Softball: Lincoln-Way schools form a dominant trio

It is said that there are no sure things in sports.

In the current high school softball season, though, one thing is. If a team has Lincoln-Way in its name, it is one of the best teams in the state.

In the latest Illinois Coaches’ Association Class 4A poll, all three of the high schools from District 210 are ranked in the top five in the state’s largest class. Lincoln-Way East (15-2) is ranked No. 2, Lincoln-Way Central (13-3-1) is No. 3, and Lincoln-Way West (13-3) is No. 5. For the record, Chicago Marist is ranked No. 1, with Lockport, a member of the Southwest Suburban Conference along with the Lincoln-Ways, is No. 4.

As the season has progressed, neither of the Lincoln-Way teams have been able to distance themselves from each other, largely because of the tough competition they play. Their games against each other have been especially interesting. In that three-team round-robin, all three teams have a 1-1 record. Lincoln-Way Central beat Lincoln-Way West, 9-0, Lincoln-Way West beat Lincoln-Way East, 3-2 and Lincoln-Way East beat Lincoln-Way Central, 3-2.

Any successful softball team has strong pitching, and that is certainly the case with each of the three schools. Virginia Tech committ and last season’s Herald-News Player of the Year Lyndsey Grein (7-3, 1.73 ERA, 77 IP, 124 K, 9 BB) is the main pitcher for Lincoln-Way Central, getting help from Lisabella Dimitrijevic (3-0, 1.47 ERA, 38 IP, 87 K, 9 BB), while Lewis committ Allie Wondrasek (9-2, 0.39 ERA, 73 IP, 125 K, 8 BB) is the No. 1 at Lincoln-Way West, with Olivia Calderone backing her up. Maddie Hickey (6-2, 1.56 ERA, 67 IP, 67 K, 22 BB) is the No. 1 for East, with Danielle Stewart (8-0, 1.82 ERA, 50 IP, 79 K, 9 BB) also seeing plenty of mound action.

Not only do these teams have a strong presence in the circle, they all have offensive lineups that can put up runs in bunches.

The most potent lineup belongs to Lincoln-Way East, featuring such bats as Danielle Stewart (.424, 6 HR, 18 RBI), Katie Stewart (.516, 8 HR, 22 RBI), Chloe Geijer (.470, 10 HR, 26 RBI), Mackenzie Gallagher (.366, 4 HR, 12 RBI) and Maddie Pomykalski (.379, 2 HR, 9 RBI).

For Lincoln-Way Central, Grein (.446, 8 HR, 20 RBI) powers the lineup, getting significant help from such players as Jamie Widule (.283, 3 HR, 8 RBI), McKenzie Murdock (.302, 5 HR, 11 RBI), Dimitrijevic (.393, 6 RBI), and Josephine Jager (.406, 1 HR, 5 RBI).

Lincoln-Way West’s Abbie Gregus (.403, 9 HR, 23 RBI), has been a standout, as have teammates Cameron Ball (.323, 4 HR, 15 RBI), Molly Marquardt (.377, 6 2B, 14 RBI) and Peyton Cusack (.312, 13 R, 8 SB).

All three teams are hoping to make a long postseason run, but the playoff brackets will have something to say about that. All of the Lincoln-Way teams, along with Lockport, are in the Class 4A Sandburg Sectional, meaning that only one will advance to the Marist Super-Sectional, where top-ranked Marist will be the probable opponent.

That doesn’t deter any of the Lincoln-Way teams. Lincoln-Way Central hopes to utilize the experience it gained while finishing second in Class 4A last season, while East and West both certainly have the talent to break through.

One thing is for sure. They all will be well-tested.

“We play a tough schedule, and that’s why,” Central coach Jeff Tarala said. “We beefed up the regular-season schedule last year, and it really helped, so we did it again this year. We know we can play with anybody, because we’ve played pretty much everybody.”

Both East coach Elizabeth Hyland and West coach Heather Novak agree.

“These are the types of games we want to be in,” Hyland said after her team’s 3-2 loss to West. “And, we want the girls to feel the emotions of both winning and losing these tight games so they can feel them and move on to the next game. We have a tough schedule, and we like having that tough schedule.”

“We know that just our conference schedule is loaded,” Novak said. “Any team that has Lincoln-Way in its name is great, and so is Lockport. The schedule definitely gets us prepared for the postseason. Not only do we play the tough competition, but they are the teams we are going to see in the postseason anyway.”

Hyland pointed to some reasons for the district’s success.

“Softball is strong in our area because of the feeder systems, work ethic by our student athletes and coaches as well as the growing popularity of our sport,” she said. “It has been a privilege to be a coach in the district and to have the success we have had. It truly is a reflection of the work and dedication our student athletes put in, day in, and day out.”