Villanova volleyball recruit Marikate Ritterbusch kick-starts Benet softball. ‘She has meant a lot.'
Marikate Ritterbusch will graduate from Benet having earned six varsity letters, three each in volleyball and softball.
The Villanova volleyball commit wasn't the best player on either team, but she may be the best athlete in the senior class. In volleyball, Ritterbusch was a backup libero who helped the Redwings reach the Class 4A state championship match in each of the past three seasons.
In softball, she played first base for two seasons, including when the Redwings finished third in Class 3A in 2023, but she has switched to center field while continuing to produce as the No. 9 hitter.
'Usually your nine-hole hitter, you want them to get on base in order to then have the top of the order coming up,' Benet softball coach Janet Royal said. 'That's why we put Marikate there because she's usually getting on base.
'She also plays a phenomenal center field and really hits the ball hard, so she has meant a lot to the team, especially as a leader as a senior — and she's an athlete.'
That athleticism is tested in the spring, when Ritterbusch juggles high school softball and club volleyball.
'It's really a lot of driving back and forth and kind of just going all over the place in the spring,' she said. 'A lot of times, I go from a softball game or practice to my club volleyball practices.'
Volleyball is Ritterbusch's favorite sport, but she wasn't about to forgo one more softball season.
'I love them both,' she said. 'I'll be sad once softball is over, but I'm glad I got to play it in the spring my whole life, basically.
'It's a lot of important time management and just a lot of effort and working with a lot of coaches. I'm grateful that all the coaches I've been working with allow me to do both.'
Ritterbusch got the job done both in the field and at the plate on Wednesday. She went 3-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored and made one putout to help the eighth-seeded Redwings beat ninth-seeded Argo 4-1 in a Class 4A Benet Regional semifinal in Lisle.
The Redwings (17-17) will face top-seeded Marist (32-2) in the regional championship game at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Argo (19-9) led 1-0 until the bottom of the third inning, which Ritterbusch began with a single to right. She stole second and scored on a two-out infield single by sophomore catcher Lanie Rosner.
Sophomore pitcher Sophie Rosner, who pitched a six-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts, followed with an RBI double to put the Redwings ahead to stay.
'We knew that they had a good pitcher, so talking to each other as everyone else went through the lineup and looking for those early strikes and going after it was really important,' Ritterbusch said.
'When they got that first run, we knew that we had to come back right away. So we got that run back, and it was good once we got our hits going.'
Senior third baseman Bella Iovinelli, who was hitting in front of Ritterbusch, got the Redwings going in her final two at-bats, blasting solo home runs in the fourth and sixth innings, with the first striking the scoreboard.
That gave Benet five hits from the bottom two hitters in the lineup.
'It's awesome to see them step up in this last game and be able to put the ball in play,' Royal said. 'Bella hit two home runs after she broke her bat in warmups. She hit two home runs with someone else's bat, which is phenomenal.'
Iovinelli, who had hit one previous home run this season, borrowed sophomore Sofia Heggie's bat to do her bashing.
'I tried to find a new one fast,' Iovinelli said. 'It worked.'
As has Ritterbusch's balancing of her busy schedule. She raised her average to .275 and has 23 runs scored, seven RBIs and a team-high eight stolen bases.
'It's been a lot to juggle, but I'm super grateful just to be a part of these two great programs and to just be able to do what I love over and over again,' she said. 'It's taught me a lot about hard work and time balancing.'
Ritterbusch's teammates are thankful she stuck around.
'She is honestly such a good teammate,' Iovinelli said. 'She's always there to lift you up. Whether you do good or bad, she's always the first person to say, 'Good job.''
