THE HUSKIE BEAT 5TH EDITION FEB 2015 Pre-season Kick off IN THIS ISSUE Preseason 2015 HUSKIES BLAST BOBCATS, 8-3, IN TOURNAMENT FINALE TOP OF NIU LINEUP COMBINES FOR EIGHT HITS, FIVE RBIS By: NIU Athletic Communications SAN MARCOS, Texas Thanks to a sensational showing from the top of the lineup, the Northern Illinois University softball team closed out the Hampton Inn & Suites Invitational with an 8-3 victory over Texas State. NIU s first three batters Bryanna Phelan (Coal City, Ill./Coal City), Bekah Harnish (Maple Park, Ill./Burlington Central) and Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) powered the offense with eight hits and five RBIs on the day, while the entire lineup combined for five extra-base hits. To be honest, we ve gotten a spark in the lineup, one through nine, all weekend, said NIU Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe. We knew coming in that our offense could put up some serious runs. I m not sure if we knew the power they were going to be capable of doing, but we want to keep rolling. First Look: 2014-15 signees mac attack: Kayti grable alumni spotlight HOME SLATE Phelan got the Huskies off to a hot start with a leadoff triple in the top of the first. Two batters later, Grable knocked a single up the middle to drive Phelan home and give the Huskies a quick 1-0 lead. In the second, Phelan came through again with a big hit. Caitlyn Warren (Naperville, Ill./Wisconsin) reached on a leadoff single and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Rebecca Rupard (Normal, Ill./Normal West). Two batters later, Phelan came through with a twoout single to drive home Warren and put NIU up, 2-0. Yet, Texas State quickly turned the two-run deficit into a one-run advantage in the bottom of the second. After two Bobcats got on base with an error and a single, Sara Rupp drove a home run to right center to put the hosts ahead, 3-2. The Huskies quickly turned things back in their favor in the top of the fourth with three runs on three hits. With two outs, Phelan again posted a big hit, this time with a two-out double. Harnish dropped a hit into right field to bring home the senior from second for the tying run. With a runner on, Grable pushed NIU ahead for good, clocking a two-run home run for a 5-3 NIU lead. Meanwhile, Jessica Sturm (Wichita, Kan./Goddard) made Grable s go-ahead homer count, allowing only three walks in the fourth and fifth innings and finishing the day surrendering just six hits and posting two strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Sturm was spelled in the sixth by Keegan Hayes (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central), who got out of a two-on, two-out situation in the sixth before closing down the Bobcats in the seventh. I think Jess did a nice job of keeping them off balance inside and outside, Sutcliffe said. When Keegan came in to close, she did a good job with her offspeed, which was a totally different look. With the way our defense played, we got off the field when we needed to. PAGE1
THE HUSKIE BEAT NIU HUSKIE SOFTBALL NEWSLETTER Ten FRESHMAN TO JOIN THE PACK FOR THE 2015-2016 SEASON MYKAELA ARELLANES Foristell, MO Holt HS High School: Three-time all-conference, all-region, all-district and all-state honoree at Holt High School Hit.559 with a.811 slugging percentage in 2014 to go along with 33 RBIs, 42 runs and three home runs Stole 28 bases as a senior Earned all-state, all-conference, alldistrict and all-region honors following the 2014 season Named the conference player of the year following her junior season Garnered all-state, all-metro, all-region, all-district and allconference laurels in 2013, while being invited to play in the ASA Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game Registered a.573 batting average and a.698 slugging percentage in 2013 Swiped 49 bases as a junior, while posting 20 RBIs and 40 runs Collected all-state, all-metro, all-region, all-district and all-conference recognition as a sophomore Finished with a.529 average and a.563 slugging percentage, while stealing 43 bases Stole 17 bases as a freshman. Personal: Born June 23, 1997, in Olathe, Kansas Daughter of Michael and Shonda Arellanes Plans to major in political science. Sutcliffe s Take: Mykaela rounds out our 2015 class with speed and grittiness making her a true contender in the outfield. Mykaela has triple threat ability and will be a spark plug wherever she ends up in the lineup. She has great tools at the plate and in the field and knows how to compete at a high level coming from the St. Louis Espirit program. JESSICA CONENNA Addison, IL Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep High School: Three-time all-conference and two-time all-area pick at Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep in Elmhurst Garnered first team all-area and all-conference, in addition to the team s MVP award in 2014 Hit a single-season school record.570 and notched a.766 slugging percentage with 15 extra-base hits as a junior Also set ICCP records in on-base percentage with.630 Recorded a 2.23 ERA with a school-record 198 strikeouts in 2014, finishing the year with a 14-12 record in the circle Notched a 13-6 record with 132 strikeouts and a.185 ERA as a sophomore to earn all-conference and all-area honors Hit.410 with nine doubles, one home run, 26 RBIs and 27 runs in 2013 Set a school record with 20 wins and a 1.41 ERA as a freshman, in addition to 184 strikeouts en route to all-conference recognition Batted.480 with a.663 slugging percentage in 2012 Played club ball with the DuPage Diamond Dawgs and Wasco Diamonds. Personal: Born March 7, 1997, in Melrose Park, Illinois Daughter of Dominic and Julie Conenna. PAGE 2 Sutcliffe s Take: Jessica will be competing for time on the mound. She has been her school captain, made all conference and all area honors, and just flat out competes. Jess' desire to be a Huskie and loyalty to our program shines. She understands what it takes to be successful at our level and will work hard to achieve it.
