Here are the top five softball teams around Springfield for the 2024 season
It won’t be hard to find a quality softball team in the Springfield area this season.
Chatham Glenwood certainly stands above the rest in the Central State Eight Conference, but others such as Springfield High and Rochester certainly possess the talent to make noise this season.
Class 2A is also replete with a number of contenders in the area.
Here is just a small sample size of the top five teams in the Springfield area at the start of the 2024 season.
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Chatham Glenwood
The list just goes on and on for the Titans. If there’s any indication of just how much potential this team has this year, five of its six all-Central State Eight Conference honorees from last season return to the field. Three of those players garnered Illinois Coaches Association Class 3A all-state accolades — two were freshmen.
Sophomore pitcher Irie Lohrenz flourished as a freshman and reached all-state first team with a 16-1 mark and 2.20 ERA. Fellow sophomore leadoff hitter Ryleigh Kiel also ignited in her first season and was voted second team with a whopping .604 hitting average, which was third-best in program history.
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Senior infielder/pitcher Cassie Feld was another second teamer with a .521 average and a team-best nine home runs. Her twin sister, Kate, can also launch the long ball and has 12 career home runs. Cassie will play at Parkland College while Kate will head to the University of Illinois Springfield.
Chatham Glenwood rolled through the CS8 unbeaten at 18-0 in the league and finished 29-2-1 overall. It only came up short in the sectional final, 6-3 against Mount Zion after stranding 12 runners on base.
Gillespie
The Miners have won 11 regional titles over the last 17 seasons under head coach Michelle Smith but were stunned by fellow South Central Conference foe Staunton in last year’s regional semis, 5-4 after going unbeaten in conference play.
They have the experience to not only reclaim regional supremacy but also capture its first sectional crown since 1995 with senior star pitcher Emma Gipson back for another season. Gipson, who will play at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, is the State Journal-Register's two-time small school softball player of the year. She dished out a staggering 241 strikeouts last season while shelling out a .457 batting average.
Senior second baseman Lauren Bertagnolli will boost the hitting order after missing most of last season due to injury, along with a bevy of prolific sophomores: Ava Parish, Sadie Sholtis, Paxton Reid and Addi Cox. That doesn’t include juniors Delaney Taylor and Macie Wright. Parish was second-best on the team with a .402 average and 35 hits.
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Buffalo Tri-City/Sangamon Valley
The Tornadoes claimed their 11th straight MSM Conference title last season — a streak that stretches back to 2012 — and retain almost their entire roster. That core includes Class 2A senior all-staters Kamryn Sturdy and Scout Tschantz. Sturdy, who will play at Parkland College, wielded a .506 average with 30 runs and 30 RBIs.
Tschantz, sophomore pitcher Lily Woodworth and senior outfielder Kenzie Chandler all hail from Mount Pulaski, which joined the coop a couple of seasons ago. Tschantz cranked out five home runs with a .530 average while Chandler had a .387 average with 17 RBIs and 34 runs. Woodworth took charge in the circle and dialed up 119 Ks with a 15-4 mark and 2.83 ERA.
Fellow sophomores Lexie Patton (.481) and Tiffany Farley (.408) add to a potent roster that has just three seniors and two juniors total.
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Auburn/Lutheran
The Trojans toppled a number of records en route to a share of their second straight Sangamo Conference title in head coach Ryan Patterson’s second season at the helm.
They ascended as far as the Class 2A sectional final before falling to Quincy Notre Dame 4-3 in 11 innings and usher back most of their roster, including each of their all-state recipients: seniors Meena and Piper Taylor as well as juniors Addison Wheatley and Taylor Patterson.
Meena, who was all-state second team, set a program record with a .596 average. She also registered 204 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA as a pitcher. Her twin sister, Piper, was all-state third team with a .377 average.
Wheatley, a utility player, broke a school record herself with 53 RBIs to go along with 32 runs and a .393 average. Patterson, a second baseman, also established another school record with 45 runs while batting .357. Both Wheatley and Patterson were selected all-state third team.
Seniors Mailee Schoen (.355) and Sydeny Rabideau (10-3) offer even more experience and depth.
Staunton
The Bulldogs have flourished over the last three seasons under head coach Jennifer Abert, going 50-18 over that stretch. They upset Gillespie in the regional semis but came up short of their first ever regional title in a 4-2 loss to Salem.
They can certainly make history this season with their entire roster back from a 19-9 campaign. Senior Taylor Nolan powered the offense with a .548 average. That included 45 runs, 39 RBIs and five home runs. Junior Ele Feldmann was an all-South Central Conference first team pick with a .520 average. She totaled 52 hits, 33 runs and 39 RBIs.
Feldmann (9-2, 4.79 ERA) and junior Gianna Bianco (8-2, 3.36 ERA) spearheaded the pitching rotation.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Top five high school softball teams around Springfield for 2024
