Marist junior Alia Rowles is used to going deep when she’s the quarterback for the flag football team.
But it was only recently that the Western Michigan recruit went deep with her first varsity home runs in back-to-back games against Joliet Catholic.
“It was amazing — a long time coming,” Rowles said. “I feel like I should have done it a little bit earlier, but it was a great week. I was locked in.”
Rowles was one of several RedHawks who swung a big bat Wednesday afternoon during a 17-0 nonconference win in four innings over visiting Providence in Chicago.
Soleil Tate, Lexi Kyros and Rylee O’Connor all hit homers for Marist (28-1). Layla Termunde added three hits. Bella Cortes beat out an infield single for Providence (24-7).
Rowles, meanwhile, contributed a sharp single that drove in a run during an eight-run first inning. For the season, she’s batting .350 with 16 runs, three doubles and 13 RBIs.
During her two-season varsity career, she has been the epitome of a team player.
As a sophomore, she came off the bench whenever called. She started this season in the same role, but as of late, Marist coach Colleen Phelan has given her some starts at third base.
“Alia is a gamer,” Phelan said. “She plays, and plays hard, and leaves it all on the field. And she’s versatile. She can play the outfield and she can play all across the infield.
“She’s getting more opportunities the last two or three weeks, and she has taken advantage of those opportunities. She’s doing a nice job.”
Rowles has been a big help to Phelan in another way.
“She’s super smart,” Phelan said, smiling. “She is one of the smartest girls we have ever coached here. She’s in all the honors classes and excelling at them.
“It’s funny. I was having trouble with my notes the other day and I was like, ‘Get me someone smart. Get me someone smart. Get me Alia.’ She’s so smart, never complains and always has a smile on her face. That’s why we love her.”
Rowles in a resident of softball-strong Lemont.
“When I came here and shadowed, coach Phelan talked to me,” Rowles said. “Just hearing the way that she talked about the team, the team-bonding events and the special connection that the team had with each other was special.
“Getting an opportunity to be a part of something special like this was something I couldn’t turn down.”
Rowles is also making an impact at Marist in flag football. She threw for more than 35 touchdowns and ran for another 10 in a 19-game schedule.
“It’s so much fun,” Rowles said. “Flag football is such a unique sport. My whole life I’ve wanted to play football. I would always throw the football with my dad in the backyard.
“The last year with recruiting, softball got pretty intense and stressful. Football has been a fun outlet.”
And can she throw it. O’Connor, who plays wide receiver, caught a lot of her TD passes.
“Oh yeah, all the time,” O’Connor said. “Me and Alia connect both on the softball field and the flag football field. She can throw deep balls, but the short ones are probably my favorite to catch.
“And she doesn’t let anything hold her back. If anything crazy happens, she just brushes it off. It’s like she’s made of rubber.”
In softball, Rowles has fit right in with the program’s connection, according to teammate Riley Belcik.
“Oh, my gosh, she’s fantastic,” Belcik said. “She’s always there to push you, to get 100% better … actually 110% better. She’s always there to pick you up when you’re down or you’re upset or you’re in a slump. She’s so encouraging.”
And helping with homework?
“Oh, 100%, yeah,” Belcik said, laughing. “She’s the smartest one, you know?”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
