Latest news with #Kublank
Chicago Tribune
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
St. Edward's Sarah Gurley has never tried travel softball in the summer. She plays baseball. ‘Figuring it out.'
St. Edward's Sarah Gurley oughta be in pictures. The sophomore shortstop, in a manner of speaking, is in a league of her own. She burst onto the scene last spring, hitting .521 and earning Chicagoland Christian Conference's player of the year and Illinois Coaches Association third team all-state honors. Impressive, especially when considering this. 'I've never played travel softball,' Gurley said. Say what? 'Sarah is a baseball player,' Green Wave coach Jerry Kublank said. 'She plays baseball in the summer and she likes to catch. She's a good catcher, but I need her at shortstop. 'You've seen some plays she made, showing good instincts to get that force at third base.' It came with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning Wednesday in St. Edward's come-from-behind 16-9 conference win over visiting Aurora Christian at the Elgin Sports Complex. Gliding over from the hole between short and third on a hard-hit ball that bounced away from sophomore Layne Dawson, Gurley scooped it up and beat a runner to the bag for a force out. 'She's picked up skills that some other players don't have,' said Kublank, who has coached baseball and softball for more than 50 years. 'Last weekend in the Larkin Tournament, she turned a couple double plays.' Gurley looked even better Wednesday at the plate, leading off the game with a triple to the wall in right field and then driving in three more runs with another triple in a 10-run sixth as the Green Wave (7-7, 4-1) rallied from an 8-6 deficit. In between? Gurley singled, was hit by a pitch and drew a walk while finishing with five runs scored. The strong support helped sophomore Kendall Pemberton gut out a win in the circle. She was filling in for ace Alaina Nolan, who suffered a hand injury Monday that will likely to keep her out of action for up to a week. That's a relief to Kublank, who learned earlier in the day school officials accepted an Illinois High School Association offer to host a regional. 'It just meant we all had to step up a bit to try to fill the spot,' said Gurley, who usually bats third. Freshman outfielder Mady Wagner and junior first baseman Grace Kendall had big days at the plate with three hits apiece for Aurora Christian (2-7, 0-4). Wagner homered and Kendall doubled twice for the young Eagles, who have no seniors on the roster. Gurley, meanwhile, has found a home with St. Edward. 'We're glad she decided to play softball,' Kublank said. 'Matter of fact, when she was a freshman, she was thinking of going out for baseball here. 'She was in our camp and I was thinking, 'Please, no, you have a better future in college in softball.'' Gurley, who is hitting .512 this year, had the lone hit off Newark ace Kodi Rizzo in a 4-0 loss in last season's regional final. She struck out just twice last spring and has not struck out this season. 'I've been playing baseball since I was 5 and didn't start playing softball until starting high school,' said Gurley, the middle of Glen and Jennifer's three children. Her oldest brother, Zach, is a senior. Her youngest brother, Nate, is in seventh grade. 'Baseball has always been a good all-around experience,' Sarah said. 'The guys respected me, I respected them and we get along. 'Nate and I played on the same team that my dad coached for a while.' She also has played two seasons of varsity basketball at St. Edward and continues to play summer rec league baseball. 'I'd like to play one of them in college if opportunities are there,' she said. 'I'm still figuring it out. 'It's always a transition going between baseball and softball, but I adjust. I'm liking softball more, but I think I still like baseball better.' Kublank doesn't mind. 'I don't think summer baseball is hurting her,' he said. 'It's OK with me.'
Chicago Tribune
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
St. Edward's inspiration comes from Alaina Nolan getting her 500th career strikeout. ‘That's what I want to do.'
Watching her in action in the circle, it's readily apparent St. Edward pitcher Alaina Nolan has her head in the game. A junior right-hander in her third varsity season as the team's ace, Nolan also bats leadoff and is a vocal leader for the Green Wave. She encourages teammates, reacts to plays and calls and has a good time in spite of the usual ups and downs experienced by a group struggling to stay above the .500 mark. 'We're just trying to do what we can,' Nolan said. 'My whole thing is if I can inspire someone to make a play, that's what I want to do. Can't strike everyone out, even though you can try.' Nolan and St. Edward had just dropped the first of the three games they played Saturday in the Larkin Slugfest Tournament at the Elgin Sports Complex, losing 15-5 in six innings to the host Royals. Hampshire went 3-0 in the eight-team event and outscored three opponents by a cumulative 52-4 score to capture the title. Nolan worked the first three innings against Larkin and reached a career milestone — 500 strikeouts — with the fifth of her eight strikeouts in the game. She added two more in three innings of work in a 7-1 win over ITW Speer of Chicago and stands at 505. She didn't pitch in the third game for the Green Wave (5-7), a 13-2 loss to Dundee-Crown. It's a noteworthy number. 'We don't play as many games as other schools because we don't schedule during spring break,' St. Edward coach Jerry Kublank said, noting how impressive Nolan's strikeout total is. The Green Wave went 7-15 and 13-16, respectively, in Nolan's first two seasons. Lindsay Zdroik, a 2016 graduate, is the program's record holder with 781 strikeouts. 'Alaina took part in our summer camps in junior high,' Kublank said. 'You could see she had a gift and was very serious about the game.' Nolan said she has been taking individual pitching lessons since first grade with a Willowbrook-based instructor who started by coaching his daughters. 'It's been the best experience and is perfect for me,' Nolan said. 'I go once or twice a week and pitch on my own other days and also lift. I wouldn't be throwing as hard as I do or as accurately as I do without it.' Nolan, who said she hit 65 mph with her fastball a month ago, has 94 strikeouts and a 3.35 ERA in 46 innings this season. Her team continues to struggle with shaky defense, but Nolan doesn't get frustrated. 'I have a lot of passion for the game,' she said. 'I love it so much. I get so excited about it. What you see is definitely more passion than frustration.' Nolan also throws a variety of pitches. 'I use my screwball as my fastball,' she said. 'You'll rarely see me throw a fastball. I throw a curve and rise ball a lot because it kind of cousins with the screwball. I'll also use my change-up and sometimes a drop.' Kublank, who has been coaching baseball or softball for 54 years, said he allows Nolan to call her own game. 'She's taken so many lessons, she has a good idea of what she wants to do,' he said. 'I may make a suggestion between innings now and then.' In the summer, Nolan plays with an Iowa Premier team headed by Jacobs coach Jessica Turner. 'The things I've learned from her are insane,' Nolan said of Turner, who has coached Nolan since eighth grade. 'Fall games, summer games, if I'm not pitching, I'm sitting by her listening to what she calls and constantly asking, 'Why did you call that or why didn't you call that?' 'That's just how I am. I like to have control and like the satisfaction and learning from every pitch. It's super interesting and a side of the game I would not have known.' Originally Published: April 21, 2025 at 11:05 AM CDT