ALEXANDRIA FRENZ Oakville, MO Oakville HS High School: Three-time all-state, all-conference, all-district and all-region player at Oakville High School Set the school record for most assists in a season with 83 Hit.489 with a.540 slugging percentage in 2014...Hit 14 doubles and two home runs, tallying 29 runs and 26 RBIs Posted a 19-4 record and a 0.89 ERA in 2014, striking out 93 and walking only 12 Earned all-state, all-region, all-metro and all-conference honors as a junior Recorded an 18-3 mark and.090 ERA in the circle in 2013 with 88 strikeouts Recorded a.438 batting average with 15 RBIs Led her club team to a third-place finish at the ACA 18U Nationals as a junior Went 13-1 with a 1.93 ERA, along with a.406 batting average as a sophomore Named all-state honorable mention as a sophomore, in addition to earning spots on the all-region, all-district and all-conference teams Helped guide the Tigers to Suburban West Conference titles each of her four seasons at OHS. Personal: Born Dec. 5, 1996, in St. Louis, Missouri Daughter of Thomas and Christine Frenz...Plans to major in kinesiology. Sutcliffe s Take: Alex is going to compete for time on the mound and at 3B. Alex's hard work has paid off, as she has a ton of accolades in the St. Louis area. Her strength, tenacity, and willingness to learn the game are going to make her very successful with our program. Her infectious personality makes her the perfect teammate. DOMINIQUE GREENO Lacey, WA North Thurston HS High School: Three-time all-area and all-conference honoree at North Thurston High School Holds school record for most career home runs Earned first team all-area honors from both the Tacoma News-Tribune and The Olympian after her junior season with the Rams Recorded 19 extra-base hits in 66 at-bats in 2014, including setting NTHS single-season record for most home runs with 11 Knocked in 38 runs and accounted for another 44 as a junior Finished the 2014 season with a.570 batting average and a 1.227 slugging percentage Averaged.560 at the plate and tallied 10 roundtrippers as a sophomore Earned first team all-area from the Tacoma News-Tribune and The Olympian in 2013, along with first team allconference Garnered first team all-area and all-conference recognition as a freshman after hitting.530 in 19 games Plays club ball with the Northwest Sidewinders. Personal: Born Feb. 27, 1997, in Columbus, Georgia Daughter of Ron and Annette Greeno plans to major in mechanical engineering. Sutcliffe s Take: Dom is going to add some depth in our infield. Coming from the WA Sidewinders program, she knows how to compete against the nation's best. She has been a captain, MVP and first team athlete for several years mostly due to her offensive power. Not only is Dom going to be successful on the field, but also in the field of mechanical engineering. She is the definition of a student-athlete and exactly what NIU softball stands for. PAGE 3
Ten FRESHMAN TO JOIN THE PACK FOR THE 2015-2016 SEASON ABBY HOWLETT South Elgin, IL St. Charles North HS High School: Two-time all-area and all-conference honoree at St. Charles North High School Batted.404 and posted a.692 slugging percentage as a junior, in addition to four home runs, 41 RBIs and 23 runs Finished the 2014 season with a.991 fielding percentage en route to being named first team all-area and all-conference Hit a career-best.510 and.698 slugging as a sophomore, along with tallying a career-best.992 fielding percentage Posted 39 RBIs, 27 runs and 13 extra-base hits in 2013 on her way to earning first team all-area and all-conference honors Opened her career with a.209 batting average, 15 RBIs and 11 runs Ended 2012 with a.990 fielding percentage Played club ball with the Wasco Diamonds. Personal: Born May 6, 1997, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois Daughter of Michael and Jennifer Howlett Plans to major in secondary education. Sutcliffe s Take: Abby is another Chicagoland player that comes from a great program in the Wasco Diamonds. Abby has many first team honors because of her offensive explosion. She will break into the lineup through her offensive production and versatility on the field. Abby undoubtedly will have success on the field and in the classroom as a secondary education major. KATHERINE LAMICH Naperville, IL Naperville Central HS High School: Three-year letterwinner at Naperville Central High School Batted.419 with 31 RBIs and 18 extra-base hits as a junior Finished 2014 with a.567 slugging percentage Helped the Redhawks to a 28-8 record and a spot in the state super-sectionals as a junior, in addition to conference, regional and sectional championships Recorded a.411 batting average and a.514 slugging percentage with eight doubles as a sophomore Helped set the NCHS record for most wins in a single season with 32 in 2013 Named to the Academic All- Conference Team each of the last three seasons. Personal: Born Aug. 4, 1997, in Hinsdale, Illinois Daughter of Joseph and Kathleen Lamich. Sutcliffe s Take: Katie comes from a rich pool of talent in the Naperville area. Her ability to track down balls in the outfield will make her a contender to start immediately. Katie is a great teammate and will make those around her better. Her involvement in the community, the classroom and stand up character makes her a great fit. PAGE 4