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New York Times
8 hours ago
- New York Times
Red Wings offseason survey results: Fans split on direction under Steve Yzerman
As the Detroit Red Wings get set for what could be their most anticipated offseason yet under general manager Steve Yzerman, the fan base is split right down the middle when it comes to confidence in the team's direction. That's the big takeaway from our offseason fan survey, with nearly 3,000 of you weighing in on Detroit's front office, the team's trajectory and the level of urgency to get back into the playoffs, among other topics. Thanks to everyone who participated — and especially to those who left comments explaining their votes. There's a lot to get to, so let's dive right in. How's this for a split? The optimists have a slight lean here, with 31.2 percent rating their confidence at a 4 or 5. But 29.5 percent of fans gave it a 1 or 2, meaning there are more or less just as many who are worried about the team's trajectory after yet another year outside the playoffs but without an especially high draft pick. Advertisement The plurality of the fan base, though, is right in the middle — perhaps not knowing exactly what to think at this stage, or wanting to withhold judgment. As one respondent noted, 'I voted 3, as they seem to be destined for a long-term stay in the middle of the pack. Hard to feel too excited, but I'm not slamming the panic button, and there's still plenty of youth on the way.' That note on the rising prospects was a theme, with many voters still feeling confident in the 'draft and develop' side of Detroit's approach. That's well-founded, as the Red Wings' Yzerman-era first-round picks who have reached the NHL have been highly successful. That starts with Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, of course, but Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper have now also established themselves as top-half-of-the-lineup players who have shown signs they can drive play. That's a great start. Now, the key will be whether Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Sebastian Cossa can continue that trend. It's not clear whether any of those four will see time with the Red Wings this season, but it's at least possible in each case. None would be expected to be impact players right away, as rookies, but all four have the potential to move the needle as they develop. That's certainly one source of hope. 'Still 4 first-round picks in the system that haven't made the jump (another 1 if you include 2025 draft),' one voter noted. 'Plenty of cap flexibility moving forward. If those picks largely flop and the cap space is used poorly, then I'll lose confidence.' Some fans, though, were not as sold on the prospects as being enough to feel confident. 'The pipeline seems to be filled with lots of depth, but few high-end prospects,' one reader said. 'The team is currently one of the oldest in the league with multiple contracts weighing us down. While the cupboards are full, it feels like we're stuck in the mushy middle.' This question dovetails with the last one, so it's no surprise to see a similar distribution of results. Once again, the most votes were in the middle, with 3 getting a majority of the answers. But interestingly, among those who picked a side, Yzerman's job performance scored a bit more favorably than fans' confidence in the overall direction, with 31.7 percent of voters giving him a 4 or 5 compared to 22.6 percent rating him a 1 or 2. Advertisement That may speak to some fans feeling that Yzerman isn't the main reason for the Red Wings' predicament. 'I think it's always hard to judge a GM performance, especially when (there) are so many impacting situations,' one voter said. 'A GM can only be as good as the the market and the position of the draft; it's the hand you are dealt.' 'People forget how bad the team was and how bare the prospect cupboards were when he started,' another wrote. Still, one of the themes among those who chose to comment was a clear delineation between Detroit's drafting and other means of player acquisition under Yzerman. 'Good drafting, poor signings and trades,' one voter wrote. 'Patience has been an asset for Yzerman in the past, but has his patience allowed other clubs in our division to catch up to us?' another wondered. It won't surprise anyone to hear that the Jake Walman trade got plenty of mentions, but Yzerman's handling of free agency was an especially common point of dissatisfaction. Yzerman and the Red Wings have had some hits in that market over the years, but many of those were on shorter-term deals for players who have already left for elsewhere. Meanwhile, many of the longer-term free agents Detroit has signed have been inconsistent, and in some cases have felt redundant to each other. In Yzerman's defense, some of this is the nature of free agency: the player pool is, by definition, older players who can pick their own destination. Non-playoff teams usually have to overextend themselves (on either dollars or term) to land those players, who also happen to be at risk of decline as they age. If you want to improve via that avenue, those big contracts are the cost of doing business. But part of being a general manager is also knowing when to walk away from such negotiations. And going into an offseason where the Red Wings are expected to be aggressive, it's going to be fascinating to see how Yzerman handles that side of things. Fans still seem to have sympathy for Yzerman's predicament on the whole, but it's fair to say some of their confidence has waned in recent years. No surprise here that McLellan, who turned the Red Wings around after coming in at the end of December last year, gets high marks. There were some who responded with some variation of 'too early to tell,' but nearly 85 percent of voters rated McLellan either a 4 or 5, and when you consider Detroit went 26-18-4 after his arrival (a 95-point pace over a full season), that makes sense. Advertisement Players clearly responded to him — and quickly — which is a great sign. He should have a nice blend of familiarity and fresh-start energy when he gets to training camp this fall. That could be a very good recipe. But we've also seen that NHL teams have become quite fickle with their head coaches in recent years, and winning seems to be the only real antidote. There's no true runaway winner here, and maybe that has to do with the relative similarity of some of the answers. But it certainly feels notable that the 'long-term sustainability' answer got the most votes — and would have still been competitive if you combined the '2026 playoffs at all costs' votes with the 'one more year outside is OK' crowd. 