Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: St. Charles North’s Paige Murray, softball, junior

Name: Paige Murray

Sport: Softball

Why she was selected: In three games, the junior went 3-0 on the mound with a 0.88 ERA and collected 32 strikeouts in 19 innings. She had a four-hit, 15-strikeout shutout against Batavia.

Murray was selected the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Joel Boenitz.

You went 3-0 last week in the circle. How did you feel in those games?

Murray: I felt like I had my better stuff in those games. I had to come out confident and I knew that my team was right behind me. This conference is so tough and you can never know what’s going to happen, so you have to face every team with all you’ve got, so it felt good.

You’ve recorded 140 strikeouts so far this year. What’s your approach to each performance?

Murray: I feel like for me I’ve always wanted to go right at the batter with the first pitch. I always like to have my first-pitch strike percentage really high because the more first-pitch strikes you have, the more outs you’re going to get. So I always want to go right at the batters and trust my spin. I know that I’m not the fastest pitcher, but if I spin the ball and hit my spots, it’s going to work.

You’ve been an inning-eater for the North Stars this year, throwing 96 2/3 innings so far with 12 complete games. Do you go out with the intention of throwing a complete game?

Murray: I’m going to go as long as my coaches need me to go. Last year with Ava Goettel, she would start and I would come in later, so I’ve had to change roles from a closer to a starter this year. But I know our other pitchers (Lauren Seyller and Abby Zawadzki) are always ready to come in and I trust them completely.

You lost eight seniors last year and have a lot of new people on the team. What has it been like adapting to a new team?

Murray: All the girls who have moved up and the freshmen have been amazing. Having Juliana Kouba at third and Ella Heimbuch in the outfield have been amazing and I trust them completely. And everyone else is ready to come in whenever they are needed and they just exceed their role.

You were on the state championship team back in 2022. What kind of experience do you bring to this team?

Murray: Coming in as a freshman, I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t even know what a supersectional was, honestly. But then we were at state and had the same rhythm where Goettel would start and I would come in and close. And my whole team had so much confidence in me, which helped me a lot coming in as a freshman. But I feel like since then it’s given me so much confidence and shows what our program can do.

When did you start playing softball?

Murray: I started back in kindergarten. It was probably the first sport that I started playing. My brother played and I thought I might as well try it. I tried other sports, but softball is the one that just stuck with me. I started pitching in third grade and I loved it. Every night I would go out and throw 100 pitches to my dad and I just loved it so much. It’s made me who I am today. And I just kept getting better and better at it.

Do you have any pregame rituals that you like to do?

Murray: I have to wear the same hairstyle for each game. Two Dutch braids tied into a bun. If I don’t do it, my teammates will get on me and say that I have to do my hair.

What do you like to do when you aren’t playing softball?

Murray: I love to bake. Baking’s one of my favorite hobbies. And just hanging out with my friends. Working out and being outside with my friends.

What’s your favorite movie or TV show?

Murray: I think I’ve watched “Gilmore Girls” with my mom five or six times through, so I’d have to go with that.