Benet making a difference off the field

Benet’s softball team is hitting back hard at a disease that hits close to home.

At Thursday’s home game with Naperville Central the Redwings are holding a fundraiser with benefits going toward the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.

Robyn Panko, mom of Benet players Mikayla and Marissa Panko, has Celiac Disease, as does Rowan McGuire, a freshman at Downers Grove North and younger sister of Benet’s Nora and Maeve McGuire. A neighbor of Benet senior Allyson Staats also has been diagnosed with Celiac.

Celiac Disease is an inherited auto-immune disease that affects more than 3 million Americans, but some 97 percent of those people have not been diagnosed. The disease affects the digestive process of the small intestine and is triggered by the consumption of gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley or rye.

Mikayla Panko noted that Celiac Disease affects more people than Alzheimer’s.

“It’s not as uncommon as people think,” she said.

Benet’s players have collected sponsorships from restaurants such as Jamba Juice, Outback Steakhouse, Lou Malnati’s and Noodles to raffle off gift cards at today’s game.

“Whatever we get will be great,” Panko said. “We’re just trying to get what we can and make a difference.”

Striking back: Whoever said the days of double-digit strikeout games were over when the mound distance went to 43 feet forgot to tell Wheaton North#146;s pitchers.In the last week Kahla Nolan struck out 11 against Geneva and 13 against York, and Katie Thornton fanned 16 against Geneva and 13 against Bartlett, all wins during a five-game Falcons win streak. All were against teams that had winning records a year ago.Wheaton North coach Karen Calabrese is a little caught off guard by the numbers, but she did say that both pitchers have developed an effective changeup to keep hitters guessing.#147;Neither one throws blinding speed,#148; Calabrese said, #147;but with a good changeup it makes that 58 mph fastball look a lot faster. It makes a big difference.#148;Home Run Derby: The unseasonably cold weather hasn#146;t stopped a few teams from doing major damage to the ball. Waubonsie Valley has already hit 8 home runs, 3 by sophomore Amanda Minihan, in six games. Benet has had six different players combine for a team total of 10 homers in 10 games. Maeve McGuire, Mikayla Panko, Julianne Rurka and Allyson Staats all have hit 2.Then there#146;s Glenbard North, which has had seven girls hit a total of 9 homers through six games, 2 each from Alexis Simone and Jessica Norman. The power hasn#146;t gone out in Carol Stream, even after Jenny Nelson and her team-leading 12 homers graduated last spring. Glenbard North hit 32 as a team last year.#147;We made it clear to our girls that we have good hitters, we just have to stay within ourselves and that the ball will carry,#148; Glenbard North coach Josh Sanew said. #147;Our girls have done a great job of staying within themselves and not overswinging.#148;Record-breaking Mustang:Downers Grove South senior Marissa Mersch set a new school career hit record this week. With 9 in four games this season, Mersch is at 190 #8212; breaking Brooke Andresen and Lauren Meister#146;s previous mark of 186. Could the state hit record of 252 be the next stop? Swinging a different stick:Downers Grove North junior Sam Yeager is proving this spring that she#146;s just as adept with a softball bat as she is with a badminton racket in her hand. Yeager, a two-time state qualifier in badminton, chose last summer to go out for softball.She played travel softball in the past, but when she came to summer camp last June Trojans coach Mark Magro jokingly asked her, #147;What are you doing here?#148;Yeager so far has made a smooth transition, hitting .412 in the middle of unbeaten Downers Grove North#146;s lineup.#147;She was a good softball player before, and she said she wanted to come back to softball,#148; Magro said. #147;The girls love her. She#146;s a positive influence and a great kid to be around.#148;