'I care about deep playoff runs more than simply making them,' one voter said. And while the 'at all costs' line probably turned some voters off that option, that shouldn't be mistaken for no sense of urgency, or a lack of frustration with how things have gone recently. That shows up in the lack of support for taking a short-term step back to retool for the longer term, which polled at under 5 percent. 'No reason to ruin the young core to chase the playoffs this year as a non-contender,' one voter said. 'But feels like we're getting passed by other rebuilding teams, so there needs to be a hard assessment of where we really are.' There are certainly some hard-liners — 'Enough is enough,' one fan wrote — but these results indicate this isn't necessarily a make-or-break year for most fans … assuming there is at least progress to point to. 'But just one more year, assuming we have some clear forward momentum,' one voter wrote. 'No more March 15-game losing streaks, no more botching big important late season series against division rivals.' Again, the most common answer was to straddle the line, but there's a clear pull toward the negative side here, outpolling the optimists by a resounding margin of 49 percent to 12 percent. That may be instructive as it pertains to the previous question: if fans don't expect the Red Wings to make the playoffs next year, it makes sense they aren't ready to call it make-or-break. Advertisement The one big caveat here is we're doing this poll before free agency or the bulk of any trade dealings. So what this really tells us is fans' confidence in the roster as currently constructed. That means it's liable to change — and perhaps change significantly — after July 1. Speaking of which … Hardly a shocker that Red Wings fans want their team to be in on the summer's top free agent prize, Mitch Marner. He'd be another smaller winger in a top-six that's already filled with that, but for a 100-point player who also kills penalties, that's a secondary issue. Marner would bring star power and significant playmaking, and do so while also potentially helping the league's worst penalty kill from a year ago. It's not a preference that needs much explaining — though it of course hinges on Marner's interest in coming to Detroit, which is far from a given. And while he would clearly move the needle, it's also fair to point out he doesn't necessarily address the team's stated needs this summer. 'I know Marner will be the sexy pick, but the Wings need to be harder to play against, and (Vladislav) Gavrikov fits the bill,' one voter said. At 27.3 percent of the vote, the Los Angeles Kings defenseman was actually closer to catching Marner in our poll than he was to the third-place finisher, Sam Bennett. That speaks to fans' recognition of the blue line as an area for improvement. 'There are a lot of defenseman prospects coming, but none are ready for this kind of role,' another fan said. And that's true. Top defense prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka has a lot of potential, but his stint in Grand Rapids at the end of the season was a reminder he'll likely need time before being a significant contributor. Other prospects William Wallinder, Shai Buium and Anton Johansson have potential, but are most likely to be solid third-pairing types than top-four staples. Advertisement That leaves room for a big-ticket top-four 'D' addition, whether it's a free agent like Gavrikov or Aaron Ekblad, or a trade target such as the Rangers' K'Andre Miller. I was a little surprised there wasn't more support for Bennett, who plays with an edge and has shown he can score tough goals in big games. But perhaps the cost — after another loud postseason for Bennett — was a factor there. The harsh reality, though, is that Detroit won't get to just pick and choose from this bunch, which represents the top of the free-agent market. Those players are going to have a lot of interest from all over the league. So while the 'other' option in this poll represented less than 4 percent of the vote, it may actually be the most likely outcome. Based on the feedback earlier in the survey, this one was no surprise, with fans most confident in Detroit's drafting. There were some fans, however, who made note that 'Most confident doesn't mean confident,' or put simply, 'Not confident in any.' That surely reflects the frustrations of a fan base that has gone so long without tangible on-ice success to point to. There were also some who drew a distinction between the first-round drafting and in rounds 2-7. But while there have been some players picked in the second round who Detroit is probably kicking itself over (JJ Peterka, Logan Stankoven and Brock Faber top that list), the trend fans are observing is more par for the course. Once you get past round 1, making the NHL at all is generally considered a win, and it can take a long time for those players to develop to that point. Consider that two Red Wings rookies in 2024-25, Albert Johansson (2019 second round) and Elmer Söderblom (2019 sixth round), were part of Yzerman's first draft class and only just now reached the NHL. So while the later-round picks haven't arrived yet, that doesn't mean they won't, with Trey Augustine (2023 second round), Max Plante (2024 second round), Dmitri Buchelnikov (2022 second round) and Anton Johansson (2022 fourth round) among the most intriguing names. That being said, Detroit likely does need one of those players (or a future later-round pick) to really hit it big at some point, even with how well it has done in the first round. Being just 'par for the course' in rounds 2-7 could easily add up to a similar result in the standings. The majority of the fan base (nearly 70 percent) expects Detroit to compete for a championship in the next five years, which would seem to indicate more faith in the team's direction than fans proclaimed earlier in the poll. There's a higher bar to competing for the Stanley Cup than just making the playoffs, and while there could be some difference in definition of what 'contention' actually looks like, this is a fairly high number for a team in the Red Wings' position. Advertisement One reader said that as Detroit's young players and prospects continue to develop and the team rounds out around them, 'they will be a team with enviable depth (without superstar talent), like Carolina.' 