The Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity softball team has been turning heads this season with a record of 20-7 at press time, which set them up to be ranked 31st in the state of Illinois and third in conference play.
The team of 19 girls is coached by JP. Coughlin, assisted by coaches Elizabeth Kiefer, Ashley Colette, Jose Morales and Stephanie Bernthal, and captained by seniors Maura Carmody, Elyssa Hasapis, Anna Topel, Julia Mattiace and Gloria Hronek.
The team is spread among graduating classes, with one freshman, two sophomores and eight juniors in addition to the eight seniors. Although they don’t have set team bonding times, senior Molly Chambers said, “The team is always together. Whether it be classes or practice, we enjoy each other’s energy.”
The strong chemistry helps during game play, Chambers added, saying, “It shows on the field. When someone makes a mistake, everyone is quick to pick them back up.”
Not only does the team see each other during the school day, a place where the team built the majority of their chemistry was over spring break at their yearly Tennessee tournament. The team stays at a cabin and plays a variety of teams. “With the trip being within the first two weeks of the season, it’s truly a bonding experience for everyone,” said Hasapis.
Yet during that tournament, the team took a great loss. Topel, their starting pitcher, got injured at the start of the game, resulting in a broken arm. Losing Topel was hard, but the team used her injury as motivation to finish the game strong. “We wanted to play the best we could for her,” said Hasapis. And they did just that. Junior Caroline Rainey stepped in, and the team won 4-3 against Manchester High School.
Prior to the season starting, the girls perfected their craft by having weekly preseason practices, usually twice a week. They did self-paced workouts at Orange Theory, a local gym, due to renovations in the school gymnasiums. The team held its batting practices at Victory Sports, which is located in the back of Play It Again Sports in Forest Park.
Yet the girls didn’t mind, although preseason catered more towards the underclassmen to help them get acclimated to the environment, Mattiace didn’t miss a single one. “Preseason is very important to me,” she said. “I got to develop relationships with so many underclassmen, and be there as a mentor and a role model if they needed it”. As the season progresses, the team has a record of 20-7, coming off of a loss to one of their conference rivals, Downers Grove North High School, with a final score of 10-3. Although at their last meeting on April 23rd, the Huskies defeated Downers Grove North with a fi- nal score of 8-5.
At press time the Huskies are set to play York High School on May 12.
