Prairie Ridge certainly hasn’t begun its inaugural softball season like an expansion team.
That is, unless you want to label this ballclub as the Colorado Rockies or Florida Marlins of the high school softball world.
“Yeah, but we didn’t buy any players, nor will we sell them off,” said Prairie Ridge coach Mike Buck. “We’re trying to build a program here that will last a few years.”
Since Prairie Ridge opened its doors in September, no one in a silver-and-maroon uniform has experienced such instant success. The softball Wolves were 11-1 before dropping a pair of games to Fox Valley favorite and town rival Crystal Lake Central last week. They enter the week with a 12-4 record.
“I thought we’d be fairly competitive, but we have exceeded expectations,” said Buck, a former head coach at Cary-Grove. “To have a start like we’ve had is just fantastic.”
The eventual ending could be even better. The Wolves boast five juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen headed by junior pitchers Jessica Ciesel (8-2) and Lanea Keller. Ciesel played on Crystal Lake Central’s varsity as a freshman and was an all-conference infielder last year.
“Maybe teams were taking us lightly in the beginning,” Buck said. “But after you open the season winning four in a row, the secret is out.”
Victories over highly regarded Barrington and St. Charles bolstered the Wolves’ confidence.
Heading up the offense are sophomore shortstop Emily Phillips and freshman right-fielder Lisa Keller, who are both hitting above .400.
Recruiting alert: College coaches could be overlooking Richards ace Carole Gorecki. The senior right-hander is 9-5 with an 0.25 earned-run average and seven shutouts. Mixing up a fastball with a variety of movement pitches, Gorecki has shut down No. 10 Lockport and top-15 powers Stagg and Homewood-Flossmoor.
“She’s pretty much been carrying our team while her teammates learn to play behind her,” said Richards coach Julie Folliard.
Gorecki, who scored a 30 on the ACT and has a 5.75 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale, wants to study medicine in college.
The word is out on Providence junior Gina Ramacci, who may be the best defensive catcher in the state. An off-season workout attracted the attention of 20 college recruiters, including NCAA champion and No. 1-ranked Arizona.
Up and coming: Coach Rob Harris has established No. 5 Fremd among the area’s elite in recent years, and the Vikings’ future looks even brighter. That’s because 5-foot-11-inch pitching sensation Ellen Stoddard will enroll at Fremd in September. The 8th grader is the daughter of former Cubs, Sox and Orioles pitcher Tim Stoddard, who stands 6-7. Stoddard’s batterymate will be freshman standout Becky VanBramer, who is batting .400 this spring.
Better up? Joliet’s baseball team wanted to find out exactly how good the school’s No. 3-ranked softball team was, so a challenge was issued. In a recent seven-inning softball game, the girls beat the boys 8-0. In fairness to the guys, their longer, sweeping baseball swings were pretty much useless against Mary Jaszczak’s fastball coming at them from 40 feet.
