Nobody dominated high school softball this spring quite like pitchers Ali Arnold of defending Class AA champion Normal and Lindsey Veselsky of Glenbard North.
Arnold went on an incredible run over the last two seasons, pitching 262 innings without giving up an earned run. That ended with Normal’s 1-0 loss to Normal West last month.
No wonder her earned-run average this season is a minuscule 0.04 as the 5-foot-8-inch Iowa signee leads Normal back to Friday’s Class AA quarterfinals with a 23-1 record, 313 strikeouts and 17 walks in 158 innings.
She has 10 no-hitters and two perfect games. In the playoffs she has two no-hitters and a pair of one-hitters.
Veselsky and the Panthers fell short of a return trip to East Peoria, getting upset 3-0 by Elk Grove in the sectionals. But the 6-foot right-hander, who will choose between Illinois and Northern Iowa, still finished 28-4 with a 0.07 ERA.
She set an all-time one-season state strikeout record with 499 and her career mark of 1,348 strikeouts is second in state history to Sarah Martz of Lanark Eastland with 1,402.
Arnold and Veselsky headline the 2002 Tribune All-State softball team, although there are some potent bats spread throughout this lineup.
Benet first baseman Janet Urban hit .594 with 22 doubles and will be joined at Illinois State next season by shortstop Tricia Gaither of Class A champ Stanford Olympia. Gaither hit .553, scored 52 runs and seemed to steal at will.
Homewood-Flossmoor outfielder Samantha Ray will take her .543 average to South Florida. Maine South outfielder Liz Bondi hit .504 and tied the state record for home runs in a season with 17. The other first-team outfielder, Lockport’s Kelly Drozd, earned a scholarship to Northern Illinois after hitting .509.
The lone underclassman, Elk Grove junior second baseman Jessica Evans, hit .410 and peaked in the postseason with a .667 batting average. Lincoln-Way Central third baseman Laura Severson batted .481 with 15 doubles and will play next season at Stanford in the country’s dominant NCAA softball conference, the Pac-10.
Glossy numbers aside, these All-Staters would have a difficult time facing Arnold.
“I was impressed by the way she pitched against us last year,” Veselsky said of Glenbard North’s 2-0 semifinal loss to Normal. “She’s really good because she puts a lot of thought into every pitch. She knows how to set up the hitters.”
Because she is a citizen of both this country and New Zealand, Arnold has been asked to pitch for New Zealand’s national team this summer. She’s hoping for an opportunity to pitch for New Zealand in the 2004 Olympic Games.
“Right now I’m just thinking about the state tournament and trying to win it again,” said Arnold, who complements an intimidating fastball with a riseball, dropball and changeup. “It was a huge relief getting back to the finals.
“We weren’t ready for all the pressure we got this season. It seemed like everybody jumped on the bandwagon, and people weren’t satisfied if we only won 1-0 or 2-0. When we lost to Normal West, some of our fans were acting like our season was over. Some of them were asking me how I could give up a run.”
Arnold appears to have inherited the powerful right arm and mound acumen of her father, Graham Arnold, a New Zealander who was considered among the top five men’s fast-pitch softball pitchers in the world from 1971 to 1983.
“Ali began pitching when she was 12, later than a lot of kids,” he said. “I never took it easy on her. During one of our workouts before her junior year she made a huge stride in her development. It was like a Dow Jones 500-point day.”
How much of himself does dad see in his daughter?
“Actually Ali reminds me of my mom,” he said with a laugh. “Ali’s ornery with a lot of moxie, just like mom.”
Two years ago Lincoln’s big first baseman knocked a Normal runner to the ground with a hard tag during a rundown. Leading off the next inning the first baseman caught an Arnold fastball flush on the leg.
“What happened with that pitch?” Graham Arnold asked afterward.
“She knocked down my teammate, so I hit her,” Arnold told her dad. After that, Ali Arnold struck out the final nine batters.
Veselsky has some of that same fire.
“There were a lot of people who doubted my ability and said I just had a good fastball and nothing else,” she said. “People from the other teams would say stuff about me and I would just ignore it.”
Now there’s no ignoring Glenbard North’s All-Stater.
“This proves to a lot of people that I am one of the best pitchers in the state,” she said. “Breaking the strikeout record was nice, but I’d trade it for a chance to play in the state finals. I would’ve loved a rematch against Ali Arnold and Normal.”
THE FIRST TEAM
PITCHER
Ali Arnold, Normal, sr.
Leads team’s bid for a repeat state title with 23-1 record, 0.04 earned-run average, 10 no-hitters and 313 strikeouts in 158 innings. Headed to Iowa.
Lindsey Veselsky, Glenbard N., sr.
Had 28-4 record, 0.07 ERA, four no-hitters and set all-time state record with 499 strikeouts in 264 innings. Will choose between Illinois and Northern Iowa.
