Girls beat the odds to make national Pitch, Hit & Run finals
There were about 46,000 baseball and softball players ages 7-14 who competed in local events of Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit & Run competition this summer in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Forty-six — 0.1% — will vie for eight age-group titles, four sections of softball and four sections of baseball, in the finals Sunday morning at Dodger Stadium.
“And we get two?” Arlington Heights’ Mike Mollerdino stated rhetorically and incredulously.
Yep, his 9-year-old daughter, Gianna, beat the odds. So did Schaumburg’s Zoe Weinmann, also 9.
Zoe won a regional qualifier at Guaranteed Rate Field, while Gianna got it done at Wrigley Field.
They’re among the six PH&R softball players ages 9-10 who will compete at Dodger Stadium, be recognized before Game 2 of the World Series, then settle into their seats to watch one of their favorite players, Shohei Ohtani.
“I’m really excited. I’ve been working really hard to try to win this,” said Weinmann, a two-time United States Specialty Sports Association All-American who hit .500 and struck out 300 hitters in 148 innings playing up a level with the Chicago Cheetahs.
“I worked really hard to win this because I’ve never been to the World Series before and I really wanted to watch one and play on a field with big stands,” said Zoe, a fifth grader at Lincoln Prairie in Hoffman Estates.
She has the goal of earning a scholarship to play for a Big 12 or Southeastern Conference college and also playing in the Olympics for either the United States or the Philippines. Her mother, Imee, is from the Philippines, giving Zoe dual citizenship.
“I want to play with the best,” said Zoe Weinmann, whom the White Sox gave a custom jersey with her No. 6 and name on the back.
Gianna Mollerdino’s goal is different. Though she plays on KR Fastpitch softball’s 11U team in Arlington Heights with her older sister, Maddie, Gianna’s main emphasis is baseball. She’s a pitcher, catcher and plays third base on the Buffalo Grove Bearcats with the boys.
“She’s competed in softball because there’s no girls division in baseball,” Mike Mollerdino said.
“I think that’s what she wants to do, is play baseball as long as she can. If she gets to high school and they allow her to play and she’s good enough, great,” he said.
She wasn’t compelled to tryout for the Pitch, Hit & Run, but Bearcats coach Nelson Gord, a strong supporter of Gianna playing baseball, “really wanted me to try out,” she said.
The location of the final qualifier didn’t hurt.
“It was a dream of hers and mine to go onto Wrigley Field,” Mike Mollerdino said.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of multimedia interviews. It’ll continue in Los Angeles with a Friday World Series watch party, Saturday batting practice and Game 2, and the PH&R finals, livestreamed Sunday on mlb.com at 11 a.m. Central Time.
Gianna, a fourth grader at Longfellow Elementary School in Buffalo Grove, remains grounded.
“I want to win, but it’s all about the memories you make,” she said.
Twenty-five years of Stars
Honoring its 25th year in 2025, St. Charles North High School is establishing an athletics hall of fame.
Its inaugural class will be inducted during a ceremony at the North Stars’ boys basketball game on Jan. 18.
The hall of fame committee is seeking nominations for athletes, teams, coaches and athletic personnel through Nov. 1.
Athletes must have graduated at least seven years ago; coaches must have had at least five years of experience at St. Charles North, and have been retired from coaching for at least three years.
For a nomination ballot, visit //t.co/oUk5skSUpk. For details, email North Stars athletic director Joe Benoit at Joseph.Benoit@d303.org.
Way to go
Geneva’s Georgia-bound senior receiver Talyn Taylor, the No. 2 Illinois football player in his class and 38th nationally by Rivals.com, will receive his jersey for the Navy All-American Bowl in a Burgess Field ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The unbeaten Vikings host 7-1 St. Charles North.
Taylor is among 100 players nationally invited to play in the East vs. West all-star game, Jan. 11 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Similarly, on Oct. 14 in Lisle, Benet senior libero Aniya Warren received her jersey for the 2025 Under Armour Next All-America volleyball game. The Indiana commit, a member of USA Volleyball’s Under-19 National Team, is invited to play Jan. 1 in Orlando.
On her way to all-tournament honors and a runner-up finish at Lincoln-Way Central’s Autumn Knights girls volleyball tournament last weekend, Willowbrook senior setter and opposite hitter Hannah Kenny set the program kills record. The Louisville recruit surpassed the 1,001 kills by her sister, Calli, a freshman playing at Marquette.
A four-time all-state golfer and the 2010 Class 3A champion at St. Viator, Dan Stringfellow on Oct. 18 was named the Chicago District Golf Association player of the year. Based on points received for his performances in local and national tournaments, the Auburn graduate racked up the most points since 2019.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com