By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
IC Catholic Prep softball coach Frank Reaber said his team has been playing “pretty well.”
In the case of the Knights, “pretty well” must be code for “outstanding.” IC Catholic Prep was off to a perfect 9-0 start to the season thanks in part to a 6-0 showing during spring break in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
The Knights also hold wins over Proviso East, Timothy Christian and St. Francis. “St. Francis was a big win for us,” said Reaber.
Reaber said the competition in Florida “wasn’t bad.” “It’s hard to tell about the teams. I judge by the size of the schools and all the schools we played were bigger than us,” he added. “We hit well in Florida, which is a big deal, and we are playing pretty good defense. Our base running still could improve, but it’s mostly been our hitting. We’re putting up eight, nine and 10 runs a game. It’s hard to lose that way. Florida was a real good boost for us. We played in nice weather and had six games in four days. It was good for them. And then we get home and have this bad weather and games will be rescheduled for later in the year when we’ll start playing back-to-back-to-back. But it’s the same for everybody.”
Reaber also has been pleased with the team’s pitching. “Our pitching is good,” he said.
In Florida, Dani Murillo had three over-the-fence home runs, while Josie Lytton had one. Lytton had two over-the-fence home runs in a game against Timothy Christian. “They both are hitting the ball very well,” said Reaber.
Kayla Faber-Cournane and Rebecca Cash, a freshman, also have been hitting well. “We’re getting some clutch hits,” said Reaber.
Faber-Cournane and Cash have done the lion’s share of the pitching duties. “Both of them are doing really well,” said Reaber.
Coach Reaber is thrilled with the team’s start. “I didn’t think we would start this good, but you always take it,” he said. “We are getting better.”
Reaber said a key barometer for his team was the aforementioned St. Francis win. “We beat them 5-4 when Rebecca Cash had a base hit in the bottom of the seventh that drove in the winning run,” he explained. “We were leading 4-1 and they tied it 4-4 in the top of the seventh. St. Francis went 33-5 last year in Class 3A and didn’t lose anybody from that team. Based on how we played against them in an early-season game, we handled the pressure well.”
In the bottom of the seventh of that game, IC Catholic Prep had runners on first and third with one out when Cash lined a single to right-center to end it.
IC was scheduled to play Fenton, Guerin Prep, Illiana Christian and Evergreen Park this week. The Knights are slated against Illiana today and for a doubleheader against Evergreen on Saturday. The Knights had a doubleheader this past weekend against St. Edward cancelled due to the cold weather.
