Knights welcome back majority of starting lineup.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
IC Catholic Prep softball coach Frank Reaber has a nice problem on his hands that most coaches wish they had.
Reaber has almost his entire starting lineup back from a 2016 team that won 16 games.
That list includes seniors Kaitlyn Falduto (SS) and Molly Fahey (OF), juniors Josie Lytton (C) and Georgia Mahnke (1B), along with sophomores Kayla Faber-Cournane (P), Kayla Cervantes (OF) and Natalie Murillo (2B).
Key newcomers include freshmen Dani Murillo (3B), Allesandra Eccardt (OF-DH) and Brooklyn Campos (OF).
Reaber likes his team’s potential on offense. “The girls can really hit,” he said. “With all the girls we have coming back we will be a better hitting team.”
And having Faber-Cournane back on the mound after her freshman season on the varsity is another key positive for the Knights.
“Kayla starting as a pitcher as a freshman and now being a sophomore is a big deal,” said Reaber. “She has gained speed. She’s faster than last year.”
Reaber said his team learned plenty from last year’s campaign. “We were so young last year that we had nine or 10 games where we led in the sixth inning and lost because of inexperience.”
A key for the Knights will be their progress on the defensive end. “We’re still young and we’re working hard to limit our errors,” said Reaber. “We made a lot of errors last year and hopefully we will be a lot better defensively this year. We’re doing a lot of fundamental work.”
Reaber sees plenty of potential with this group. “We absolutely have the opportunity to be better,” he said. “I think we are going to have a pretty good year. If our pitching with Kayla continues to progress and we can play defense, I know we will be able to hit the ball. We had three freshmen starting last year who are now sophomores and are even better. They should be ready and consistent.”
Reaber knows his team will have to work hard in the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division.
“Glenbard South always is good in our conference,” said Reaber. “We are pretty good too. A lot of people don’t realize we are the smallest school in the conference and play in that upper bracket. Glenbard South and Riverside-Brookfield always are good in our conference.”
IC Catholic Prep is embarking on a spring break trip this week to Myrtle Beach, S.C., where it will get a heavy dose of Ohio-based schools during its five games there. “The smallest school we play has 2,100 kids,” Reaber said. “It will be a great experience for the girls. They will see some very good competition. Last year there we played six games and went 1-3 on the varsity and 0-2 at the JV level and every team was twice as big as us.”