JESSICA RIO Plainfield, IL Plainfield East HS High School: Two-time all-conference honoree at Plainfield East High School Collected Voyager Media All-Area and All-Southwest Prairie Conference honors following her junior season with the Bengals Posted a.411 batting average with 18 RBIs, 18 runs and 10 stolen bases in 2014 Earned the team s Golden Glove Award following the 2014 season after finishing with a.970 fielding percentage Drew a career-high 19 walks as a junior Ended the 2013 season with all-conference recognition after hitting.367 and swiping 12 bases, along with eight RBIs and 14 runs Opened her high school career with a.291 batting average, nine stolen bases, eight RBIs and 22 runs. Personal: Born June 26, 1997, in Plainfield, Illinois Daughter of Jeffrey and Christine Rio...Looking to major in kinesiology. Sutcliffe s Take: Rio comes from the nationally-known Beverly Bandits and Wasco Diamonds programs. She will compete for a starting spot in the outfield. Jess ability to pick apart a defense at the plate, makes her a tough out. We are excited to add her competitive mind set and national experience to our team. SAM SCHMIDT Lombard, IL Willowbrook HS High School: Three-time all-area and all-conference honoree at Willowbrook High School Owns school records for career home runs and career RBIs Named to the Top 100 Players list by the Chicago Sun-Times in 2013 and 2014 Picked to play in the Chicago Bandits All- Star Game following her sophomore and junior years Garnered first team all-state recognition in 2014 after setting WHS single-season records in batting average (.583), RBIs (51) and home runs (16), while helping lead the Warriors to a 21-11 record Named the team s MVP, first team all-area and first team all-conference as a junior Earned all-conference and allarea honors, in addition to being named WHS Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 Hit.458 as a sophomore while launching nine home runs and knocking in 40 runs Registered a.430 batting average and a 1.242 slugging percentage to earn all-conference and all-area honors in 2012 Tallied 23 extra-base hits and 43 RBIs in her first season with the Warriors Collected the team s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year Awards as a freshman Played club ball with the Glen Ellyn Phillies and Illinois Chill Gold. Personal: Born July 14, 1997, in Elmhurst, Illinois Daughter of Steve and Cathy Schmidt Plans to major in marketing. Sutcliffe s Take: Sam will compete for time in the middle infield. Coming from the Illinois Chill, we know she will be very fundamentally sound in all areas of the game. She has natural, raw, athletic ability that can t be taught. Sam s hands on defense, and ability to change a game with one swing will be a huge asset. Sam is continuing her family tradition at NIU and couldn t be more loyal to the Huskies. PAGE 5
Ten FRESHMAN TO JOIN THE PACK FOR THE 2015-2016 SEASON JENNIFER VAN GEERTRY Mokena, IL Lincoln-Way East HS High School: Two-time all-area and all-conference selection at Lincoln-Way East High School Earned first team all-area and all-conference honors as a junior after hitting.504 with 47 RBIs and six home runs Garnered first team all-state recognition and was named to the Chicago Bandits All-Star Game in 2014 Helped the Griffins to regional, sectional and super-sectional titles en route to a fourth place finish at state as a junior Posted a.458 batting average as a sophomore, finishing the year with nine extra-base hits, 21 RBIs and nine stolen bases Named to the all-area and all-conference teams after the 2013 season Hit.447 and recorded two doubles and two triples in 11 games as a freshman. Personal: Born June 29, 1997, in Hazel Crest, Illinois Daughter of Robert and Hilda Van Geertry Intends to major in marketing. Sutcliffe s Take: Jenny will also be competing for time in the outfield. She is the definition of consistency and has received all state honors to show for it. Jenny s steadiness in all areas of her game make her a great asset. She has played for the well coached New Lenox Lightning, so we know she will come to us with great softball knowledge. AMBER WATSON Mount Pleasant, SC Wando HS High School: Two-time