The Oak Park and River Forest High School softball team is in the fieldhouse, though the unseasonably warm February evening is perfect for a night of fly balls and base hits on the outdoor field. The players are throwing balls at their partners as basketballs thump on the adjacent court. 

Head Coach James Coughlin is coaching tonight for about 40 girls of all grade levels. His memories of winning Coach of the Year from the Illinois Coaches Association in 2023 scarcely brush his mind as the softballs fly. In fact, he said, his plaque was “put in a filing cabinet probably never to be seen again” days after he received it. He doesn’t need accolades. He gives all the credit to his players for their incredible achievement.

The 2023 softball team achieved a 31-win season, and with their hard work, they achieved third place in the state of Illinois. 

But in the fieldhouse tonight, the softball players of OPRF have decided it’s time to bring the school a state championship. With a large number of players coming back for another season, it doesn’t seem out of reach.

That’s not their only mission. On April 19, the softball team hosted its first annual sexual violence awareness game. They “sold bracelets and cookies to donate to an organization in Chicago called No More,” said junior Julia Mattiace. She added that the game helped the team raise upwards of $1,000. 

The team was inspired to take action after sexual violence survivor Brenda Tracy visited the school last year. Reactions to Tracy’s speech prompted students to stage a walkout in support of sexual assault survivors on March 10, 2023.

This created a winning team with a positive culture. However, the new field in the Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex has less seating for the softball team compared to the new baseball field on the new Lake Street Field.

Audrey Dumelle, a returning senior of the softball team, talked about the adversity of just being a part of a girls’ sport, saying, “You feel overlooked. Especially when you do as well as a boys’ sport, and you get less recognition.” 

Today, powerhouses in women’s athletics like Caitlin Clark of the University of Iowa’s basketball team have been changing the narrative,  selling out nearly every arena in the Big Ten Conference. It’s women like these who continue to drive women’s athletics to the sky.

Senior Lilly Menconi says her teammates “push me so hard because they are all so talented, but on a personal level, they are so fun to get along with and they make me really enjoy practice and working hard at a sport that I love playing every day.”

The team in the fieldhouse continues to throw balls and catch fly balls and grounders batted by Coach Coughlin. 

Even during these regular drills, the team communicates a feeling of utter love for each other and the sport. The smells of spring, the gloves, the bases, the mound, the bats. It’s softball season. Let’s celebrate our third-place-winning team with a strong show of support.