Softball: Fox Valley All-Area captain Sujack blasts her way into IHSA record books

From, 1959 to 1961, there was a television program called “Homerun Derby” that pitted top Major League Baseball sluggers against each other in 9-inning home run contests.

For more tenured Daily Herald readers, you may recall reruns of that show airing on ESPN.

Fast forward to 2026 and St. Charles East senior Hayden Sujack presented her live version of “Homerun Derby” each time she stepped into the batter’s box.

The power-hitting, University of South Carolina-bound Sujack crushed 18 home runs this spring to help St. Charles East win 31 games and reach a Class 4A supersectional.

For her efforts, Sujack is the captain of the 2026 Daily Herald Fox Valley All-Area softball team.

“She is an elite softball player because of her talent, work ethic and softball IQ,” Saints coach Jarod Gutesha said. “She has tremendous power which has been evident since the day she came to summer camp as an incoming freshman.”

Sujack, who finished her East career with 58 varsity homers (fifth all-time in recorded Illinois High School Association history), said her power might just stem from advice her dad gave years ago.

“We would be out practicing, and he would always say try to hit like you are trying to hit those houses down the street,” she said. “That gave me the focus. I wanted to try and hit the houses down the street. It always stuck with me. It takes all the mechanical aspects out of the swing and it keeps it simple. I’m a super-analytical person. And what I said sounds crazy with how much really goes into a swing, but it’s just that simple. Pick out somewhere on the field.”

Sujack hit 18 homers this season (a homer every 6.1 at-bats), 17 as a junior, 11 as a sophomore and 14 as a freshman.

Those 18 homers this year went with equally impressive totals, including a .473 batting average, .593 on-base percentage (thanks in part to 34 walks), 1.109 slugging percentage (33 extra-base hits against 19 singles), 1.702 OPS and 44 RBI. Sujack hit .514 with runners in scoring position and .459 on balls put in play.

But Sujack was quick to point out she wouldn’t be where she is today without the help of many.

“Yes, I have put in so much work, but so many people have helped me,” said Sujack, who hit a line drive or fly ball 81.5 percent of the time this season. “Freshman year, I didn’t know if I would make varsity. I was so thankful the coaches gave me the opportunity. I’m thankful for my hitting coach Mark Mazarka. And I can’t imagine how much money my mom has spent on hitting lessons. It’s all been a blessing. Without these people, I wouldn’t be who I am right now.”

Sujack, a career .442 hitter at East, admits she’s changed her ways when it comes to watching her handy work.

“Freshman Hayden would watch some go over,” she said. “This year, I ran them out. You start watching (home runs), that doesn’t go over well. You look stupid. I worked on running all of them out. Usually, you can feel when you hit one. You can feel when you get a good piece of the ball.”

Sujack’s accomplishments this year came against another challenging East schedule put together by Gutesha. For starters, the Saints play in the always rugged DuKane Conference, regarded by some as the top Class 4A softball league in the state. East went 11-3 and finished second.

Sujack played 18 games against teams ranked in their respective Top 20s in the Class 2A, 3A and 4A Illinois Coaches Association state polls. In those 18 games, Sujack hit .449 with 9 home runs, including homers against Class 3A state-champion Antioch, Class 4A third-place finisher Marist and DuKane kingpin St. Charles North.

“We were going up against some of the best athletes in the state,” she said. “It’s really hard. I always have loved going against all the great pitchers and players in our conference, it’s so fun. The achievements feel bigger because of the competitiveness and the drive to have those achievements against that competition.”

While Sujack’s offensive grandeur took the spotlight and deservedly so, her catching abilities weren’t anything to sneeze at either.

“I worked a lot on my accuracy up and down,” said Sujack, who caught longtime travel teammate and fellow South Carolina recruit Hannah Wulf this season. “More importantly, working with all the pitchers, I wanted to be their person back there. I want them to know if they miss on a pitch, I am there to work through it with them. The pitchers are the ones working. Getting better by being there for them is my thing — being their person and working on the mental side with them. Yes, I am there catching and blocking and framing, but if I can provide a little more support, at the end of the day, that is what I am going to do.”

Gutesha said Sujack was smooth behind the plate and could handle any pitch. “She takes control of the game and knows when to call time and reset the pitchers and the defense. She has a great arm that opposing teams rarely challenged,” he said.

Gutesha watched Sujack grow as a leader this spring. “She became an excellent leader,” he said. “She always led by example since the start of her freshman year, but as an upperclassman, when it was her time to lead, she held players accountable for putting in max effort. She took control of the defense by calling timeouts when we needed to regroup. Hayden is a top-notch person. If you were to walk around St. Charles East High School and ask anyone in the hallway, they would say the same thing.”

Sujack said playing at East was a blast for a variety of reasons. “We never had any drama issues. Playing here was so fun,” she said. “We lost some girls from last year and that was hard, but Hannah coming in was a bright spot. She brought so much energy and happiness. We have a motto that you want to play with your friends. I’ve been able to say that here. It’s been a privilege to be so happy and be a part of this.”

Gutesha has little doubt Sujack will succeed at the Division I college softball level for South Carolina, which tied for the 25th spot in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. “I am excited to see her compete at the next level,” he said. “She hits elite-level pitching and will continue to do so at South Carolina.”