all-conference and team MVP at Edgewood and Ashley Ridge High Schools Set the EHS record for single-season batting average as a freshman, hitting.589 Batted in 37 runs and accounted for another 27 in 2012 Named the conference s player of the year and earned all-metro and all-conference honors as a freshman Hit.475 with 28 RBIs and seven home runs as a sophomore Collected team MVP and all-conference laurels following the 2013 season Transferred to Ashley Ridge High School prior to her junior season Posted a.450 batting average with three round-trippers and 11 RBIs at ARHS Also lettered in soccer Will attend Wando High School during the 2014-15 academic year. Personal: Born May 27, 1997, in Jackson, Mississippi Daughter of Troy and Catherine Watson Plans to major in accounting. Sutcliffe s Take: I have known Amber for four years now. Amber has true utility player ability. She has a phenomenal work ethic and is a true student of the game. Amber is very much at home on the softball field and works to increase her potential anytime she can. PAGE 6
Signing day photos PAGE 7
MAC ATTACK: Kayti Grable Named MAC west player of the week By: NIU Athletic Communications Feb. 10, 2015 CLEVELAND Northern Illinois University sophomore Kayti Grable (Santee, Calif./Santana) has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday. Grable won the conference honor for the second time in her career, with her first honor coming March 17, 2014. Grable, the reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, got her sophomore season started with a bang at the Texas State Hampton Inn & Suites Invitational. In five games, the Santee, California, native hit.500 (8-16) with nine RBIs, three runs and three home runs to go along with an on-base percentage of.556, a slugging percentage of 1.062 and an OPS of 1.618. In the season opener against Pittsburgh, Grable scored the first run of the season with an RBI single up the middle. Later that day against the host Bobcats, she went 2-of-3 with a two-run home run in the first inning. Her power carried over into Saturday when she clobbered a three-run homer against Sam Houston State to give the Huskies a 4-0 lead on the Bobcats, then notched a single in the nightcap against Pitt. She capped the tournament with a 3-of-3, 3 RBI performance in an 8-3 win over Texas State that included the go-ahead two-run home run in the fourth inning. The Huskies return to action Feb. 20-22 when they compete in the Trojan Invitational. In addition to playing host Troy, NIU will also take on UConn and Evansville. PAGE 8
glove love Want your very own customized NIU Huskie Softball glove? We want to let you know that we have a one-time opportunity for you to order a custom NIU Huskie glove! We are offering both our red/ black glove as well as the black/white glove shown here. For more information, please email Alicia Abbott at aabbott@niu.edu so we can get your order in before February 28th! PAGE 9
ALUMNI Spotlight Presents: Jill Carpenter To my fellow alums I say it s been too long! I can t believe it s been about 15 years since my playing days at NIU. As I was going through a bunch of pictures and scrapbooks I realized it s amazing how quickly memories can come flooding back! It s been a fun stroll down memory lane. It has made me appreciate how much I truly loved my 4 years and I would go back in a heartbeat if I could. We had so much fun as a team, yet at the same time, I have never been around more competitive people in my life. I think that is why we were so successful. I know that brought out the best in me. Fast forward 15 years and here I stand at year 10 as the varsity softball coach at Sycamore High School and year 10 as a PE teacher at Kaneland High School. After two years coaching DI (NIU and Indiana University) I jumped back into school to get my master s in education so that I could teach and coach high school kids. That has been quite the experience! Honestly, I work with great kids from both schools so I can t complain much. My favorite class to teach is probably my group fitness class. I get paid to work out and work with kids. Can t complain! Favorite coaching memory so far is probably the 2011 team that won the school s first sectional title and was 2 outs (heavy sigh) from a state tourney trip. The championship was icing on the cake. Nobody expected us to be there but the kids got along so well (probably the best team I ve had in that regard) and they clicked at the right time. It was a fun ride. I thought I would list off some of my most memorable moments throughout my 4 years at NIU. Some of you will hopefully remember exactly what I am talking about! 