Lake Zurich's Schroeder exits with honors at Bradley
Bradley catcher Maria Schroeder wrapped up a stellar softball career in Peoria by being named a second-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Mideast Region selection.
The Lake Zurich graduate, who was a third-team NFCA All-Mideast Region pick last year as a junior, joins former teammates Kelly Kapp and Madeline Lynch-Crumrine as the only two-time All-Region selections in program history.
A three-time second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Schroeder was Bradley's first three-time All-MVC honoree since Lynch-Curmrine was a four-time selection between 2012 and 2014.
This spring, Schroeder hit a team-best .354 to rank ninth in the Valley and scored a league-best 39 runs. She finished her time on The Hilltop as one of two players to rank among the top 20 in conference history in both career runs and RBI, joining two-time MVC Player of the Year Jessica Huff (Evansville).
She is just the second three-time first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete in program history.
She finished her collegiate career tied with Kim Suffield for third in career hits at Bradley with 203 and her .336 career batting average is seventh all-time at BU.
Schroeder notched 8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers and 30 RBI in 2018 while boasting a .488 slugging percentage and .419 on base percentage. She hit .362 with runners on base and was second on the team with 16 two-out RBI. In Valley play, Schroeder scored 19 runs and drove in 15 while hitting .321.
She also ranks among the top three in Bradley history in third in career doubles (39), second in homers (17), second in RBI (127) and second in runs (136).
She broke Bradley's career walks record in 2018 and finished up her time with the sixth-best career slugging percentage (.498) by a Brave in addition to owning the fourth-best career on base percentage (.428) at BU. Schroeder is the only player in school history with 40 or more hits in all four seasons and is also the only Brave with 25-plus RBI in all four of their years at Bradley. She ranks 12th in Valley history in career runs and 17th in career RBI.
Named Bradley's 2018 MVP and best Defensive Player, Schroeder also earned a spot on the 2018 MVC All-Defensive Team. She made 29 of her first 30 starts of the 2018 season at third base before moving to catcher full-time for the final 20 contests of her career.
Caudle to DePaul
Vernon Hills senior-to-be Kayla Caudle has committed to play college basketball at DePaul University.
Despite missing several games last winter due to an ankle injury, the 6-foot post is already the Cougars' all-time leading rebounder.
An all-area player since her freshman year, she averaged 15.3 points and 14.4 rebounds per game as a junior.
Caudle has 885 career points (seventh all-time at Vernon Hills) and 764 rebounds.
"She worked in the off-season to score in more of a variety of ways, and it paid off," said Cougars coach Paul Brettner following last season. "Her inside play not only created scoring chances for us inside, but also increased opportunities for our perimeter players to score from outside. As strong of a player as she is, she is that great of a person and leader. She meant a great deal to our team both on the floor and off."
Baseball
Eli Wilson, the son of Barrington High School baseball legend Dan Wilson, is Minnesota's starting catcher and hit a home run Sunday in Minnesota's 6-4 victory over Purdue that added the Big Ten tourney title to the Gophers' regular-season championship. Dan also went to Minnesota and was a first round draft pick in 1990. He is in the Seattle Mariners' Hall of Fame as a catcher.
Men's track
Augustana is well represented on the All-Midwest Region Team.
Two Vikings had the best mark in their respective events compiled throughout the season. Senior Josh Yamamoto (Fremd) was one of them as he ran: 51.84 in the 400 hurdles. Yamamoto is also on the 4x400 relay team that has the second fastest time in the region at 3:12.68. He is joined by senior Kyle Hucker (Wauconda).
Senior Kevin Barbian (Libertyville) was named in the shot put (53-10¼) and discus (163-6). He was fifth in both events.
Senior Evan Murphy (Buffalo Grove) is on the list in the triple jump where he sits third with a leap of 48-3¼.
Ulrich camp
Enrollment is currently taking place for the 29th annual John Ulrich Skills Camps at Immanuel Lutheran in Palatine in June and July.
There is a also a new camp at Saint Peter and Paul in Cary. There are various camps for players entering second grade through 10th grade.
Ulrich was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association hall of fame in 2002 and has more than 40 years of experience coaching junior high and high school girls and boys. Many of his former players have gone on to play in high school, college and the pros or to coach at the junior high, high school, college and pro level.
For more information, contact him at (847) 204-5015 or go to johnulrichbasketball.com.
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