Cook County softball notes: Rolling Meadows finding its way; Piecuch swinging hot bat for Palatine
After dropping its first six games, Rolling Meadows has made a nifty turnaround as it headed into this week with a 7-12 record, winning seven of its last 13 games.
"We are playing much better softball this season and showing real improvement," said veteran coach Tony Wolanski. "Offensively, Mary Linker, Caylee Del Boccio and Iris Jordan have been doing great work for the team. Defensively, Taylor Brand, Chase Hembry, Vanessa Cobos, Nellie Osterhues, Sophia Rappa and Taya Rozanski are doing an excellent job."
Wolanski also said freshman pitcher Brynley Heffernan has made an immediate impact and has been doing a great job on the mound.
"With these players stepping up, we are becoming a strong and competitive team," the coach added. "Our team has a great passion for playing softball together, and it truly shows in the way we interact on and off the field. We are having fun as a team and with friendly competition, making every practice and game an enjoyable experience for all the players."
Palatine: Loyola recruit Mia Woldman continues to help lead MSL East leader Palatine in the circle.
The junior right-hander surpassed 500 career strikeouts against Barrington last week.
Sophomore Eliza Piecuch belted 2 home runs in a 7-0 win over Elk Grove.
In that game, junior right fielder Madelyn Lebo made a spectacular diving catch to help limit Elk Grove to 2 hits. Pirates junior third baseman Jenna Hubert, who has belted three homers this spring, is expected back this week from a muscle strain in her calf.
Wheeling: Sophomore Caitlyn Fitzgerald (3 homers last week) and freshman Olivia Aquino were each named Athletes of the Week by the Athletic Booster Club (Spur Club) at Wheeling. Fitzgerald is batting .500 with 4 home runs, 2 doubles and 18 RBI. She has thrown out four runners trying to steal.
Aquino has 6 wins with 51 strikeouts and she has stolen six bases.
"She has brought her composure and confidence to every game," said Wildcats coach Mike Caringella. "And she has a strong presence on the field."
Senior Alaina Costello is batting .533 while Viansa Pollina has a .595 on-base percentage.
Buffalo Grove: The Bison have won six out of their last seven games and went 5-1 last week.
Four of those wins were against Maine South, Prospect, Taft and Glenbrook South.
Coach Martha Kelly's batting order consists of eight players who are hitting better than .300 while the pitching staff has an ERA of 2.30.
Schaumburg: The Saxons' strong 10—3 record is due to a solid mix of young talent and experienced leadership.
Freshman pitcher Alana Nieto has made an immediate impact in the circle and has been a steady presence in the circle and with her bat.
In center field, senior Taylor Dolecki (hitting .650 with 6 home runs and 5 stolen bases) has been a key leader, coming through with big hits and making some clutch plays defensively to keep the Saxons in close games.
"Offensively, we’ve been led by freshmen Alana Nieto and Evelyn Blahnik, along with seniors Taylor Dolecki, Madison Linnemann, and Francheska Manding," said Saxons coach Ellen Abreu. "It gives us a well-rounded lineup that’s been tough to compete against."
Barrington: Senior pitcher Samantha Hiles threw the Fillies’ third no-hitter of the season when Barrington (22-0) defeated Lakes in the second game of a doubleheader last Saturday.
It was the second no-hitter for Hiles, a three-year varsity pitcher who plans to major in health science/pre-med at the the University of Missouri.
She also threw a no-hit gem last year against Hoffman Estates.
Elk Grove: Two assistant coaches this spring for hall of famer Ken Grams are former Mid-Suburban League softball players from other District 214 schools.
Izzy McGuinnis played at Hersey while Emma Muehlenbeck was at Prospect.
They certainly can learn about winning softball games. Grams has the most wins in Illinois history with 1,062 in his 46 seasons.
St. Viator: After losing a week of games due to the bad weather, the Lions went 1-3 last week.
"However, l am extremely encouraged by our continued progress," said veteran Viator coach John Scotillo. "We have five newcomers in the lineup this season and they are getting better each week."
The improvement in defense, especially Haiden Coutts and Luci Perrone as the keystone duo, is really helping to bolster the pitching.
Isabella DiMarco threw a complete game against Marian Catholic for a conference win.
Kylie Hughes threw four scoreless innings in relief against Nazareth and is getting more comfortable as a pitcher.
"With our bats staying hot (Ava Moreno has 9 hits, Mia Lund 6 and Katherine Courtney and Kayli Burke 5 apiece) and the defense and pitching on the upswing, l am looking for a strong finish in May," Scotillo said.
Maine West: The Warriors (4-5) won two of three games recently as senior Ava Roback led the way offensively going 7-for-9 with a double, home run and 3 RBI and also playing solid defense.
Other good performances have been from Giada LaCoppola (batting .500, 2 doubles, 2 RBI), Amanda Oshinski (.455, 2 HR, 6 RBI) and Kaylyn Catomer (.400, 4 2B, 5 RBI).
Amanda Oshinski pitched well in all three games. She threw 16 innings with 25 strikeouts and 4 walks and an ERA of 0.87.
"We will have some tough games this week (Niles West and Niles North)," said co-coach Chris Addante. "Then we play Hampshire and Woodstock North in an ALS Tri-meet."