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Chicago Tribune
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Natalie Muellner explains rubber toy chickens hanging from Oswego's dugout. It's a win-win. ‘They keep multiplying.'
The question had to be asked, and senior outfielder Natalie Muellner provided the answer. What's up with the rubber toy chickens hanging from the chain-link fence protecting Oswego's dugout each game, home or away? Their number seems to be growing. 'The first one has a Dave & Buster's shirt on it that's orange and blue,' Muellner said. 'I said, 'Oh my gosh, it's perfect. It's our school colors.' We found it on our (spring break trip) to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and I thought it would be kind of funny to put it up there. 'We kept on getting more of them and I was like, 'We should get one for every win we get.' And they keep multiplying.' So, it's not mystery chicken, it's victory chicken. That number hit a milestone Thursday with Oswego's 5-1 Southwest Prairie Conference win at home over Yorkville. The Panthers (29-1, 13-1) tied the program record for wins in a season set last spring when they finished third in the state in Class 4A. 'It's a big one,' Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said. 'Hopefully, there's a lot more to go.' With two regular-season games remaining — Monday at Minooka and Wednesday vs. Oswego East at home — the Panthers hold a one-game lead over Minooka (21-9 12-2) in conference. Winning pitcher Jaelynn Anthony (13-0) threw a two-hitter Thursday in hot, blustery conditions, with the wind blowing in from right field. 'That was tough,' Scaramuzzi said. 'We had at least two balls that normally would have gone out on any other day stay in. That changes the ball game because we're a long ball team. 'We had to produce at the plate in different ways.' It was an adventure for Anthony, a junior right-hander who struck out 10 but walked seven and hit two batters. Singles by senior shortstop Bella Phillips and junior third baseman Brooke Ekwinski were the only hits for the Foxes (17-10, 8-6). 'We needed that one clutch hit that would have scored a couple runs and swung momentum,' Yorkville coach Jory Regnier said. Anthony aided her cause with three singles and senior first baseman Rikka Ludvigson added a two-run single. 'I never worry when she's out there,' Scaramuzzi said of Anthony, who walked in Yorkville's lone run in the first inning without giving up a hit. 'I know she's gonna figure it out, settle in, and she did just that.' Iowa-bound senior catcher Kiyah Chavez did have an amazing streak end for Oswego, taking a called third strike from freshman reliever Isabella Rosauer in the bottom of the sixth. It's the first strikeout in nearly two full years for Chavez, the 2024 Beacon-News/Courier-News Softball Player of the Year who didn't strike out last season and had none this spring entering the game. 'Kiyah's the best hitter in the state and I'm confident in that statement,' Scaramuzzi said. But back to Muellner. The Wisconsin-Whitewater commit does much more than organize fowl play. She cracked the starting lineup midway through last season and finished hitting .327 with three home runs. The last of those provided the highlight of her career in a 2-1 state semifinal loss to St. Charles North. This spring, she's hitting .344 with three homers, four doubles and 21 RBIs. Scaramuzzi gets a kick out of the chicken collection. 'This is a silly team,' she said. 'They like to have a lot of fun, and that's kind of what just happened. This team plays its best when they're having fun.' The practice may be a little weird, Chavez agreed, but she noted there is precedence. Yorkville players took Wilbur the rally pig all the way to Peoria, earning a state runner-up finish in 2023 and still have it with them in the dugout every game. 'Oswego East had some kind of horse once, too,' Chavez said. 'It adds character to the team.'
Chicago Tribune
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
A family photo. An older brother. Carmel senior Matthew Lucansky's road to this juncture began long ago.
Matthew Lucansky stumbled upon wrestling when he was a kid. As the Carmel senior prepares for his final postseason, he recalled how it all started for him and his older brother Patrick 11 years ago. 'We saw a picture of our dad and uncle when they were kids,' Lucansky said. 'They were wearing a singlet and head gear. We were like, 'What's this?' I didn't know my dad wrestled. It was a monumental moment.' Carmel coach Bob Kuykendall is pushing for Lucansky, a four-year varsity competitor, to experience another monumental moment and advance to the state meet for the first time. Lucansky (32-6) placed second in the 138-pound weight class at the Lake County Invitational on Jan. 25 and placed first at a tournament in Hoffman Estates earlier in the season. 'He's worked so hard in the offseason, gone to tournaments and multiple camps,' Kuykendall said. 'He's been a sectional qualifier his last three years, so he's showed potential. But we're in a really tough sectional. It's a dogfight to get out of the sectional.' Lucansky is excited about the opportunity. He'll start the postseason in the Class 2A Deerfield Regional on Feb. 8. 'It's do-or-die,' he said. 'I've put in weeks and months in the offseason and went to several camps and overnights at different colleges for the one simple goal of getting downstate and placing. I have to have six good matches.' Lucansky, who intends to wrestle in college, said he's in optimal condition to try. 'I feel amazing, just in the sense of it all coming full circle,' he said. 'My technique is starting to flow into how I'm wrestling. What I'm learning is being put into use. This is probably the best I've felt in four years. I'm in the best shape and the most technical. I'm the strongest. 'All of those extra months and extra workouts, practices and lifts, running and workouts at my house are all coming together for this Saturday.' Carmel senior 150-pounder David Fajardo Jr., a soccer and boxing standout who didn't wrestle in the previous two seasons, has returned to the mat and sees that drive in Lucansky during practices. 'I've known Matt since his freshman year, and he's a very good wrestler, and he pushes himself every day,' Fajardo said. 'He always brings good energy to the team and is motivating the people around him. 'We're wrestling partners. We push ourselves as much as we can, knowing what we want and knowing what we have to do to get there.' Carmel assistant Mike Tortorice, who also wrestled in the program and later competed at Wisconsin-Whitewater, said Lucansky has to stay focused. 'Matt's growth has come from his extreme dedication, not just from this past offseason but from the last two seasons,' Tortorice said. 'His mental maturity is one of the largest areas that's allowed this growth to take place. He has cast aside stubbornness and really taken on a new attitude. 'A key factor in his road will be if he keeps a clear mind from match to match and doesn't overanalyze his opponent.' Lucansky's effort is never in doubt, however. 'He's a competitor,' Kuykendall said. 'He fights hard every single match.' Lucansky credits his brother Patrick, who also wrestled at Carmel, for helping him become that kind of competitor on the mat. 'My brother was always bigger and stronger than me,' Lucansky said. 'In high school, he was always 60 pounds heavier and now is 100 pounds heavier. I wanted to be better than him, so it kept me working, getting stronger to challenge him. Winning became easier after going against him.'
