this year in this area.” Hurst is healthy again and Bram said she should eat up a lot of innings for the Whips. Wood and Sarah Prehm round out the pitching staff. “We’re looking for a good improvement over last year with one year of varsity under our belt for a junior-dominated team,” the coach added.
Huntley Red Raiders
Coach: Mark Petryniec (8th year, 135-112)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
Last year: 22-13 (11-4 FVC Valley)
Key returnees: Seniors Kelsey Hagan (3B), Taylor Larson (P/SS), Meagan Flynn (OF), juniors Nikki DeMarco (IF/OF), Tara Lycos (IF/OF), sophomore Randi Peterson (IF/C).
Key newcomers: Senior Katheryn Hackett (IF), junior Haylee Hanson (P), freshmen Angela Tribuzio (IF/C), Brittany Koss (OF/IF), Ashley Lexner (P/IF)
Outlook: The Red Raiders lost a ton of offense with the graduation of area leading hitter Jenna Mychko (Illinois), Amanda Wisniewski (Valparaiso) and Ari Albanese but they do return six starters, including Larson in the circle. The biggest hole to fill will be behind the plate where Mychko was a 4-year rock. Peterson and Tribuzio appear to be the heirs to that throne. Hagan hit .410 last year and has power potential and Larson is proven in the circle. “Our goal this season is to compete for the Valley Division title and to advance as far as possible in the playoffs,” Petryniec said. “After losing two Division I athletes we’re looking forward to seeing this year’s seniors step up to fill the roles that were lost to graduation. We’re excited to return six starters from last season and look forward to our new players contributing immediately. With our good mix of players we should be competitive in the conference. Cary-Grove is the returning champion and the team to beat. Every game in the division will be a test and we will have to come ready to play every day to make a run for the conference title.”
Jacobs Golden Eagles
Coach: Jeremy Bauer (8th season 167-71)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
Last year: 22-12 (10-5 FVC Valley)
Key returnees: Seniors Kara Arceneaux (3B/CF), Marissa Lombardo (P/1B), Jenna Teson (SS), Kelsey Peterson (1B), Amber Livingston (OF/P), Ashley Morales (C), sophomore Nicky Chapa (2B)
Key newcomers: Sophomores Kaitlynn Woloszyk (OF/C), Jackie Hengler (OF), Alyssa Lach (IF)
Outlook: The Golden Eagles are coming off a great run to the sectional finals last season and with Lombardo back in the circle and the potent bats of Morehead State signee Arcenaux (. 548), Teson (. 505) and Peterson (. 392, 32 RBI) leading the way offensively, there’s no reason to think Jacobs can’t challenge Cary-Grove in the Valley. “We return eight starters from a sectional finalist team so we’d like to improve on our overall effort of last season,” said Bauer. “We need to have consistency from our pitching staff and play good defense. We just have to get a few games under our belt and get our lineup to mesh. The timing is right. We could make another run at it, but it will have to be a team effort.”
Larkin Royals
Coach: Larry Hight (16th year, 295-203-6)
Conference: Upstate Eight River
Last year: 10-24 (6-14 UEC)
Key returnees: Seniors Corinne Wimmer (SS), Anna Esterino (1B), Megan Johnson (P), Sam King (3B), juniors Lexi Smithberg (2B/P), Kiernan Schock (P), Nikki Banks (OF), Maggie Hoffmann (OF), sophomore Alex Buhrow (C).
Key newcomers: Senior Ashley Dowell (OF), juniors Beth Barry (C), Sarah Hannan (OF).
Outlook: The Royals are off to a 3-0 start, leaving Hight, the second-longest tenured coach in the area behind Cary-Grove’s Tammy Olson, just 2 wins shy of 300 for his career. The Royals should be improved this season with several players back with key experience. Wimmer is a returning all-area player who hit .468 last year, Buhrow hit .400 and is solid behind the plate and King hit .409 in part-time duty. Pitching will be key and all three of Larkin’s top hurlers — Johnson, Schock and Smithberg — got varsity experience last year. Johnson is coming off shoulder surgery but should be the Royals’ go-to in the circle once she’s back to 100 percent. “We should be better,” said Hight, who is being assisted by former Elgin High and Judson standout Lizzy Jacobson. “We have a lot of experience returning, so I look for us to be better than last year.” Hight also welcomes the challenge of Geneva and Batavia entering the Upstate Eight River Division. “We’ve added teams that are quality teams,” he said.
St. Edward Green Wave
Coach: Jaci Corn (1st year)
Conference: Suburban Christian Blue
Last year: 20-15 (8-6 SCC Blue)
Key returnees: Seniors Tarah McShane (C/3B), Sarah Field (P/1B), Ana Peterson (OF), Kelsey Richmond (3B), Vernoica Rolando (2B/OF), junior Maddie Kerr (1B/OF), sophomore Kali Kossakowski (SS).
