Tri-Cities softball season preview
Aurora Christian
Coach: Amanda Leonhart
Last year: 6-21
Key returners: Sarah Morris (so., P), Courtney Thomas (so., SS), Lindsey Larsen (jr., OF)
Top newcomers: Jordan Pittman (fr., P/2B)
Outlook: Leonhart takes over for Mike Morris though she is no stranger to Aurora Christian having coached the team from 1996-98 and also from 2004-06. From 1998-2002 she coached in Pennsylvania at Plumstead Christian School. Thomas is back after a big year as a freshman when she hit .356 with 28 RBI, 6 doubles and 24 runs.
“Our strongest areas will be pitching and infield, specifically shortstop,” Leonhart said. The numbers out for the team aren't that great this year for the Eagles but they won't let that discourage them from trying to improve in conference. “We have a small team this year with a mix of experience,” Leonhart said. “If we can keep everyone healthy and play our best and smartest we will better our record from last season. I think our team can accomplish more than they realize by keeping mentally focused, doing what they know how to do, and working together.”
Batavia
Coach: Ashley Szymski
Last year: 17-20
Key returners: Katie Neubauer (jr., P/IF), Christine Lynam (sr., 3B/C), Brooke Nelson (sr., P/1B), Katie Coleman (jr., P/INF), Meghan Fabian (jr., OF)
Top newcomers: Katie Ryan (so., P/OF), Erin Costigan (fr., INF/OF)
Outlook: During an uneasy year that saw Szymski step in during the middle of the season for Leon Pedrazza, the Bulldogs still managed a 9-5 finish in the Western Sun Conference. Batavia looks to be in good hands with Szymski. “As a first-year head coach, I'm excited, overwhelmed, and anxious — but predominantly excited,” Szymski said. “My assistant coach, Lupe Castellanos, brings longtime Batavia softball experience and a desire to help me create a successful program. My goal is for the team to truly bond, work together, and learn from us, each other, and the great sport of softball.”
The Bulldogs did catch a bad break during the basketball season when second baseman Sami Villarreal suffered a season-ending knee injury, and they also lost Rachael Tenuta to injury. Neubauer is coming off an All-Area season. “Katie is a force to be reckoned with both on the field and in the batter's box,” Szymski said. “She worked hard in the off-season to improve in all areas of her game and it shows.” Lynam and Nelson are both 4-year starters. “A born captain,” is how Symski describes Nelson, who “truly cares about the success of the team as a whole.”
Coleman is another player who has been in the lineup since her freshman year and can help the team playing three different positions. Batavia has set a top-three finish in the Upstate Eight Conference as its goal. “We have a nice balance of youth and experience,” Szymski said. “Having four capable pitchers is always an advantage to any team, although they all play multiple positions as well; so staying healthy will be the key to our success this season.”
Geneva
Coach: Greg Dierks
Last year: 21-17
Key returners: Dori Rogers (sr., SS/OF), Kirsten Searcy (so., 3B/OF/1B), Elena Wright (jr., 3B/SS/OF), Melissa Barber (sr., 2B/SS), Kelly McCaffrey (sr., P/1B), Clare Stribling (jr., C/OF), Julie Orwig (sr., 1B/OF), Maura Bochte (sr., OF), Taylor Medernach (jr., OF), Bridget Weitzel (so., OF)
Top newcomers: Val Ordonez (jr., OF/3B), Sam Kobler (sr., 1B/P), Sarah Laster (so., 3B/SS/OF), Kelly Gordon (so., C/INF/OF), Haley Orwig (fr., P)
Outlook: Dierks has an experienced team to work with this year, a group that peaked at the end of the 2010 season by upsetting Glenbard North and Lake Park to win their own regional. Barber, McCaffrey and Stribling have been varsity players since their freshman seasons. Rogers was an All-Area pick after hitting .347 and leading the team in runs, triples, walks and on-base percentage. Searcy and Wright also had big years at the plate last year. Orwig, Bochte, Medernach and Weitzel enter their second year of varsity ball. Dierks said he has players on his bench who could easily have started in most years. Seven players return who hit home runs last year which should leave no easy outs in the Geneva lineup all the way through.