CATCHER
Katie Bradley, Normal, sr.
Leads team with .363 average to go along with nine doubles and 24 RBIs. She has been charged with only one passed ball. Will play at Illinois.
FIRST BASE
Janet Urban, Benet, sr.
Illinois State signee hit .594 with 22 doubles and 39 RBIs. Committed five errors with more than 800 chances in her four-year career.
SECOND BASE
Jessica Evans, Elk Grove, jr.
Led Elk Grove to supersectional by batting .410 with 30 runs and 21 RBIs as leadoff batter. Hit .667 in the postseason.
THIRD BASE
Laura Severson, Lincoln-Way C., sr.
Considered Chicago area’s most complete player. Stanford-bound athlete hit .481 with 15 doubles and as pitcher was 17-4 and led team to sectional.
SHORTSTOP
Tricia Gaither, Stanford Olympia, sr.
Leadoff hitter led her team to Class A title with .553 batting average, 70 hits, 52 runs, 16 doubles and five triples. Going to Illinois State.
OUTFIELD
Liz Bondi, Maine South, sr.
Tied state record for home runs in a season (17) and .hit 504 with seven doubles, four triples and 47 RBIs. Also a basketball standout, she is headed to DePauw.
Kelly Drozd, Lockport, sr.
Accepted softball scholarship to Northern Illinois after leading Porters with .509 batting average, 16 doubles, six triples, two home runs and 33 RBIs.
Samantha Ray, H.-Flossmoor, sr.
South Florida signee and four-year all-SICA East pick batted .543 with five doubles, six triples, 38 runs and 21 RBIs from the leadoff spot
–Bob Sakamoto
SECOND TEAM
First base
Randi Beare, Belleville West, sr.
Second base
Tiffany Prager, Stanford Olympia, so.
Third base
Samantha Findlay, Lockport, so.
Shortstop
Katie Louis, O’Fallon, sr.
Outfield
Meredith Anders, St. Jos.-Ogden, sr.
Erica Prieto, Mo. McAuley, sr.
Shanna Waldo, P. Richwoods, sr.
Catcher
Joanna Pettit, Geneseo, sr.
Pitcher
Brittany McIntyre, Sandburg, sr.
Megan Huitink, Elk Grove, jr.
SPECIAL MENTION
Pitchers
Kristen Brestan, Addison Trail, sr.
Paige Granath, Mach. Park Harlem, sr.
Uju Ibekwe, Thornwood, sr.
Lindsey LaChiana, Richards, sr.
Dylan Mathis, Roxana, fr.
Erin McDonald, Mt. Zion, sr.
Nikki Netzel, Sandburg, sr.
Shannon Nicholson, Chath. Glenwood, jr.
Jenna Smart, Morris, sr.
Ellen Stoddard, Fremd, sr.
Becky Stone, O’Fallon, sr.
Sammi Whitcomb, Morton, sr.
Elissa Wisniewski, Stevenson, sr.
Catchers
Lyndsey Jackson, Orion, sr.
Maeve Moreland, H-Flossmoor, sr.
Beth Price, Oak Park, jr.
Lauren Rooney, Belleville West, sr.
Sarah Watson, Sandburg, sr.
Infielders
Sara Bandauski, Providence, sr.
Jamie Bereitschaft, Belleville West, sr.
Trista Campbell, Mundelein, sr.
Lori Chirumbolo, Naperville Central, jr.
Erin Daniels, Dwight, sr.
Alicia DeShasier, Carrollton, sr.
Jenna Hall, Minooka, sr.
Jessica Grogg, Washington (Ill.), sr.
Holly Hallstrom, Moline, sr.
Elyse Jamrozy, Riverside-Brookfield, sr.
Trisha Kowalewski, Downers Grove N., so.
Sarah Manley, Downs Tri-Valley, so.
Robin Martz, Lanark Eastland, sr.
Colleen McGlaughlin, Morton (Ill.), fr.
Amanda Most, Glenbard North, jr.
Courtney Monroe, Mt. Zion, sr.
Mallory Paine, Glenbard North, so.
Korie Shawver, Casey-Westfield, sr.
Shaina Terpstra, Illiana Christian, sr.
Mo Troller, York, sr.
Outfielders
Kate Gibbs, Morris, sr.
Mary Lentz, Chatham Glenwood, sr.
Kristin Noble, Lincoln-Way Central, sr.
Sarah Pierce, Freeport, sr.
Kailee Roeser, Oak Park, sr.
Kelly Sheehan, Spr. Sacred Ht.-Griffin, sr.
Krystal Stein, Nashville, sr.
Christy Sykora, Sandburg, sr.
Kelsey Warning, Belleville East, jr.
Laura Zobrist, Washington (Ill.), sr.