Key newcomers: Sophomore Ashley Gradisher (OF/C/2B), freshman Julie Larson (P/1B)
Outlook: After three years as St. Edward’s JV coach, Corn embarks on her first season as varsity softball coach with a young team that has some holes to fill, left by the graduation of all-area players Kristina Brockner, Bre Medinger and Kristi Knott, among others. McShane, who is signed with Valparaiso, is one of the top players in the area. She hit .457 with 4 homers and 27 RBI for the Green Wave last season. Field returns to the circle after a 17-10 season (1.80 ERA, 145 Ks). She also hit .371 and led the team with 29 RBI. “I want to compete like this team has the past three years,” said Corn, a former all-area player at Elgin High who played collegiately at ECC and Judson. “We’d also like to improve on last year when it comes to regional time. We have some holes to fill but we have seven returning varsity players and they’re working out the kinks. When that happens we can finally hone in on doing good things.” St. Edward has started the season 0-3 and Corn says it’s mental mistakes that have hurt more than anything. “I can’t stress how important confidence and mental toughness are going to be if this team is going to be successful,” she said.
South Elgin Storm
Coach: Jason Schaal (6th year, 76-61)
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
Last year: 14-19 (8-11 UEC)
Key returnees: Senior Katelyn Stonecipher (OF), Shannon Conway (3B), juniors Sam Bolin (P/1B), Sara Irving (C), sophomores Kara Rodriguez (UT), Victoria Watt (IF).
Key newcomers: Senior Cara Wolf (IF), freshmen Alyssa Buddle (UT), Taylor Rees (P/1B).
Outlook: The Storm is still a young team, albeit one with varsity experience. The leadership will come from Stonecipher, a four-year varsity player. But the underclass players who all got varsity experience last year should help make the Storm a better team this season. Bolin was solid in the circle last year and now has some backup with promising freshman Rees on the varsity. Rodriguez and Watt, who play on the same travel team, should be a solid SS-2B combination and Irving is strong behind the plate. “We only have three seniors out of 13 but we do return six starters,” Schaal said. “We have good senior leadership and some of our younger kids got good experience last year. This is one of my most talented freshman groups and Rees will be somebody that can give Sam a break and we won’t have a drastic fallout.”
Streamwood Sabres
Coach: Nick Baird (3rd year)
Conference: Upstate Eight River
Last year: 7-23 (3-17 UEC)
Key returnees: Seniors Bri Bogdajewicz (SS/OF), Kelsey Johnson (P), Jen Mellenthin (IF/OF), Jenna Szabo (IF/P), juniors Jackie Jastrzebski (1B/C), Dani Fisher (IF/C/P).
Key newcomers: Juniors Andrea Barajas (OF), Jessie Meilahn (UT), Delaney Zych (OF), Dana Kowalewski (IF), Kelle Conquest (UT/P), sophomores Brittany Delao (IF), Kaylie Jambor (1B/OF/C), freshman Holly Foret.
Outlook: The Sabres return some experience to the field this season, including Bogdajewicz, who has signed with Division II Regis University in Denver. “The seniors have been part of the program and they know what is expected,” said Baird. “Our expectations are to finish in the top three of our division and to win our regional. This year’s team will have some experience that will help lead the younger players. We have been very efficient in practice so far. These players come to play every day.”
Westminster Christian Warriors
Coach: John Wedell (1st season)
Conference: Northeast Athletic
2010 record: 2-20 (1-13 NAC)
Top returning players: Seniors Katie Moeller (SS-P), Katie Surratt (2B-C), Hannah Graves (3B-P), Andrea Walsh (1B-OF), sophomores Stephanie Kleczynski (OF), Elizabeth Farwell (OF)
Key newcomers: Junior Porsche Griggs (1B), freshmen Rachel Fugiel (3B-SS-P), Mikayla Hodge (OF)
Outlook: Wedell, also the Warriors’ boys golf coach, takes over the softball program. The new coach is impressed with his squad’s defensive and running abilities. “Defense, for sure, will be on our strengths,” said Wedell, who is assisted by former St. Edward coach Glen Smith. “We’ll be very solid there. Pitching is definitely an area where we are working on. If we can throw strikes, with our defense, we should do quite well. As a team, we’re pretty quick and we can handle the bat pretty well.” Wedell sees plenty of potential with this group. “They don’t like where they have been in the past,” he said. “They have set some team goals. They would like to be over .500, which would be enormous for them and would be a huge change. We’ve got a great group of girls here. They have great attitudes and work hard. They want to get better.”