Even against the wind, Purdue-bound ace pitcher Jaelynn Anthony keeps her approach at the plate. ‘Hit the ball hard.'

Chicago Tribune

18-03-2025

If spring was in the air Monday for Oswego's softball season opener at Batavia, it didn't stick around long, not with a howling wind blowing in from left field.
Junior pitcher Jaelynn Anthony described the conditions succinctly.
'It's horrible,' she said.
It was hard to tell from watching the hard-throwing right-hander, however.
The Purdue recruit started and threw two scoreless innings for Oswego in an 18-6 nonconference win over a young Batavia team that starts three freshmen and one sophomore.
Anthony had the hot hand all afternoon, much like she did late last season in leading the Panthers to the program's first trip to state and a third-place finish in Class 4A.
Anthony capped a three-run first inning for Oswego (1-0) with a two-run homer in her first at bat of the season. She didn't challenge the wind, taking the ball to right field and clearing the eight-foot fence.
'That ball got out fast,' Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. 'It's not a bad way to start the season, that's for sure.'
Anthony added an infield single in the second, leaving with an 11-0 lead after two innings and then returning to hit an RBI groundout in the seventh.
'We had practice on Saturday in the wind and worked on our hitting and defense, so we were prepared for it,' Anthony said. 'I just went up there, really, to hit the ball hard.'
Senior outfielder Natalie Muellner added a double and hit a homer to almost the same spot as Anthony. She also drove in three runs.
Scaramuzzi, an Oswego alum who had a strong collegiate career pitching and hitting at Missouri St. Louis, returned last season to assist coach Paul Netzel and has added responsibility this year.
'It's good to be back and part of the program,' Scaramuzzi said. 'This is a good way to set the tone for, hopefully, the rest of the season.
'We've been talking about doing all the little things right and felt they did a good job of that, playing clean defense, having quality at bats and taking the extra base when they can.'
Oswego appears primed to make another extended postseason run, led by three Division I recruits. Anthony is the latest, committing last September to Purdue to join senior catcher Kiyah Chavez (Iowa) and senior third baseman/pitcher Aubriella Garza (Northern Illinois).
Muellner (Wisconsin-Whitewater) and senior first baseman Rikka Ludvigson (Milwaukee School of Engineering) will also play at the next level.
Senior pitchers Sabrina Zamora and Garza finished off Monday's game and senior Maddie Lohrman will also see action this season, according to Scaramuzzi.
A two-run single from freshman Payton Kaefer and two-run double from freshman Sydney Stepina helped Batavia (0-1) extend the game to seven innings.
Anthony finished 15-6 with a 1.96 ERA last season and hit .383 with a school single-season record of 13 home runs. She also had 39 RBIs. And Purdue turned into a perfect fit.
'I wanted to commit early because I wanted to know where I was going, plus I know colleges like to get their pitching settled early,' Anthony said. 'They reached out to me on Sept. 1.
'I was also talking to Northwestern but it didn't end up working out. I had gone to a couple camps at Purdue when I was younger with their previous coach, but I really connected with this staff.'
Former assistant Magali Frezzotti, who caught for Argentina's national team for 13 years, took the Boilermakers' head coaching job in 2023.
'I've always wanted to play in the Big Ten and I like that it's fairly close, too.' Anthony said.
Anthony worked in the offseason on developing a drop ball and improving her rise with Jill Waldron, her private pitching coach.
'She looks great,' Scaramucci said of Anthony. 'She's put in a ton of work in the offseason making sure her spins are tighter. She's hitting her spots better and, obviously, she can wing it too.
'She's an asset to us on both sides of the ball. She's put in a lot of work. I'm proud of her.'