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tinleyjunction.com sports
the tinley junction | July 14, 2016 | 39
fastbreak
1st-and-3
Listen Up
mark jones
The Alyssa Gunther
edition
1. Multiple multi-hit
games
Tinley Park alum
and current University
of Illinois softball
player Alyssa Gunther
(above) had 18 multihit
games including
a pair of three-hit
games this season
for the Illini.
2. Almost perfect
A middle infielder for
most of her softball
career, Gunther
moved over to first
base this season and
recorded a .995 fielding
percentage while
committing only two
errors in 398 total
chances.
3. A multiple-award
winner
As a sophomore in
2015, Gunther was
named to the All-Big
Ten Second Team,
Big Ten Sportsmanship
Award and
Academic All-Big Ten.
She also hit a blistering
.376 that season.
“You have to be coachable. You can’t just be a one
position player.”
Alyssa Gunther – TPHS alum and University of Illinois senior softball
player on her philosophy as to why she had no problems switching
from middle infield to first base this season
A Phoenix to continue soaring on the Hawks
Kapala to take
shortstop talents
northeast to St.
Joseph’s University
James Sanchez
Assistant Editor
Lincoln-Way North graduate
and Tinley Park resident
Molly Kapala has traveled
all over the country for
softball, except the northeast
region.
But now, the standout
shortstop will spend the next
four years in that area as she
will join St. Joseph’s University
in Philadelphia on
an athletic scholarship. She
capped off a senior career
batting .459 with six home
runs, 36 RBI and 44 runs
before moving on from the
Phoenix to the Hawks.
“I’m beyond excited,”
Kapala said. “I can’t wait. I
think it’s a really big privilege
and a big responsibility,
but I think it shows how
hard that I have personally
worked to get here.”
She began playing the
sport at 5 years old, which
she said was the earliest age
to enter T-ball on her Mokena-based
team. However,
the commitment to take the
game seriously started when
she was about 10 years old
after her travel coach said
she could play college softball
if she stayed with it.
In order to stay committed,
a passion for the sport is necessary,
and Kapala realized
that at a young age as well.
“I like seeing my teammates
get better, as well as
seeing myself get better, and
it’s just so much fun to go
out and play as a team and
work towards a goal together,”
she said.
That love for the game
grew when she registered
for high school camps during
junior high and began
working with North coach
Aimee Lonigro. Lonigro had
an impressive athletic career
at Indiana University and
parlayed that into coaching,
which included a state championship
at East in 2002, despite
having no seniors on
the roster.
Even before she entered
North, Kapala said Lonigro
was always there working
with her during the high
school camps, and it influenced
her to keep playing.
“That’s what I looked forward
to when I came into
high school was playing for
her — not just playing softball,”
Kapala said. “She’s
just accomplished so much,
and I just loved her competitiveness.
And I’m personally
so competitive, and having a
coach that’s so similar in that
regard, it makes you want to
play even more.”
Lonigro gave her the opportunity
be on the varsity
team her freshman year, and
Kapala said that move was
vital to her career. She was
able to learn what it is like
on the highest level at 14
years old, and the experience
prepped her to be a leader
down the road.
“She took a chance,” Kapala
said. “She didn’t have
tuning in
Andrew girls volleyball — 8 p.m. Thursday, July
14.
• The Andrew girls volleyball team will square off
against Oak Lawn in the Palos Courts Summer
League Volleyball Tournament.
Shortstop Molly Kapala, who is going to St. Joseph’s University next year, throws the ball
during a regular season game this past spring. 22nd Century Media File Photo
to put me on varsity, but she
did anyway, and that really
improved me as a player.”
As a freshman, Kapala
was part of the team that
won the school’s first regional
championship — one
of her favorite memories in
a North uniform. Two years
later, another memory was
made, as she committed to
play at St. Joseph’s during
her junior year.
St. Joseph’s spotted Kapala
during a tournament with
her travel team. She was
deciding between two Division-II
schools at the time,
but with the Hawks being a
Division-I program — combined
with her love for the
school itself — she decided
to head out northeast.
Her decision to commit
junior year eased all the
pressure going into her senior
year so she could play
her best during North’s last
year. Kapala helped lead the
team to a 16-0 start, which
included a first-place finish
in a national tournament in
Tennessee in March.
North’s season was cut
short in the regional semifinals,
losing 1-0 in a pitcher’s
duel.
“We were a very close
Index
38 – Alyssa Gunther feature story
38 – Athlete of the Week
team, and I made lifelong
friends through [North softball],”
she said. “I’m going
to miss all of them, really,
because we were all so close.
I’m going to miss the competitive
spirit we all have.”
While many would feel
nervous about moving out
and spending the next four
years away from home, Kapala
thinks otherwise.
“I’m mostly excited,” Kapala
said. “I’m used to traveling
for softball already. I’ll
be busy to miss too much at
home, but I’ll miss the people
and I’ll definitely miss
the Chicago pizza.”
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Michael Gilbert. Send any
questions or comments to michael@tinleyjunction.com or call
(708) 326-9170 ext. 13.