Scouting the 2022 softball season in Lake County

The Antioch softball team was legit last year.

And the Sequoits are legit again this spring.

Coach Anthony Rocco's squad is loaded with talent back from a 2021 team that went 31-6, won the Northern Lake County title for the third time in four years at 10-2 (tying with Wauconda) and made it to a Class 3A supersectional where it lost to state third-place-finisher Sterling.

All-state first-team pitcher-outfielder Jacey Schuler returns after going 23-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 149⅔ innings pitched as a freshman. She also hit .494 with 14 home runs and 64 RBI. Good grief.

University of Illinois signee Gabby Debevec (SS) hit .362 with 11 home runs, 56 runs scored and 38 RBI on her way to all-state third-team honors. Junior Eden Echevarria (2B-CF), who has verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin, hit .465 with 13 home runs, 57 runs scored and 52 RBI. She made the all-state second team. And the hits go on with junior infielder-catcher Emily Brecht (. 364, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 33 R), junior pitcher Syerra Gilmore (6-0, 2.18 ERA, 50K in 41 innings and 2 no-hitters) and sophomore outfielder-pitcher-second baseman Aubrey Ultsch (. 412, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 31 R).

Antioch belted 58 homers to lead the state across all four classes last year (tied for 11th highest total in IHSA history). Schuler, Echevarria and Debevec hit 38 of the team's returning 50 jacks.

Oh, and the Sequoits three pitchers combined to strike out 303 batters last year - and all were either sophomores or freshmen.

"We are an athletic and explosive team, but we were young last year," said Rocco, whose team started six underclassmen last season. "It will be interesting to see how much they have improved."

Rocco, whose 13-player roster has six sophomores on it, noted Wauconda beat Antioch twice last year, but Antioch beat Wauconda in the sectional final. Grayslake North lost twice to Antioch, but beat Wauconda twice. Antioch is ranked No. 2 in the ICA preseason poll in Class 3A, and will play three of the Top 5 teams ranked in the 4A preseason poll (Barrington, Huntley and Lincoln-Way East).

Turning attention to Wauconda, the Bulldogs were 21-6 in 2021 and lost to Antioch in the sectional final. Key drivers for the Bulldogs include senior first baseman and UW-Whitewater commit Taylor Koehler (. 464 batting average, 7 HR, 37 RBI), senior catcher and Mount Mercy commit Calli Janik (. 354, 5 HR, 24 RBI) and senior pitcher-outfielder and Loras College signee Rachel Peat (. 348, 21 RBI, 12-6 pitching). Also back are junior center fielder Bryn Lucht and her 9 homers and 33 RBI from a year ago, junior third baseman-designated player Haley Baldwin (. 447, 4-0 pitching), junior middle infielder Lia Tagalia (. 403) and sophomore pitcher Lesleigh Reimers (3-0, 1.31 K/IP).

Koehler was an all-state second-team pick, while Lucht made the third team. "We return almost everyone and have added more talent and depth," Bulldogs coach Tim Orisek said. "Last year has been a motivating factor so far, and our expectations for this season have been raised."

Grayslake North is coming off a 20-win season and a regional title. Senior pitcher Gianna Certa went 16-4 last year and fanned 212 in 132 1/3 innings while walking only 13. Junior third baseman Morgan Nielsen hit .452 with 10 homers, while senior shortstop Nicole Hughes hit .438 with 5 homers. Senior second baseman Bria Verber and junior outfielder Emily Gaeding are also back. Certa, Hughes and Nielsen were all-NLCC picks.

Grayslake Central returns senior first baseman Rachel Smigielski (. 507 batting average, 9 HR, 23 RBI; all-state third team), who struck out only 5 times in 83 plate appearances. Sophomore catcher Eliza Piggott hit .315 last year, while senior Alexandra McGovern is coming off an injury last season. Thirteen of the Ram's 15 players going on their spring break trip are either freshmen or sophomores (of the 26 in the program, 21 are either freshmen or sophomores).

Grant (10-18 last year) has four-year varsity players Miranda Rodriguez and Kaylin Berwanger back, while team MVP and all-NLCC pick Shelby Wasilewski led the team in most offensive statistics and is developing into a force in the circle, coach Chris Van Alstine noted. Sofia DeAngelis also earned all-conference honors and was the team's defensive MVP, also earning high praise from Van Alstine for her rocket arm and active bat. Tara Levernier will catch and hit in the middle of the order.

Lakes won 10 games and has all-NLCC selections Grace Dunsworth (CF), CC Fleming (C) and Riley Hanrahan (P-MF) back - all are seniors.

Vernon Hills went 9-1 in Central Suburban North action and returns its entire team, including seven all-conference players in senior shortstop Kayla Lorenz (. 393, 38 RBI), senior infielder-outfielder Mackenzie Barberis (. 427), junior infielder-outfielder Emma O'Flaherty (. 413), junior first baseman Abby Krok (. 342, 36 RBI), senior Juliana Gudmundson, senior Allie Wade and senior Sarah Monteith. Senior second baseman Amelia Vlahos and infielder-outfielder Amanda Teschky missed the 2021 season due to injury and expected to made big impacts, coach Jan Pauly noted. Sophie Bernheim won the CSL sportsmanship award last year.

In the North Suburban, Undefeated defending champion Warren (21-6, 14-0, sectional finalist) returns All-NSC senior first baseman Hailey Conger, who hit .484 and made no errors at first base (137 putouts). Junior pitcher Sydney Jackson struck out 107 in 118⅓ innings, and also hit .444. Sophomore middle infielder Hannah Conger hit .429.

Stevenson went 12-8 and 10-4 in conference play. Seniors Reagan Koenigs (P-IF) and Hailey Mulvihill (C-OF), along with juniors Haily Langer (1B-DH), Michaela Duffy (IF) and Annie Grisamore (C-3B) are all back for the Patriots. Coach India Steward noted this was the first year the program implemented a weight-training program. "This is a special group of girls with all the talent and grit in the world," she said.

Libertyville, under the direction of former Grayslake Central baseball coach Sean Ferrell, returns senior all-conference player Clara Benavides (C), along with junior shortstop Samantha Whisenand and junior corner infielder/outfielder Peyton Murphy. Junior pitcher/infielder/outfielder Finnley Olsen, along with freshmen Adrianna Callahan (P-MIF), Zoe Kinsella (C, utility) and Makayla Boone (OF-1B) will help the Wildcats as well. "We will be better overall," Ferrell said. "We're bigger and stronger and we're building a really good culture in the program."

Carmel won 15 games and finished 5-5 in East Suburban Catholic play. The Corsairs return junior center fielder Camryn Rapplean, who hit over .400, led the team in steals and was an all-ESCC pick. Junior pitcher Madison DeBennette and senior left-handed pitcher Caroline Gatchell will be counted on in the circle. Gatchell is headed to Illinois Wesleyan, and coach Jodi Swiatkowski noted Gatchell has "worked tirelessly to achieve that goal."