'There are key foundational pieces in place,' another added. 'Seider and Edvinsson are going to be the high-end D-men so important to being a contender. I'm hopeful that one of the young goalie prospects will blossom into an elite player, and I'm confident that guys like Kasper and Danielson are built for the playoffs.' But while outvoted, the 30 percent who felt Detroit was five-plus years away was adamant. '5 years is underselling it,' one said. 'Without doing something dramatic in free agency we don't have the stars in our system to win the Cup,' another added. 'Typically the core of the prospects will need at least 2-4 years of experience before they fully understand that the playoff run is a totally different task,' one more reader noted. Obviously, this is the ultimate 'time will tell.' But the bulk of fans still believe Cup contention is on the horizon for this group. These two questions were meant to be analyzed together, partly as an indicator of how much the playoff drought could be sapping enthusiasm (and willingness to shell out for tickets, parking and the other costs associated with going to a game). It's admittedly only one measure, but it appears most fans expect to maintain their current attendance level next year, with more fans wanting to move up rather than down. 'Games are expensive,' one fan noted. 'Don't want to shell out the money for a family of four if I feel like we're going to see a loss. Kids are 8 and 10. Prime years for becoming fans for them. Would love to see a turnaround and winning season like the Tigers, Lions and Pistons are doing.' (Photo of Steve Yzerman: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Every Former Red Wings Player In The Cup Final
Troy Stecher (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images) The hockey community can feel small. All of the recycled coaches and management members going around the NHL like a massively convoluted game of musical chairs can be exhausting. However, when the team that you cheer for is the Detroit Red Wings, an original six team, there is bound to be someone who was connected to the franchise in some capacity. Advertisement Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. The 2025 Stanley Cup Final begins on Wednesday, June 4th. In honor of that commencement, here is every former Red Wings player in the Cup Final. (Spoiler alert: they all play for one team.) Trending Red Wings Stories Every Expiring Detroit Red Wings Contract Every Expiring Detroit Red Wings Contract All good things come to an end. 3 Red Wings Prospects Ready For The Big Leagues 4 Free Agent Defenders Yzerman Has To Actually Avoid Could Jonathan Toews Become Latest Ex-Blackhawk to Jump to Detroit? Advertisement 3 Special Red Wings Prospects That Are Untouchable Three Potential RFA Offer Sheet Candidates for the Red Wings Three Potential RFA Offer Sheet Candidates for the Red Wings On Tuesday, the NHL revealed the offer sheet compensation levels (based on the AAV of potential RFA poachings) for the 2025 offseason. With that in mind, here's a look at some potential options for the Detroit Red Wings to reel in some added depth this summer. Jake Walman Jake Walman, it's going to be difficult for Red Wings fans to forget you. The current Edmonton Oilers defender was infamously traded from the Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. At the same time, the Sharks received a second-round draft pick for their troubles. Advertisement As I've previously written about, Walman has been a great addition to the Oilers since his arrival. However, when he was in Detroit, you could see the same tools at play. Walman was a stabilizing presence for the young Moritz Seider and endeared himself to fans with his outgoing personality. Troy Stecher Another defender, Troy Stecher, has been an excellent piece for the Oilers during this playoff run. He was able to come in and perform at a high enough level to make the coaching staff want to play him more. Stecher played for the Red Wings during the 2020-21 season and part of the 2021-22 season. The team wasn't very good during that time, and he was a combined -19 over 60 games with the team. Calvin Pickard The Red Wings were the last NHL stop for Calvin Pickard before signing with the Oilers. He was used sparingly in the NHL – 12 games across three seasons. Advertisement Pickard came in for Stuart Skinner after the latter had a shaky start to the 2025 playoffs. Pickard went on a six-game heater, got injured, and then Skinner came back and has been lights-out. What a world. Mattias Janmark Bet you couldn't have guessed that Mattias Janmark (Mattias Janmark-Nylen) was a Red Wings draft pick. The 79th overall selection in the 2013 draft played two games for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2013-14 season. The Swedish forward was traded to the Dallas Stars on March 1st of 2015, along with a second-round draft pick, for the likes of Eric Cole and a third-round pick. Advertisement With all of the former Red Wings on the Oilers, it makes it clear to this writer who Red Wings fans should cheer for during the Stanley Cup Final. It's a small hockey community, after all. Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
A sacrifice fly? Think again, Quinn Rooney. ‘It just kept going.' He makes sure Benet keeps going too.
