Big hits and high scores were the name of the game this season for Cyclones softball as they closed out a season chock-full of impressive stats and individual honors.
When the Cyclones stepped up to the plate this season, they went big. Collectively, they had a .337 batting average with 332 runs, 21 home runs and a .414 on-base percentage, ranking 27th in NJCAA Division II for triples (19). They scored more than 10 runs in 14 games, with their highest run count at 24 in a victory over Elgin Community College.
The team's top hitters were freshmen Brooklynn Sedlak (Shepard) and Estelle Loth (Sandburg), who averaged .465 and .432, respectively. Loth led with 54 RBIs and 60 hits while Sedlak collected a .756 slugging percentage, even after suffering an injury midseason.
Despite all that strong offense, the Cyclones ended 15-31 overall and 7-6 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference. Although an improvement on last year's performance, the season fell short of the team's expectations.
"We had some injuries to key players and pitching was rough, but all our games were a hitting match," said Head Coach Ari Bulthuis, who culminated her fifth season leading the program. "We didn't finish how we expected, but we had more wins than last year. The players never gave up, even when they could've, and there was a good cohesiveness on the team."
Some of the Cyclones' biggest wins were against solid teams, including St. Charles Community College during spring training and a split with conference runner-up, Waubonsee Community College.
Among the big hitters, several earned recognition. Loth was named All-Conference second team infield and was a big bat in many games, according to Bulthuis. Sophomore Stephanie Lohman (Lincoln-Way East) turned her game around after freshman year and worked hard to excel at the plate. She averaged .424 with 40 RBIs, 53 hits (second highest on the team), which included 14 doubles and four home runs. She earned All-Conference second team infield. Freshmen Annabelle Rush (Oak Forest) and Madelynn Larmon (Oak Forest) each earned All-Conference second team outfield. Larmon finished with a .347 average with 35 hits and 17 RBIs while Rush had a .312 with 39 hits and 26 RBIs. Rush moved from the bottom of the lineup to the No. 2 spot, helping defeat Waubonsee with a grand slam in the final inning. She also contributed her speed in left field to become a defensive asset while reliably tracking down fly balls.
Freshman Keira Clancy (Oak Forest) and sophomores Brialynn Mica (Plainfield Central) and Marissa Walsh (Oak Forest) earned All-Conference honorable mention. Clancy averaged .326 with 44 hits and 29 RBIs; Mica had a .406 average with 43 hits and 20 RBIs; Walsh collected a .311 with 38 hits and 24 RBIs. Mica also earned All-Region 4 second team honors for her contributions.
Mica, Walsh and sophomore Emma Hansen (Andrew) were pivotal leaders for the team, aiming to improve over their freshmen year performance.
"What they went through last year, they wanted to do better this season. The sophomores were all leaders. They didn't want to repeat last season," Bulthuis said. "Bria had surgery last year and came back, becoming one of our best fielders. I commend her and all her hard work. Walsh had a voice as catcher and was a leader we needed there. Emma was in the outfield, where she wanted to be after playing in the infield last season, and she was a great leader for us."
Although losing the four sophomores will be difficult, Bulthuis is calculating how to bolster field performance and looking for additional skilled athletes, solid pitchers in particular, to add to the roster.
"We want to make sure we have more competitiveness and watch the scores from running up like they did this season. We need to make sure one error doesn't dictate a whole inning," she said. "I'm recruiting now, and we're building the program back up."