Latest news with #St.Edward
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
Chicago Tribune
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Torn ACL in April. Surgery in June. Nothing stops St. Edward's Maggie Jarzemsky from playing at state. ‘Amazing feeling.'
NORMAL — Maggie Jarzemsky and her St. Edward teammates have had the goal of playing in the basketball state finals since they were little girls. A torn ACL in April and subsequent June surgery, however, cast some doubt that Jarzemsky would be a part of it if the Green Wave were able to get there. But she stayed optimistic. 'I was always planning on coming back,' Jarzemsky said. 'I was hoping to come back a little bit earlier than expected, but that got pushed back. I was able to play the last month of the season.' Limited to 15 minutes in her 12th game this winter, Jarzemsky scored three points, hauled down six rebounds and added steals Thursday afternoon for the Green Wave in 54-41 loss to Pecatonica in the Class 1A state semifinals at CEFCU Arena. The senior forward has provided a big boost to St. Edward (26-11) despite being on on minutes restriction, including Monday's 56-43 supersectional win over Willows that clinched a lifelong dream of playing at state. Savannah Lynch led the Green Wave on Thursday with 17 points and seven rebounds. Jordin Sauls added eight points. Elaina Rager topped all scorers with 25 points for Pecatonica (31-6). After all the hard work behind the scenes, just being on the court at Illinois State was a dream come true for Jarzemsky and the Green Wave, who face Cissna Park (30-6) at 9:30 a.m. Friday for third place. 'To be able to go down here with my teammates was one of our goals since we were watching the 2017 team down here,' Jarzemsky said of a group that took third in 2A. 'It's an amazing feeling.' St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson was not only impressed with the work the Alma recruit put in physically to overcome her injury. She was also liked with how she stuck together with the team. 'Maggie spent a lot of her time really learning the game, the mental part of the game, and being the best teammate ever for these girls when she wasn't on the court,' Dawson said. St. Edward missed two free throws with 3:44 left in the second quarter that would have forced a 17-17 tie. Rager then hit two straight 3-pointers to push Pecatonica's lead to eight. That was enough to keep the Green Wave at bay the rest of the game, and they never got closer than five points in the second half. 'In my opinion, that was really the difference,' Dawson said. 'Because other than free throws when we had to foul in the fourth quarter, we played them pretty even.' On the court, the 5-foot-9 Jarzemsky's presence in the post created even more depth for St. Edward, which leaned on its entire roster all season. Between Jarzemsky, Sauls and Amelia Davis down low, the Green Wave had things covered. 'The three of them are so effective in different ways on the court,' Dawson said. 'When we need that defensive spark, we go with Maggie. When we need a quick bucket, Jordin is the one. 'Amelia usually disrupts people with her defense in the paint and pulls down some key boards.' Sauls certainly appreciated having Jarzemsky back to handle things in the post. 'She's always so supportive,' Sauls said. 'She's always there for me. She's got my back on defense. She has great communication. She gets the boards. 'It's kind of a sense of relief knowing I have another teammate who will help out.' All in all, the journey back proved to be worth it for Jarzemsky. 'I wouldn't have wanted to go through this injury with any other team,' Jarzemsky said. 'All season long, the coaches and my teammates were so supportive of me. 'From day one, I had so much confidence in them.'
Chicago Tribune
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Savannah Lynch shakes off hand injury to spark St. Edward in Class 1A supersectional. ‘The momentum we needed.'
St. Edward's Savannah Lynch was excited for the biggest night of her high school career. But then minutes into Monday's game, the sophomore guard suffered an injury to her left hand and had to sit out the majority of the first quarter. The plan got changed, if only for a moment. 'I had to get it taped,' Lynch said afterward. 'It was (bothering me) a little bit, but once I got it wrapped, I knew it was nothing major. I was able to play through it and get the win.' Another big win, at that. Lynch responded by scoring nine straight points upon her return in the second quarter to lead the Green Wave to a 56-43 win over Willows in a Class 1A Harvest Christian Supersectional in Elgin. The 5-foot-10 Lynch led all scorers with 22 points for St. Edward (26-10), which advanced to an 11:15 a.m. Thursday state semifinal at CEFCU Arena in Normal against Pecatonica (30-6). Jordin Sauls added 12 points and Maggie Jarzemsky grabbed nine rebounds off the bench. Caroline Schuler scored 17 points to pace Willows (26-9), which forced a 19-19 tie during the second quarter before the Green Wave got back going once Lynch came back into the game. St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson was just happy her team maintained a lead in the first quarter without Lynch, who had led the Green Wave to their first sectional title since the 2016-17 season. 'Savannah struggled early with that injury,' Dawson said of her star player. 'She came through and everybody else stepped up. She was not herself, but everybody else was there to cover.' Lynch relied on adrenaline to play through it, doing what she had to do to get St. Edward to state. 'I really have to thank my teammates,' she said. 'I didn't think about it and kept playing my game.' Different teammates aided Lynch at different times Monday. After Lynch exited the game, Ginger Younger came off the bench and hit two big shots to help the Green Wave grab a15-6 lead. Younger, a transfer from Hampshire, is in her first season at St. Edward. And she was ready. 'We practiced this 100 times,' she said. 'Savannah is a really big role model. She does a lot of things and she teaches us. We have to stick together as a team sometimes. 'With our coaching, we were all ready. She fought through it.' Willows tied the game 19-19 with 2:15 left in the second quarter, but Lynch found another level. 'I think we all knew we needed to push the pace and get something going,' Lynch said. 'Me getting something going really helped open things up for all my teammates. 'That gave us the momentum we needed.' Lynch followed by hitting a 3-pointer and converting a layup off a steal, sandwiched around four free throws, to give the Green Wave a 28-19 lead they did not relinquish. 'She's been just a joy to coach,' Dawson said of Lynch. 'She's not selfish. She'll do what our team needs her to do to get the win. The entire team is so unselfish. I'm just very proud of them.' After Willows cut the deficit to 32-29 in the third quarter, Lynch drilled a 3-pointer to end the run. Then in the fourth, Sauls scored seven points to fuel an 11-0 run that put the game out of reach. Lynch started to believe that a run to state was possible as the season unfolded. As the Green Wave got healthier and learned how to play together, things began to fall into place. 'We made a goal chart, and one of our goals was getting to state,' Lynch said. 'We knew we could achieve it.' Indeed, the Green Wave have achieved that goal and now have a chance to add a state championship trophy to go with the one the program won in the 1984-85 season. 'It's amazing,' Lynch said. 'We're all emotional. We're just really happy to get down there.'
