Sometimes during games this season, Oak Park-River Forest shortstop Maeve Nelson glances over to check on second baseman Fiona Girardot.
Nelson, a sophomore, admitted that she can’t help but notice some glaring similarities with her freshman teammate.
Last season, Nelson, a shortstop for most of her career, played out of position at second base because senior Taylor Arends had been a fixture for several seasons at shortstop.
Nelson is back at her familiar position this year, while Girardot was converted from shortstop to second base. Nelson has been the ideal mentor for the highly talented Girardot, particularly because she understands the complexities of calling defensive assignments and handling the pressure of playing for a highly ranked team as a freshman starter.
“(Fiona) always looks at me for the coverages and stuff, and that was what I was doing last year with Taylor,” Nelson said. “It’s kind of funny to remember that. I feel like she knows what she’s doing on the field, but I do know what she’s going through being a freshman on the varsity.
“Fiona is fitting in real well and has been a great contribution to our team.”
The Nelson-Girardot combination is proving to be a successful pair for the Huskies. Nelson, who already has given a verbal commitment to play for Northwestern, was leading the team in batting average (.538), hits (35), runs scored (28), home runs (5), RBIs (32) and stolen bases (9) through 20 games. Girardot was batting .330 with 20 hits, seven doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs, including an inside-the-park home run against New Trier on Friday, April 22.
Girardot said her familiarity of playing “several years” with Nelson helped her transition to the varsity.
“I’ve played together with Maeve a lot, and I’m very excited for the future and what’s ahead to come,” Girardot said. “The upperclassmen have kept us loose, and we have fun playing together.”
OPRF coach Mel Kolbusz expressed no reservations about starting Girardot as a freshman for his elite team, which finished third in Class 4A last season and returned standout pitchers Emily Richardson and Chardonnay Harris.
“Maeve is a very mature sophomore, and she’s always helping Fiona out,” Kolbusz said.
Through 20 games, the Huskies recorded an 18-2 record and 3-0 mark in the West Suburban Silver. Richardson is 10-0 and Harris is 7-2 this season, and the Huskies had a recent streak of eight consecutive shutout victories.
Nelson said the main goal remains to advance to state.
“The expectations are really high this year, but it has been making us all work harder because we all want to get back to state real bad,” Nelson said. “It has been a goal that we’ve been working toward this season, and it’s fun for all of us to be a part of that.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @bobnarang