1. Halloween..besides dressing up for a volleyball game costume contest it was ALWAYS our favorite day of the year. TP trips to Donna s house dressed in all black when she KNEW we were coming. It was always a huge rush..followed by huge consequences. Ramps anyone? Mixed up shoes? Missing keys? Or the infamous come on, get in the car! as Dee is RIGHT THERE. 2. 1998 Mac Tournament at Akron. Only 6 teams made the tourney back then. We lost our first game to BG (who was the 6th seed-ugh). We had to play the next day in the loser s bracket against Akron who was the #1 seed and upset the night before. 17 innings later we won 1-0 on the back of Christy Dalton who threw the WHOLE game! It was unbelievable and by far the craziest game I have ever been a part of as a player. It took 6 hours and 15 minutes and included a bathroom and snack break for both teams and the umpires. There were no lights at the field so they had to push the two games after ours to the next day. The next day we had to play Kent State and had to deal with the heartbreak of being on the losing end of a 1-0 game in 14 innings! Courtney Witvliet threw all 14 in that 4 hour marathon. We just couldn t get a run for her. I remember lying on the field after that one. Such highs and lows all in less than 24 hours. 3. Suzie Rizek hitting 3 home runs against Miami of Ohio..all in one game. I never saw Jill Justin play, but I think Suzie was probably the closest thing to her from a powerful presence standpoint. It was crazy. 4. Being a part of 3 different no-hitters thrown by 3 different pitchers. Mande Graham had one against Loyola. I remember it was one of my first games back from a broken right hand. I am pretty sure I got the look when a couple plays were closer than they should have been at first base. Courtney Witvliet threw one against Minnesota and Christy Dalton finally got hers against Western Michigan. Those games ended up feeling like championship contests and were a lot of fun. PAGE10
5. Two situations in my playing career had a profound impact on me and the team for the season. My freshmen year our senior caption, Missy Kaczor, got ridiculously sick when we were on the first part of our spring break trip in Texas. She ended up getting a very serious infection to go along with pneumonia I believe. She was very, very sick. We went on to Florida without her as one of our coaches stayed behind with her. It was a tough trip emotionally but it really put life in perspective. I still remember Steph Harris crying in the outfield while trying to play the game (and I think yelling at Sara Youstra at the same time- what s wrong? what do you think?! ) They told Missy that if she wasn t as young as she was or in such good shape, she might not have made it. You realize what is important really fast and I grew up a lot from that. The second situation would be my senior year. I m out at short and I m yelling at our freshman third baseman, Shelby Bernard, to move up because the hitter just showed bunt. Next pitch, the ball is a blur off the bat, and hits her directly above her eye. The hardest part was trying to finish the play as the runners were still going around the bases. The ball ricocheted down the line. Shelby was a pretty low key kid so she didn t cry or say much. But, you can imagine it was a gruesome scene, an ambulance had to be brought on the field and that play ended her season. I learned that each play really could be your last and I played the rest of my senior year like it could be. 6. THE FRIENDSHIPS. So many great memories! Team was that important. I loved the summers on campus and when so many of us shared the same parking lot. The nights out, the nights in (pizza and Friends on Thursday nights, watching EVERY Bulls game with TP), The Fab Five as freshmen eating dinner together at Douglas Hall every day after practice. Late night hitting sessions in the fieldhouse when the janitors basically told us to turn off the lights when we were done. The roadtrips. I ve gotten to experience more during those four years than most experience in a lifetime. That is part of the reward of being lucky enough to be a Division I athlete. I was with people that I liked and we all had the same goals. It s been a lot of fun reminiscing over the past few days. Now if I could just remember all the words to Incas GO HUSKIES!!! PAGE11
SOFTBALL Home Slate MARCH 27TH VS. OHIO 1PM/3PM MARCH 28TH VS. AKRON 2PM MARCH 29TH VS. AKRON 1PM APRIL 3RD VS. BOWLING GREEN 1PM/3PM APRIL 4TH VS. TOLEDO 4PM APRIL 5TH VS. TOLEDO 1PM APRIL 8TH VS. LOYOLA (CHI) 3PM/5PM APRIL 14TH VS. VALPARAISO 2PM/4PM APRIL 24TH VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN 1PM/3PM APRIL 25TH VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN 6PM APRIL 26TH VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN 1PM APRIL 29TH VS. UIC 5PM Get in contact with coach Han hhan@niu.edu 815-753-2245