Mid-season Report: Glenbard South Softball Team Shifts into High Gear

Record (through Thursday, May 5): 13-2 overall, 7-0 in the Metro Suburban Conference

Coach Julie Fonda’s mid-season team grade: A

Update: The Raiders are shifting into high gear. Since losing 13-8 to Class 4A Trinity on April 20 (Trinity finished runner-up in Class 3A last season) Glenbard South has mowed through its competition. The Raiders were on a going into their game Thursday night vs. MSC foe Fenton, outscoring their opponents 70-2 during that stretch—including a 25-0 pasting of Fenton this past Monday. The Raiders were beating Fenton 8-0 on Thursday, but the game was suspended due to lightning (it will resume on Monday). Six of Glenbard South’s 13 victories have been by shutout. Through the Raiders’ first 14 games, and Danielle Chitkowski have combined for 77 strikeouts and have surrendered just 69 hits in over 91 innings pitched. Jane Trzaska is leading the Glenbard South hit parade with an average hovering near .600. Chitkowski also is one of the Raiders’ leading hitters (.455), and Hannah Davey checks in with an average of over .400. Glenbard South is hitting .367 as a team.

Quoting Coach Fonda

On the team’s offense: “I’m very pleased with where we’re at. We’re attacking the ball very well. We’re hitting one through nine and there’s not a hole in the lineup. We’ve done a really nice job of putting the ball in play, and I’m really happy with that.”

On the team’s defensive play: “We’ve had our ups and downs, but all in all we’ve had a really good year. I harp on defense. We put a lot of energy into who’s going to be where (on the field). Communication (on defense) is something that I’m very strict about. I insist they have communication on the field, and they’re doing a better job of that as the season goes on.”

On the team’s pitching: “We’re incredibly blessed with our pitching. Jess is an incredibly hard-working kid and Danielle has put a ton of energy into pitching. I’ve seen a lot of success, and it’s been fun to watch. Jess spends more time developing more pitches, and Dani has put more time into perfecting the pitches that she has. Neither style is better than the other; they both work for them.”

On the most pleasant development so far this season, team-wise or individually: “Our ability to score runs with two outs and in pressure situations. That’s been a tremendous asset. It shows their tenacity as a group and that they’re not going to hang their heads with two outs in an inning.”

On what the Raiders must do in order to be successful the rest of the season: “I think they have to continue to build on what we’ve created. It’s a fun group of kids. We want to stay focused on what we want to accomplish and not take anything for granted.”