Barber, Rogers and McCaffrey will serve as captains. “They bring a wealth of leadership to go along with their on the field talents,” Dierks said. After beginning last year 1-7, Geneva's first goal this year is obvious. “One of our goals is to get off to a better start,” Dierks said. “We need to improve on that. We are trying to address some of the things that got us to that point last year so that we can avoid it this year.” That 2010 regional title should give Geneva a boost in 2011. “The girls gained a great deal of confidence and I would hope that there is some carry-over from that,” Dierks said. “I have a great bunch of girls to work with and they really care about making a mark this season. Our leadership and experience should be a strength for us. We have more depth than ever before and that should make a difference as well.”
Geneva will need all that to try to give St. Charles North a run in the new Upstate Eight Conference River Division. As Dierks put it, “I think it is fair to say that there are six teams in our division that would like to think that they are the front runners to finish second,” Dierks said. “St. Charles North is the favorite by far and the rest of us are hoping we can rise to their level. I think the rest of the teams are very closely bunched together and it remains to be seen if any of us can take that step forward and break away from the pack to contend with North. That is certainly a goal of ours but it is a very challenging one.”And in a unique twist, Stribling follows Marly Eimerman (2009) and Kristyn Ruitenberg (2010) as the third straight Geneva softball player to have the lead in the school spring play.
Kaneland
Coach: Brian Willis
Last year: 20-11
Key returners: Andrea Potts (sr., 1B/C), Rilee Vest (sr., C), Allyson O'Herron (so., SS)
Outlook: Willis guided the Knights to a second-place finish in the Western Sun with a 9-5 record in his first year as coach before losing to Sycamore in the regional finals. Willis believes it will be the Kaneland bats that will carry the Knights as they start play in the Northern Illinois Big 12 East. “I believe we will score runs. Offense should be solid,” Willis said. “Defense will start out as a weakness. With hard work, I think we can turn this into a positive.” Kaneland only has two seniors on its roster. “We're a very young team,” Willis said. “But we should be competitive. The question will be how much will youth hurt us. Effort will be there every game.”
Rosary
Coach: John Kazmierczak
Last year: 18-17
Key returners: Brenda Rocha (sr., SS), Chelsea Frieders (sr., 3B/C), Mackenzie Astling (sr., OF), Tara Pfeiffer (sr., P/3B), Danielle Reder (sr., C), Audrey Ruddy (sr., P), Cassie Zachman (sr., OF), Ali Keenum (sr., 1B), Emily Meyer (sr., 1B)
Top newcomers: Ariana Stone (jr., OF), Maddie Merritt (jr. 2B), Cara Smoczynski (so., P)
Outlook: With nine seniors among 12 returning letter winners, the Royals are set for a big year. They bring back Rocha, a .457 hitter last year on her way to winning Suburban Christian Conference Player of the Year, Frieders who hit .404 and Astling at .350. They also have Meyer, a gold glove winner at first base. “Offense should be a strong point for us,” Kazmierczak said. “Obviously the key areas we have been trying to solve are how tough we can be pitching and tighten up our defense. If we can improve on that aspect of the game we'll be fine.”
The SCC should be tight as always with Kazmierczak naming his team in a group that includes St. Francis, Montini and St. Edward as conference favorites. “Mentally I think our kids are fine,” Kazmierczak said. “When they're between the lines they know they can compete with anyone in the area. With the amount of senior leadership we have this year I know the team is focused on conference. When they were freshmen they won it. It is definitely a goal of theirs.”
St. Charles East
Coach: Kelly Horan
Last year: 18-15
Key returners: Ally Schweizer (sr., P), Dani Asquini (sr., 3B), RaeAnne Payleitner (sr., C), Casey Basic (jr., C), Lexi Perez (so., SS), Julie Sobieski (sr., 1B), Lindsay Vellega (sr., UTL)
Top newcomers: Leah Valesh (jr., P/OF), Shannon Pedersen (jr., P/1B), Allison Hall (jr., P/INF), Krista Besser (sr., OF), Rhiannon Ohnstad (jr., OF), Olivia Lorenzini (so., OF)
Outlook: While St. Charles North returns everybody, St. Charles East enters 2011 looking to replace nearly its entire lineup after heavy graduation losses. Payleitner, a returning honorable mention all-state performer who hit .433 last year, is a good place to start. Horan loves the defense Perez brings at shortstop while Sobieski (.368 last year) and Asquini (.286) will need to hit well.
