Dunne deal: Buffalo Grove standout commits to Western

For the first time in nearly 10 years, Buffalo Grove's softball program has produced a Division I player.

Bison junior KC Dunne, who caught and played center field for coach Laura Stock as a sophomore, has made a verbal commitment to play for Western Illinois University.

The Leathernecks will be getting the services of one of the top hitters in the area.

Last year, Dunne's 62 hits were second on her team behind classmate Andrea DiPrima, who set the school record with 65.

"I chose Western because the second I got there I loved it," said Dunne, who plans to study marketing at the Macomb school. "The coaches were so nice and accommodating and there aren't any other coaches out there I'd rather play for. The head coach (Holly Van Vlymen) is so enthusiastic about Western and the softball team."

Dunne liked everything else about the school, too.

"From campus to the facilities, it is all very nice and feels very welcoming," she said. "Western is also a team on the rise and I'm excited to be playing there in the future and hopefully being a big part of their softball program."

She has been a big part of the Bison program, which last featured D-I players in the early 2000s with Lindsey Hamma playing for Illinois and Kate Stake at Illinois State.

Dunne struck out only six times last spring in 132 at bats while hitting .470. She also collected 31 runs and 25 stolen bases. She hit safely in 31 of 36 games.

"K.C. was our catalyst in the leadoff spot," Stock said. "She is a natural right-handed hitter. When she got on base, she scored a lot. She was great in the leadoff spot because she struck out only six times. She set the tone for us all season."

This school season Dunne is a key contributor on coach Pat Dudle's varsity basketball team. Like softball, she has been on the varsity basketball and golf teams for three years.

It wasn't until after her freshman softball season when she seriously began thinking about softball for college.

"When I got to BG, playing softball in college wasn't totally in the picture," said Dunne, whose sister Linda is a standout gymnast at BG. "I hadn't really thought about it until after my freshman year softball season. After that, I knew I was going to work hard and do everything I could to try and get where I am now."

Following that freshman varsity season under Stock, the 14-year-old Dunne began playing for the 18-and-under Mid-Suburban Panthers.

Dunne started baseball and softball at the age of six. She played baseball and softball for teams (Buffalo Grove Recreation Association and Chicago Pioneers) coached by her father Jamie until high school.

While at St. Mary's grammar school, Dunne's seventh and eighth-grade teams won championships.

"Once I got to high school, I had to make the transition from baseball and casual softball to competitive softball," said Dunne, who now plays for the 18-and-under Lake County Freedom. "I knew I had to play during the summer to be good enough to play in high school. I had to get used to all the differences and the transition wasn't too hard."

In two years, she will make the transition to D-I softball.

"I am looking forward to my junior and senior high school softball seasons but I am so excited about what's going to happen after that," Dunne said.

"I know KC really liked it there (at Western) and felt it was a good fit for her," Stock said. "The pressure is off her now and she can just go on and enjoy her final two seasons of high school softball."