Nobody’s perfect, not even the best softball players. All of them have their moments.
Just ask St. Charles North’s Ella Heimbuch.
The junior shortstop, a Wisconsin recruit, is not only one of the best players in the area. She’s among the best in the state. But even the best will tell you how how humbling the game can be.
“That was my bad,” Heimbuch said of her two-out error in the first inning Wednesday. “I felt bad getting the team off to a bad start, but they had my back and they picked me up right after it.
‘So, I had the next one. They all had trust in me.”
That trust paid off as Heimbuch finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases for the host North Stars in a 5-1 DuKane Conference victory over Glenbard North. She’s now hitting .545.
Senior right-hander Abby Zawadzki erased the next hitter on a comeback grounder after Heimbuch’s error and won her fifth straight without a loss for St. Charles North (11-0, 4-0), striking out five and scattering six hits and a walk against Panthers (9-4, 3-3).
And Heimbuch?
The leadoff hitter promptly singled in the bottom of the first inning, moved to second on a grounder, stole third and scored on a grounder by junior third baseman Julianna Kouba.
Two innings later, Heimbuch singled, stole second and scored on a Kouba’s single for a 2-0 lead. Count junior left fielder Jordyn McBride as those who walked away impressed.
“That’s what Ella does best,” McBride said. “I play travel ball with her, and she’s a phenomenal player — has that memory of a goldfish.”
McBride could relate. In the top of the third, her two-out misplay allowed a Glenbard North batter to reach third, but Zawadzki wriggled out of the jam by inducing another grounder.
In the bottom of the third, McBride followed Kouba’s single with her first home run of the season.
“I think I hit five out last year but that one felt better than any of the others,” McBride said. “It felt really clean coming off the bat, especially after missing that fly ball.
“It was good to just forget about the mishap, go to the plate, clean slate, and do what I do best. Just try to hit the ball as hard as I can.”
When relayed to Heimbuch, the fish story brought a smile to her face.
“Memory of a goldfish, that’s what we say,” Heimbuch said. “It’s having the memory of Dory, the fish in the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ who had short-term memory loss.
“You bounce back right after. There’s no reason to think about it because you can’t change the past anyway.”
It’s a common refrain the North Stars hear from assistant coach Thijs Dennison.
“We stress, like every coach, you’re not carrying mistakes to the plate or from the plate out to the field,” St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. “Get rid of it, flush it, move on. We’ll talk afterward.
“Dory didn’t remember anything. My kids have watched that movie. Ellen DeGeneres was Dory’s voice and she’s an airhead. Our team? It’s a fun group.”
And very talented.
Both Heimbuch and Kouba started as freshmen for the North Stars in the 2024 state championship game.
“Kouba came through with productive outs, driving in a third run with a grounder,” Poulin said. “She does what the team needs.”
So does Heimbuch, a talented catcher who can also play in the outfield.
“Wherever the team needs me,” she said.
Poulin knows where.
“Ella is an incredible catcher,” he said. “But I don’t think you’re going to find a better defensive shortstop in the state. She gets to every ball and gets the ball from glove to throw faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.
“When she fields the ball, she’s already in position with her feet. She’s like a textbook. She’s a better person and student than player, and she’s as good a player as we’ve ever had.”
