Illinois area high school softball outlooks
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By Andrew Petersen | Saturday, July 05, 2008 |
Illinois area softball
Outlooks
Rockridge, Sherrard and Farmington all expect to be teams to beat in the Olympic Conference. All are ranked in the top 15 in the Illinois Coaches Association preseason poll. Rockridge is sixth, Farmington is No. 13 and Sherrard is No. 15.
Geneseo is the perennial frontrunner in the NCIC Reagan with six first-place finishes and three runners-up in the past nine seasons. The other five conference teams are a bit harder to figure. LaSalle-Peru lost many seniors from last year’s conference championship squad. Streator was 4-6 in league play, but its JV team was 10-0 in conference and 24-1 overall.
Aledo again should be the front-runner in the Lincoln Trail Conference, coming off a 9-1 year in conference play. ROWVA has 11 letterwinners back, but only four are seniors, so growth during the season is a must. Annawan/Wethersfield finished in the top half of the league last season and has some top-tier athletes, but experience is a concern.
In the Three Rivers, Morrison and Sterling Newman are the clear favorites. The two schools battled through the conference schedule last year, with the Fillies taking both games and then winning the sectional showdown, as well. Riverdale could provide a nice challenge, returning a young team after a third-place finish a year ago.
Players to watch
Megan Warner, Sherrard: The senior pitcher has signed to play for Illinois State next year and holds a 0.23 career ERA with the Tigers.
Liz Watkins, Rockridge: As a four-year starter, the outfielder-turned-catcher boasts a .422 career batting average and has led the Rockets to three straight state tournament berths.
Jami Whitcomb, Rockridge: The first-year Rocket pitcher held a 0.64 ERA as a junior and struck out 237 batters in 154 innings.
Brooke Nienhaus, Geneseo: The junior outfielder returns after being a unanimous all-NCIC Reagan first-team selection as a sophomore.
Kelly Long, Sterling: The speedy senior outfielder is crafty on the base paths and has the Warriors off to a 2-0 start.
Alexa Dunn, Aledo: The senior pitcher was top notch as a junior, boasting a 13-1 record, a 0.97 ERA, 147 strikeouts and a .355 batting average.
Ashlie Patton, Morrison: The unanimous all-TRAC 8 pitcher went 18-1 with a 0.28 ERA and .301 with 33 RBIs as a junior.
Storylines
N Fueled by crisp defense and a powerful lineup, Orion expects to offset a lack of team speed. Tori Matzen, Hillary Taets and Kelly Hutton have logged practice time in the pitching circle to free up Sarah and Hannah Frenell to play the left side of the infield. Coach Shelly Hutton expects her Chargers to vie for the Olympic championship.
N Sherrard has opened up a 6-0 record behind ace Megan Warner, who already has notched five shutouts. The Tigers won a second straight regional title last year, and Warner set a state record striking out 35 consecutive batters during one stretch. Tashia Love is a returning unanimous all-conference outfielder.
N Rockridge finished third at state last year and returns its ace pitcher (Jami Whitcomb) and leading hitter (Liz Watkins). The Rockets have a great second pitching option in Whitney Shafman but will need to fill several holes in the lineup if they want a fourth straight trip to state.
N Kewanee will try to pull above .500 in NCIC Lincoln play under first-year coach Pete Tanzillo. The senior-heavy squad returns seven letterwinners from last year’s 13-15 campaign. Kewanee should be speedy, but Tanzillo worries that injuries could hamper the club.
N Geneseo returns six all-conference players after last year’s regional championship season. A total of 12 letterwinners are back from the 29-9 team, including nine of 10 starters.
N Katie Berlesen might be only a 5-foot-3 freshman, but the veteran ASA pitcher will lift the hopes of Alexis United. Two other freshman infielders join a young group with just three returning seniors.
N Morrison will ride Patton as much as it can. Coach Tammy Deter says the offense is a bit of a weakness, coming off last year’s 31-4 finish, which included a fourth-place finish at state.
N Sterling Newman got great play from Megan and Michelle Salvatori last season and during the basketball season. The Comets will need the sisters to be even more productive offensively and defensively to bump Morrison out of first.
N A young Fulton team — just four seniors — might have a tough time improving on its 4-8 TRAC-8 finish from last season. Senior infielder Katie Malmstrom is the Steamers’ lone returning all-conference player.
N After a .500 finish last season, West Carroll has 38 girls out this spring between the varsity and freshman teams. Stronger hitting and late-inning play are a must to help round out with what coach Don Mathey expects to be solid pitching and defense.
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