Cook softball notes: Cline helps make Barrington go; Rolling Meadows starts fast
Barrington centerfielder Mimi Cline was a Mid-Suburban League all-conference player and third team all-stater last season as a sophomore.
She's continued to show those talents at the start of her junior season.
"Mimi is a multi-talented athlete who defends on both the infield and outfield for the Fillies," said Barrington hall of fame coach Perry Peterson. "Plus, she garners so much attention from her leadoff position for our team."
After the Fillies' first six games, Cline was batting .409 with 9 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles and a home run. She leads the Fillies in stolen bases as well.
"Mimi has all the physical benchmarks of an elite softball player," Peterson added. "She throws the ball over 60 mph, rounds the bases in less than three seconds per base, and can exit the ball through the infield, via her bat, at over 70 mph. Mimi has all the tools and it has been exciting to witness her talents as she begins her third season on the varsity."
As a sophomore, Cline walloped 6 home runs and drove in 31 runs from her leadoff position, while also scoring 56 runs and producing 54 hits in 41 games.
"The sky's the limit for Mimi,“ said Peterson, who is 949-209, including 32 years at Barrington. "Mimi has been a leader both on and off the field this spring and we look forward to her final years with the Fillies and beyond."
Strong beginning: Rolling Meadows (4-0) is off to its best start since 2016 under coach Tony Wolanski, who entered the season as the winningest coach in program history. Wolanski, who has 255 wins in his 21-year career at Meadows, led the Mustangs to a 6-0 start in 2016.
Wolanski has played nine freshmen already, including pitcher Iris Jordan.
“(Senior) Mia Pilipauskius and Jordan have been consistent on the mound," Wolanski said. "Ashlyn Ferguson, Kelly McQueen and Sophia Cobos have done a great job leading this young team."
Ferguson is a junior playing shortstop and catcher, Kelly McQueen is a junior also cacthing and playing the outfield, and the senior Sophia Cobos plays third and first.
Meadows has outscored its opponents 49-21 during its 4-0 start.
Perfect Fremd: Fremd is off to a 3-0 start with three shutouts over Glenbard West (4-0), York (2-0) and Carmel (8-0).
Junior ace Hailey Lucas opened the season with a no-hitter against Glenbard West, striking out 11 and walking one. She also had a double at the plate.
She then struck out 14 in the win over Carmel, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batter.
For her efforts in those first two games, Lucas was named a Fremd Athlete of the Week. She has 39 strikeouts in 21 innings.
It is the best three-game start in program history according to Vikings coach Josh Teschner.
Lucas has allowed only 3 hits with 3 walks and 0 runs in 21 innings.
“Other than that, we have a long way to go as a team," Teschner said. ”We are growing up quickly but we have so many new starters this season (six) that we are working to develop some cohesiveness and understanding of what it means to be a varsity starter."
Finally started: It took nearly two weeks to kick off its season but when it did, Elk Grove notched a doubleheader sweep (6-0, 9-8) over Leyden at the Stadium in Rosemont on Saturday.
"Even though we hadn't played a game until Saturday, the players did a good job keeping their concentration at a high level given the fact that we have gone four weeks of practice with no games," said Grens hall of fame coach Ken Grams.
Saturday's game was the first of eight scheduled in eight days for the Grens.
"Thank goodness we have the pitching depth to get it done." said Grams, who is 23 wins away from tying the all-time state record of 1,039 wins set by St. Joseph -Ogden coach Randy Wolken.
On the road: Over spring break, Maine West made a trip to Whitewater, Wis., where it won 12-0 over Whitewater High School in five innings.
The Warriors improved to 3-1, including a 3-2 loss to Schaumburg. The Warriors stayed overnight in Whitewater and watched a college softball game the next day.
"It was an excellent experience," said Jim Dvorak, who coaches the team with Chris Addante. "The turf field at the high school was quite impressive. Chris (Addante), is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a member of its Hall of Fame, graciously provided us with a tour of the facilities."
Milestone win: When Leyden defeated Maine East 12-2 in its season opener, it marked the 300th win for the Eagles' coaching staff -- head coach Kurt Schuett, assistant Laura Scafidi and statistician Mal Ranallo. They have been together 18 seasons.
"It's been an honor to serve the Leyden family and with those two (Scafidi and Ranallo)," Schuett said. "Year after year, these Leyden softball kids continue to inspire future generations of Eagles."
Pirate pilots: Seniors Grace Adame and Angie Delgado have been steering the offense for Palatine which got off to a 2-3 start after a 3-2 win over Maine West.
Adame started the season with a .533 batting average and 7 RBI while Delgado hit .474 with 4 RBI.
Freshman pitcher Mia Woldman has recorded 33 strikeouts.
Scotillo sees promise: Even though his team is 1-7, St. Viator coach John Scotillo likes the improvement he is seeing from his team which has outhit opponents in four of its eight games.
"We are hitting .326 as a team; however, we have no one on our team who has pitched at the varsity level," Scotillo said. "As a result there are a lot of walks."
One interesting note is that five infielders have volunteered to pitch, and four had never thrown a pitch in competitive softball, least of all in a high school varsity game.
"I continue to admire the courage these five have shown to go out every game and learn on the job," Scotillo added. "Fortunately, they are all getting better. Pitching every day during our spring trip helped and l am excited to see what the rest of the season holds."