By Robert Kennedy
IV Leader Staff, Oct. 4, 2007
The IVCC women’s softball team will be playing some practice games this fall to get ready for the spring season. The team was scheduled for a four-team round robin tournament in September with Kankakee, Parkland and Lake Michigan Community College.
They will also play doubleheader games against Waubonsee Community College and Bradley University Club team. The dates for those games will be released at a later date.
Coach Cory Tomasson said that every year the team tries to have four to five goals to take care of — the first being every player must be academically successful. He would also like to win the Arrowhead Conference Tournament. Last year the team placed second in the conference.
This year, Tomasson said he would like to advance to the Region IV Final Four. Last year, the softball team placed third at the tournament.
When asked about the strong point of this year’s team, coach Tommason said that they are probably the most versatile team that IVCC has ever had.
IVCC has seven girls returning from last year’s successful team. One of the returning sophomores is pitcher Lyndi Araujo from Streator.
Tomasson said Araujo had a great season last year and was voted to the Arrowhead All-Conference team and also was named to the Region IV All-Region team. Joining Araujo with pitching duties are freshman Mel Sebastiano and Eryn Dougherty.
Tomasson said some other players also could be added to a pitching rotation, if needed.
The seven ladies who are returning were all starters last season and four of them received some type of All-Conference or All-Region honors and all seven of them hit over .300.
Besides Araujo, other sophomores returning include Amy Hiester from La Salle-Peru, Ashley Inman from Mendota, Biz Janusick from Hall, Rachel Moats from Princeton, Kristin Pouk from Streator and Aly Walter from Amboy.
Once the team’s fall season concludes, the women’s softball team will resume its season in the spring.