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JOLIET – After graduating almost half of last season’s 24-11 regional championship team there are some big shoes to fill for Joliet West’s softball team.
But coach Heather Suca likes the mix of veterans and younger players she has, which bodes well for the Tigers as they try to continue their successful ways in the competitive Southwest Prairie Conference and beyond.
While it will be difficult for West to replace players such as first-team all-area selections DeShonte Smith and Kiley Robb, the Tigers return enough regulars from a year ago to again challenge for 20 wins and a playoff run.
Leading the way for the Tigers are the three senior captains, pitcher/first baseman Sidney Budzinski, second/first baseman Savana DelRose and shortstop/second baseman/outfielder Sarah Gersch.
“We’ve been together with most of these girls before, so I’m real excited about this season,” Budzinski said. “Last year we had been playing together for a little bit, but we have a lot of new faces this year, and everyone can play anywhere. It’s good competition, and it’s good that we’re pushing and that we’re not just stuck at one position. Coach definitely pushes us to be our best, and I can say that since I’ve been up playing for her for four years that I know what she expects. And with three freshmen up, she’s building a foundation for the future.
“We have a saying, ‘Do whatever it takes,’ and that’s because we’re pushing each other to get back to where we want to be, which is one of the top teams in this area. Our conference games are just as competitive as our out-of-conference games. And I’m excited about that, so when regional play comes around we’ll be prepared for whatever we’re going to see. My favorite thing about this team is that everybody on the team is a leader in something and are vocal. And we all expect the best from each other, and I think that will take us a long way.”
Others who saw playing time last season were senior first baseman/pitcher Natalie Edwards and junior first/third baseman Morgan Gersch. Also spending some time on varsity were junior outfielders Madison Fraser and Samantha Patterson.
“A lot of the players that we do have are very versatile with where they can play, and the team as a whole gets along well and meshes together,” DelRose said. “In the two games that we’ve played so far, we’ve been able to work well together. We don’t have the same team as last year or the same players, but a lot of us have played together through the years.
“I love the atmosphere this year, and the energy that we have in practice and during games, you can tell that we’re for it. Even the new girls have adapted to what we’ve told them, and they know what to expect. A lot of our success will depend on us working together. The main thing for us will be to have this one team with one goal and doing whatever it takes.”
Other members of this year’s Tigers include juniors Ambria May, Taylor Schwall and McKenna Vrbovsky, sophomore Lauren Russell and freshmen Alayna Chizmark, Savannah Fierke and Alexandra Hughes.
“At first, I didn’t know who was going to be on the team or who wasn’t, and then I wondered if we were going to be good this year,” Sarah Gersch said. “But after playing in the first two games, we actually could be pretty good this year. Last year we had a lot of good players, and our goals were really high, so we’re trying to work to where we were last year and have the same goals. We all get along, and we all have a good time. We just need to play as hard as we can, and just play as a team.”