Prep Softball: St. Ed primed for postseason

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It's safe to say now that the St. Edward girls softball program wasn't exactly peaking when the 2007 season ended.

Coaching changes, missing players and inexperience in the field, at the plate and on the mound all played crucial roles in a 6-15 campaign for a team that was one year removed from a sectional appearance and backed by a strong history.

One year later, it's like all of that never happened -- sort of.

This year, St. Edward will enter the postseason as the top seed in one sub-sectional of the Timothy Christian Class 2A Sectional. The Green Wave sports a 15-11 overall record, which includes a 9-4 mark -- good for third place -- in the Suburban Catholic Conference.

"We don't talk a lot about last year much, but we remember it," said senior co-captain Megan Pozezinski. "I think what we've done this year shows just how much we've come from last year. We've finally gained respect back."

St. Edward didn't entirely start from scratch this season. The team had some talent in place and waiting in the wings.

It just needed someone to put it all together.

Enter the school's football coach, Mike Rolando. An unforeseen change from a distance, Rolando's encouraging and demanding presence has brought confidence back to a program that admittedly had lost some steam.

"(Rolando) says he's pretty soft on us compared to the boys," giggled Pozezinski, one of two four-year starters along with Kelly Knott. "We respect him for what he's done for us this season. Coming into the year we really didn't know what to expect. We didn't know who the coach was going to be and we didn't know who was coming back.

"Coach Rolando is a good coach and they (assistants) all know their stuff."

This season St. Edward has relied on consistent defense, timely hitting and the pitching arms of seniors Erin McGraw (6-6, 1.76 ERA) and Meghan Petersen and freshman Sarah Field (7-5, 1.76 ERA) to become more competitive.

Knott, the team's shortstop and speedy leadoff hitter, leads the squad in hitting (.430). Sophomore sister Kristi (.333) and seniors Pozezinski, Celeste Von Ahnen, Paige Maschinski and Megan Tourtellott have all had their moments. Juniors Stephanie Werner and Megan Smith and promising underclassmen Kristina Brockner and Lea Diaz, who has a team-high three home runs, have also been regular contributors.

"I think we have a really good chance to do well (in the postseason)," McGraw said. "Defense and hitting will be the key for us."

Brockner, a sophomore catcher, was injured Saturday running the bases in the Wave's final regular-season game -- an 11-1 victory over Immaculate Conception. Her availability for Tuesday's regional semifinal against either host Driscoll or Willows Academy is questionable.

"We've been talking about the postseason all year long," said Rolando, whose team has a four-game win streak. "Every game someone in this lineup is capable of having a big game. Our hopes are high for the regional. I think getting the No. 1 seed was pretty exciting for these girls. That was nice, but now there is a challenge to live up to."

Hampshire ready for postseason -- The Hampshire Whip-Purs find themselves in a similar situation as St. Edward. They have also improved across the board this season, improving by eight wins (16-12) from a season ago. The Whip-Purs are the No. 2 seed behind the Green Wave in one sub-sectional at the Timothy Christian Sectional. St. Edward defeated Hampshire earlier this season.

Like the Green Wave, the Whip-Purs enter the postseason with high hopes following an encouraging season despite an improved schedule. Hampshire will play either F.W. Parker or St. Benedict in the semifinals of the Walther Lutheran Regional on Tuesday.

Two years ago, Hampshire was defeated by Byron in sectional play.

"We would like to win a regional," said second-year coach Ken Bram. "I'm real happy with this season. If the pitching goes the way (it has) and the defense holds up and we put some hits together we could do some damage in the postseason."

Warriors enter new territory -- For first-year program Westminster Christian, the postseason will be a new experience. But that doesn't mean Westminster (4-12) isn't optimistic about its chances. The sixth-seeded Warriors will begin play at the Eastland Class 1A Sectional today against No. 7 Paw Paw. The winner will meet top-seeded Earlville in the semifinals of the Newark Regional.

"All I asked of the girls this season was to play hard and don't quit. And they haven't," Westminster coach Jim Mueller said. "Our goal is to win a playoff game."

The Warriors are paced offensively by Julia Engen (.352, 23 RBIs), Sarah Serrato (.391, 15 RBIs) and Katie Moeller (.409, 21 RBIs).

Cogs led by seniors -- Genoa-Kingston is hoping some tough lessons learned through the regular season will come back to benefit the team in the postseason.

Not that the Cogs had a down year, but their 16-8 overall record could have easily better had it not been for a handful of losses in close games. Senior ace Lindsay Decker (7-7, 0.22 ERA) threw two no-hitters this season and lost both games.

"We are definitely favored in the regional, but I think we've learned we have to take everything one game at a time," said Cogs coach Mike Lauer, whose team is the No. 2 seed at the Byron Class 2A Sectional. G-K, a regional host, will begin Tuesday against either Rockford Christian or Rockford Christian Life. "Everyone is just excited to get the postseason started."

Offensively, the Cogs are led by senior Jami Miller (.412, 6 HR, 25 RBIs) and Decker (.333). G-K is hoping junior catcher Jennifer Clark, who dislocated her thumb two weeks ago, will be able to return.