Fox Valley softball notes: Freshman Heimbrodt off to blistering start at Huntley; St. Edward’s Nolan nears 700 strikeouts

The Huntley softball team performed well at the recent Metamora invite where it recorded 3-1 wins against Illini Bluffs, East Peoria and Metamora.

In the East Peoria game, freshman Piper Heimbrodt hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth inning. She’s slashing .522 (.551 on-base, .804 slugging) with 24 hits, 2 doubles, a triple, 3 homers and 11 RBI.

Layla Olson is 7-2 in the circle with a 2.43 ERA to go with 61 strikeouts. Coach Mark Petryniec pointed out Huntley (10-4, 3-0 Fox Valley Conference) is hitting a robust .450 as a team.

St. Charles North update: The North Stars (5-0) recorded a pair of recent notable wins against ranked foes Antioch (12-2) and Crystal Lake Central (9-5).

Sophomore Sienna Woodmancy went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI against Antioch. Coach Tom Poulin noted her 4 RBI all came with 2 outs in the inning.

Jillian Salter leads North with a .600 batting average, while Abby Zawadzki has a 1.836 on-base/slugging percentage. Julianna Kouba is tops in hits (10) and doubles (4). Zawadzki leads the team in homers (4) and RBI (16), while Faith Maleski and Ella Heimbuch each have 11 runs scored. Heimbuch leads in steals with 6.

In the circle, Zawadzki is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 14 innings, while Carrigan Rich is 3-0 with 10 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings to go with a 2.76 ERA.

Poulin noted Brooke Hauser has been strong defensively in left field and has given the team quality at-bats. “More importantly though, Brooke is the epitome of a true teammate,” he said. “She is a positive spirit and constant supporter of all of us. She puts the team first and demonstrates what all should strive to be in this program.”

Aurora Central Catholic update: The Chargers (2-10, 0-4 Girls Catholic Athletic White) recorded a 10-0 win over Adams Friendship and a 4-2 win over Antigo during its Wisconsin Dells spring break trip recently.

In the Dells, Corina Maratea threw a pair of complete games with 17 total strikeouts. She had a 0.00 ERA and opponents hit .159 against her in the 2 games. Morgan Vaghy hit .600 with a homer and 3 RBI. Aly Salazar hit .455 with a double, while Grace Grunloh hit .400 with a homer and 3 RBI. Sophomore McKayla Edwards hit .375 with a triple and 4 RBI.

Maratea went over the 350 career-strikeout plateau and has tied the ACC record for career wins. She has 78 strikeouts this season, a 0.98 ERA and opponents are hitting .178 against her. Grunloh is hitting .394 with a .512 on-base percentage and has 2 homers. Vaghy is hitting .312 with 1 homer.

Co-coach Gab Drager tipped her hat to Salazar, the team’s catcher. “Aly is a force behind the plate,” she said. “She is our only catcher on the team and is also a trustworthy hitter in the box who recently had an offensive breakthrough.”

Burlington Central update: The Rockets started the week 4-5-1 overall, but 3-0 in Fox Valley Conference action. Isabelle Reed threw a 7-inning complete game in the Rockets’ recent 5-3 win over Jacobs. Zoe Hornsby leads the team with 3 home runs, while Mel Shirokawa has a team-high .514 batting average. Coach Jason Edwards has been thrilled with Hornsby’s efforts, particularly with her timely home runs and “great outfield play,” he said.

Dundee-Crown update: The Chargers (3-8, 1-2 Fox Valley) were 10-2 nonconference winners against Grant in a game where Jordyn Jeffs hit 2 home runs. Jeffs, a senior, hit .900 during a recent 4-game stretch and has a .567 batting average and .667 on-base percentage. Senior Abby Hsu is hitting .429, while sophomore Josie Sheldon is hitting .378.

Geneva update: Against West Aurora, Jillian Bultmann went 3-for-3, while Kylie Gates was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Megan O’Connor went 4-for-5 against Metea Valley with 4 RBI. The Vikings started the week 1-7.

Hampshire: The Whip-Purs (3-3, 2-1 Fox Valley) recently recorded a walk-off win against Prairie Ridge in FVC action. “We have only played 6 games and we are over halfway done with the season,” Hampshire coach Jeremy Bauer noted.