Benet sophomore first baseman Quinn Rooney put his head down and ran hard after hitting the towering fly ball to right field. It wasn't until he got to second base that he realized what he had done. Kaneland junior right fielder Carter Grabowski drifted back and got ready to catch what everyone figured would be a sacrifice fly. Then he signaled that he couldn't find the ball. That's because it was gone for a tie-breaking three-run home run. 'I actually didn't think it was a home run,' Rooney said. 'I thought it was like a sac fly to the right fielder. But as I was rounding second, I saw the home plate umpire point like that, and I just got really excited.' So did Rooney's teammates, who mobbed him after he crossed home plate with what turned out to be the decisive run in Benet's 5-4 victory in the Class 3A Kaneland Regional championship game. Rooney's first home run of the season, coming in the fifth inning, capped a five-run rally by the second-seeded Redwings (23-12), who advance to the Kaneland Sectional semifinals to play top-seeded Burlington Central at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Third-seeded Kaneland (25-11) led 2-0 when junior second baseman Nathan Cerocke and senior third baseman Merrick Sullivan led off the inning with singles for Benet. Senior right fielder Luke Wildes walked to load the bases for senior center fielder Josh Gugora, who hit a slow tapper to third. An errant throw home allowed two runs to score. Rooney followed with his decisive swing. 'Off the bat, I was excited because, all right, at least that's one, you know, if it was a sac fly,' Benet co-coach Jorge Acosta said. 'He caught enough to backspin it, and it just kept going and got out of here. It was awesome, a good moment for him.' Rooney has had many good moments this season. The Redwings originally planned to use him as a pitcher, but he impressed so much at first base during the preseason that he earned the starting spot there. 'He's been one of our biggest clutch hitters all year long,' Acosta said. 'I think this is his fourth or fifth game-winning hit. 'He had a couple walk-off hits back-to-back days against Naperville North and Carmel. He's very calm in big spots and keeps things simple. He just finds a barrel, and good things happen.' Not much good was happening in this game for the Redwings, who had mustered only two singles off Kaneland junior pitcher Hayden Foster through the first four innings. But Foster's day was done after Rooney's homer. 'I just had to stay relaxed just like any other at-bat,' Rooney said. 'You can't tense up in those tough moments but just got to show up for your team.' The Redwings know they can rely on Rooney to do so. 'He's been huge all year coming through in big spots,' Benet senior pitcher Gino Zagorac said. 'As a sophomore especially, it's tough. 'There's a lot of pressure on you, but he's thrived through all the pressure, and he's came up in big spots for us a lot throughout the year. You've got to give a lot of credit to him for staying composed.' Zagorac (3-2), a Wichita State recruit, stayed composed despite some struggles with command. He walked four and hit a batter but allowed only two hits and struck out six, leaving after issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth. 'It was tough in the beginning trying to find my all my pitches, and then as the game went on, I was able to throw three pitches in the zone for strikes,' Zagorac said. 'That helped me keep them off balance and battle through even though I didn't have my best stuff.' Benet junior Lucas Kohlmeyer pitched two innings to get the save. Rooney helped him by making a diving catch for the first out of the seventh inning and then grabbed a grounder and tossed the ball to Kohlmeyer for the second out. Northwestern-bound senior Jake Rifenburg is scheduled to pitch for Benet on Wednesday. Zagorac said 'the entire school' has confidence in Rifenburg, while Rooney said the Redwings have confidence in themselves. 'We've been battling all year, but we just got to keep going,' Rooney said. 'We're just going to keep winning games, eventually getting to state. That's the goal.'