“We'll be successful this season if we are smart in the box, get people on, and move them around,” Horan said. “We need to do the small stuff. The majority of the kids worked hard on their physical bodies the off-season so I do have a bunch of athletes on my team. We will see how that translates to wins and losses.” There's no place that the Saints are more inexperienced than in the circle. “All four pitchers will have a shot to be the No. 1,” Horan said. “We are going to have to do the small things in order to be successful. Really counting on Asquini, Perez, Vellega and Basic to lead the way. Our theme — ‘Better than Yesterday' — is something the girls are really going to have to buy into because we are going to be working the entire season to play well at the end of the year.”
St. Charles North
Coach: Tom Poulin
Last year: 29-4
Key returners: Taylor Russell (sr., 3B), Annie Korth (sr., C), Amanda Ciran (sr., P), Loren Cihlar (sr., CF), Natalie Capone (sr., SS), Sydney Russell (sr., 2B), Ashley Seering (sr., RF), JuliaClarie Plezbert (sr., 1B)
Top newcomers: Sara Hausl (jr., C/3B), Sabrina Rabin (fr., P/2B/OF)
Outlook: A special group of seniors will see their high school career come to an end this spring – they only hope it lasts a couple weeks longer into June than last year's surprising regional opening loss to York. That turned out to be the last game for coach April Stary. Tom Poulin, the team's assistant softball coach and boys varsity basketball coach, takes over as head softball coach. “I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with this group this season,” Poulin said. “It's refreshing to get to coach such an unselfish, team-first group of athletes. They have come into the season very focused and determined to be successful.”
Before the regional loss, the North Stars had rolled to their second straight Upstate Eight title with an 18-1 record. That super senior group includes Russell, the reigning All-Area captain who hit .510 with 4 home runs and 41 RBI. Korth, an “impressive player, more impressive person,” according to Poulin, batted .494 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI. Ciran can dominate in the circle, 13-1 last year with a 1.08 ERA, and she also slugged 4 home runs. Cihlar (.408, 16 steals), Capone (.396, 21 steals) and Sydney Russell (.415) give the North Stars plenty of speed and baserunners for Taylor Russell, Seering (.408, 6 home runs, 35 RBI) and Korth to drive in. The North Stars will play West Chicago, Lockport, Normal West, Glenbard North, Glenbard West and Schaumburg to prepare for what they hope is a season that ends at state. “The energy from the team at our practices has been one that is so positive and driven,” Poulin said. “The seniors have taken ownership of the program and grown into incredible young adults. It is obvious to me that they have not forgotten the lessons they have learned over the last three seasons and are ready to do whatever is necessary to make this a special season.”
West Aurora
Coach: Sara Nagy
Last year: 18-16
Key returners: Francesca Evischi (sr., P), Christina Hunger (sr., P), LaRi Mitchell (jr., OF), Alyssa Reimers (sr., 2B/P)
Top newcomers: Jamie Avery (sr., C), Molly Jordan (so., SS), Ally Wayzer (so., 3B)
Outlook: Nagy takes over for Dave Zine at West Aurora after assisting for four years. Before that she coached at Streamwood and Wheaton Academy after graduating from Wheaton North High School in 1998 and playing for College of DuPage's 2000 national champions and on Lewis University's 2001 national runner-up. “I am really excited to be a head coach in the DVC,” Nagy said. “We have been working really hard this year with six seniors we are looking forward to some strong leadership.” West Aurora has a proud softball tradition, and the Blackhawks will look to move back up the DVC standings after finishing 4-10 last year ahead of Glenbard East.
They have their top two pitchers back in Francesca Evischi, who went 9-8 with a 2.42 ERA, and Hunger at 7-5 with a 2.78. Both pitchers battled injuries. Mitchell already is a two-year varsity player who is trying to bounce back after an all-conference freshman season. “She is looking strong again this year both in the field and hitting,” Nagy said. Along with those veterans the Blackhawks will mix in some talented youngsters including Avery behind the plate, and the left side of the infield in Jordan and Wayzer, both who have “strong bats” according to their coach. ”The team goal is to have a stronger showing in the DVC which can only happen with strong hitting and solid defense,” Nagy said. “Our pitching is all returners so they should be good leaders for us on the field.”