Jacobs update: Molly Hoch hit .438 last week with 4 RBI. Talia DiSilvio is hitting .431 with 16 RBI, while Skylee Ferrante has 70 strikeouts in 46 innings of work (1.5 strikeouts per inning) for the Golden Eagles (6-9, 0-3 Fox Valley).

Larkin update: Larkin started the week winners of three in row (Hoffman Estates, Streamwood and Rolling Meadows) to sit at 5-4 overall, 1-0 Upstate Eight West.

Mackenzie Wemken struck out 17 against Rolling Meadows and has 88 strikeouts in Larkin’s first 9 games, coach Megan Johnson Morado noted.

Ali Herrick is hitting .423 with an .885 slugging percentage and 20 RBI, while Wemken has a 2.67 ERA.

South Elgin update: The Storm (6-2, 1-0 Upstate Eight West) scored a 4-2 win over a Lockport team that was No. 7 in the most recent ICA rankings. South Elgin’s only 2 losses came during the team’s trip to Tennessee.

Jenna Sheehan recently threw a 5-hit complete game where she allowed only 5 hits, 1 earned run and fanned five. Coach Brad Reynard also likes the recent efforts of Liv Miller both offensively and defensively at first base. Freshman Charlotte Rzenno is hitting .600 early on with 3 doubles, 2 homers and 10 RBI. Sheehan is hitting .550 with a pair of doubles and Miller is at .542 with 8 runs scored and 9 RBI.

St. Charles East update: Hayden Sujack, who is hitting .575 with 23 hits, 6 homers, 5 doubles and 17 RBI, has 48 career home runs now, which ranks 14th in IHSA recorded history.

The Saints started the week 9-3 after losing 4-0 to Marist, but beating Downers Grove South 11-3 and Lemont 4-0. East also dropped a 3-2 game to Plainfield North.

Pitcher Hannah Wulf is 3-1 with a 0.85 ERA, while Makayla Van Dinther is 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA. Kayla LaRose is hitting .462 with 18 hits, 6 doubles, 1 homer and 4 RBI. Morgan Beers is at .436 with 17 hits, 3 doubles and 8 RBI. Lexi Majkszak is hitting .372 with 14 hits, 3 doubles, a homer and 10 RBI.

LaRose, a freshman, has made an immediate impact for coach Jarod Gutesha’s team. “Kayla has come in and has been an offensive leader for us,” he said. “She follows Hayden in most offensive categories.”

St. Edward update: The Green Wave downed Aurora Christian 10-0 in a recent Chicagoland Christian Conference game. Alaina Nolan struck out 11 in 6 innings. She is now 3 strikeouts short of 700 for her career. St. Edward won in the sixth inning when Sarah Gurley hit her fourth homer of the season to give it a 10-0 advantage.

Streamwood update: Senior Justice Coats has 6 stolen bases and coach Nicolle Giliana noted she has made great plays defensively at first base for the Sabres (0-6, 0-2 Upstate Eight West). “Justice truly keeps us alive during games and helps us get out of innings we get stuck in,” she said. “Offensively, she helps move runners and gets on base, helping us score runs.”

West Aurora update: Last week, Bella Doyle was 7-for-11 at the plate with 2 doubles, 7 RBI, 6 runs scored and earned a win in the circle, while Macie Spenny went 6-for-9 with a double, her second homer of the season, 6 RBI, and played great defense at catcher and second base, coach Randy Hayslett noted. Kenize Nelson-Wilmes was 9-for-14 with a double, 4 runs scored and 6 RBI and Ally Lambert went 1-0 in the circle with 10 strikeouts and only 2 walks for the Blackhawks (4-6, 2-0 Upstate Eight West).

Bella MarZullo leads West Aurora with a .581 batting average.

“Bella is hitting everything right now,” Hayslett said.

Doyle had 13 RBI hitting cleanup. Grace Del Toro is 10 for 10 in stolen bases and has scored 17 runs out of the leadoff spot. Nelson-Wilmes, a sophomore, is hitting .400 with 14 hits and 7 RBI in her first varsity season, while Lambert has 33 strikeouts in the circle.

“Ally is pitching well against tough competition,” Hayslett said.