Lake softball notes: Antioch, Mundelein off to perfect starts

The Antioch softball team is picking up right where it left off.

The Seqouits are off to a 5-0 start and are ranked No. 9 in the country according to USA Today and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Antioch downed Illinois Coaches Association Class 4A No. 20 Wheaton North 2-1 and recorded a 6-1 win over Lincoln-Way East, which is ranked 12th in the country. Antioch also defeated Libertyville in a doubleheader, Plainfield South and Rockton Hononegah.

Two-time Daily Herald Lake County All-Area Softball captain Jacey Schuler is up to her usual tricks. She’s 5-0 with 69 strikeouts and a 0.46 ERA. Opponents are hitting .099 against her. Schuler went over the 800 career strikeout mark with 15 punchouts against Wheaton North. She started the week with 860 career strikeouts.

“Jacey is pitching at another level,” Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said.

Schuler struck out 17 in the Lincoln-Way East game and also struck out all 12 batters she faced in 4 innings against Libertyville. She’s also hitting .438 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI.

Sam Hillner is hitting .500 with a 1.417 OPS to go with 4 steals, 4 walks and 4 extra-base hits. Addison Webb has 7 RBI, while Tegan Schuler has scored 8 runs. Miranda Gomez is hitting .429 from the No. 8 spot while taking over center field duties for Antioch.

Rocco explained he flip-flopped Jadynn Ruiz and Tegan Schuler 1-2 in the batting order. Ruiz hit .714 out of the No. 2 spot after the switch and Schuler .429 out of the leadoff spot. The same was done with Claire Schuyler and Hillner in the 4-5 spots. Schuyler hit .625 after the switch and Hillner leads the team in most offensive categories. Grace Green also has been strong hitting ninth. Antioch, which has only 2 starters in the same spots defensively from last year’s state championship game, has a .971 fielding percentage, .002 off of last year’s total, Rocco noted.

Antioch has 5 sophomores and 1 freshman hitting in the Top 7 spots in the lineup.

Carmel update: The Corsairs (0-3) are led by the likes of Kaitlyn Konen (.500 batting average) and Emma Carney (.857 slugging percentage), while Aly Krogman has been strong in the pitching circle.

“Aly has pitched well to start the season,” Carmel coach Nicole Parney said. “She has great command of her pitches and the strike zone.”

Carney also drew early-season high praise. “Emma has hit well for us and has been a great contributor to the top of our lineup,” Parney said.

Grayslake Central update: The Rams started the week 2-1 after splitting a doubleheader with Woodstock North and defeating Lake Forest.

Eliza Piggott leads the team with a .500 batting average to go with 2 homers and 7 RBI. She’s tied with Emma Andrews (.429 batting average) with 5 runs scored. Annie Wolff and Trinity Breault each have a win in the circle. Wolff has 7 strikeouts against only 1 walk.

“Our offense is off to a very strong start and we have been much better defensively early this season compared to this point last year,” Rams coach Jim Plaza said.

Grayslake North update: The Knights split a pair of games with Waukegan and Zion-Benton and sit at 1-1 on the young season. Senior Elise Gawerecki and junior Lauren Gaeding have led the way thus far. Gawerecki has 6 RBI, while Gaeding is hitting 1.000 with 4 RBI.

“Elise and Lauren are returning varsity starts and have worked hard in the offseason and during practices and are showing results,” North coach Amanda Rodriguez said. “They both are captains and they physically and mentally display what it takes to be a strong softball player.”

Mundelein update: The Mustangs are off to a 5-0 start with wins over Palatine, Prospect, Normal Community, Pekin and Buffalo Grove. The Normal and Pekin games were played at Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington.

In those 5 games, Mundelein has allowed only 7 runs while scoring 41. Sophomore Casey Vyverman is hitting .727, while junior Claire Connelly is hitting .563 with 2 homers and 8 RBI. Sophomore Kieley Tomas is hitting .600. “Casey is leading our defense at short and also is seeing the ball really well,” coach Heather Ryan said.

Sophomore Shae Johnson is hitting .529 with a homer and 6 RBI and has been “pitching lights out,” coach Heather Ryan noted. “She is dominating on the mound.”

In 24 1/3 innings of work, Johnson has struck out 55 and walked but 2 batters. She has an ERA of 1.15 and struck out 19 against Palatine.

Stevenson update: The Patriots went to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and played at the Ripken Experience where it went 2-3 with 2 games going to extra innings. Stevenson is coming off wins against Woodridge (15-0) and Kenston (10-2) in Tennessee.

Freshman Jasmine Lucero is hitting .480, while sophomore Alyssa Shimanski is hitting .417. “Jasmine has been making great contact, hitting a lot of hard line drives, doing a good job at shortstop and is fitting in with the team great,” Stevenson coach Vera Pflugardt said. “Alyssa has been doing an awesome job at the plate, making hard contact and putting the ball in play. She also has great speed on the bases.”

Sophomore Ava Potempa has a 2.01 ERA. “Ava has been doing a great job,” Pflugardt said. “She has been a go-to starting pitcher for us and we are seeing her confidence grow.”

Juniors Sophia Becker and Aubrey Jensen have been consistent power bats, Pfluegardt noted, and have the most RBI on the team. Stevenson is hitting .330 as a team (.510 slugging) and has 66 hits in 7 games.

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars started the season 2-4-1 overall, which includes spring games in Alabama.

Morgan Hart leads Vernon Hills with a .500 batting average, an .889 slugging percentage and 6 RBI. Izzy Loiben is hitting .400 with a .500 slugging percentage and 4 RBI, while Lindsey Svrusis is hitting .385 with a .615 slugging percentage and 4 RBI. “Morgan and Izzy have been consistently hitting,” coach Jan Pauly said.

Pauly added Lily Kozin is off to a strong start in the pitching circle after coming off an injury.

Warren update: The Blue Devils are 4-2 and recently made the trek to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to play in the Southern Warrior Classic where they went 2-2 against strong competition, coach Jenna Charbonneau noted.

Hannah Conger is hitting .476 with a 1.143 slugging percentage thanks to 3 home runs to go with 12 RBI and 9 runs scored.

“Hannah has been solid for us defensively, making big plays in the holes on the infield,” Charbonneau said. “She has also come up big in situations at the plate, making hard contact and getting big hits when we need them.”

Camryn Guldberg is 2-1 pitching and is holding opponents to a .211 batting average.

Wauconda update: The Bulldogs are 4-3 after heading to Tennessee over spring break where coach Tim Orisek noted the team was tested in preparation for the forthcoming Northern Lake County Conference portion of their schedule.

Alyssa Threde leads the team with a .611 batting average with 11 hits in 18 at-bats. Alyssa Vodicka leads with 6 RBI, while Bella Antonucci has a home run. Pitching-wise, Ellary Nick has a 2.80 ERA, while Lesleigh Reimers has 36 strikeouts.

“Alyssa, Madison May (.412 batting average) and Lesleigh (.368) are off to hot starts,” Orisek said. “Lesleigh (2.92 ERA) and Ellary have been great in the circle for us.”