WC_031518

winnetkacurrent.com sports
the winnetka current | March 15, 2018 | 57
Loyola girls softball preview
Ramblers look forward to depth in 2018
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
For the last couple years,
since Loyola coach Michelle
Farrell-Fink took
over the reigns as head
coach five years ago, one
thing that has been a point
of concern has been a lack
of depth.
Well that isn’t the case
anymore.
For the first time in
Farrell-Fink’s tenure, the
Ramblers will have a pitching
staff of more than two
or three, something that
willow allow them to give
opponents different looks.
But it isn’t only the pitchers,
as the coach said the
team has three players that
can play catcher and pretty
much everyone can play
multiple positions.
“In our eyes, it (having
the depth) pushes them
harder because now you
have three people competing
for a position and that’s
how it’s basically around
the whole field,” she said.
“That’s nice because it’s
good to have competition,
bettering yourselves, pushing
yourself more. To have
the pitching staff, to have
that depth is going to be
helpful. We’re not going to
have to rely on two or three
pitchers.”
While Farrell-Fink
doesn’t have a pitcher who
she would call her ace,
she’s looking forward to
seeing them work together.
“All the pitchers are
righties,” she said. “Alexis
(Rocha) will provide the
most speed. Two of our
freshmen and then Katherine
(Kinsella), will provide
nice spin. Alexis has nice
spin as well but she;’s a little
faster than the rest. They
all hit their zones, have different
pitches that the others
don’t have. It’s nice to
2018 Loyola softball schedule
Date Opponent Time
3/23 vs. Taft 4:45 p.m.
3/26 at Niles North 4:45 p.m.
3/27 at Evanston 4:30 p.m.
3/28 at Trinity* 4:45 p.m.
3/31 vs. Mother McAuley 11 a.m./1 p.m.
4/3 at Montini 4:30 p.m.
4/4 vs. Maine South 4:45 p.m.
4/5 at Resurrection 4:45 p.m.
4/7 at Bishop McNamara 11 a.m./1 p.m.
4/10 vs. Fenwick 4:45 p.m.
4/11 vs. Lane 4:45 p.m.
4/12 vs. Montini 4:45 p.m.
4/14 vs. Glenbrook North 2 p.m.
4/16 at St. Viator 4:45 p.m.
4/17 vs. Resurrection 4:45 p.m.
4/19 vs. Providence 4:45 p.m.
4/21 vs. Stevenson 10 a.m.
4/23 vs. Trinity 4:45 p.m.
4/24 at Fenwick 4:30 p.m.
4/26 at Providence 4:30 p.m.
5/1 at Regina 4:30 p.m.
5/2 vs. Von Steuben 4:45 p.m.
5/3 vs. Ridgewood 4:45 p.m.
5/5 vs. St. Ignatius 11:30 a.m.
5/8 at GCAC Championships TBA
5/10 at GCAC Championships TBA
5/12 at GCAC Championships TBA
5/14 at New Trier 4:45 p.m.
5/17 vs. Young** 7 p.m.
5/18 vs. Fenton 5 p.m.
* at Triton College
** at the Ballpark at Rosemont
2018 Loyola softball
roster
Hope Balourdos
Riley Bendery
Nora Conway
Erin Dillon
Caroline Kinsella
Kathryn Kinsella
Marisa Michi
Emily Molloy
Nyah Moore
KK Raymond
Anna Rempe
Emily Rivero
Alexis Rocha
Cassie Rodgers
Jillian Sopko
have Alexis and Kathryn,
who have experience, be
able to teach the freshmen.”
The Ramblers will be
aided by the return of fouryear
varsity players Rocha
and Nora Conway.
Another couple returnees
that the coach thinks is
going to have a good campaign
is sophomore Marisa
Michi, who had an impressive
high school debut.
“Some of our juniors
we’re looking to step up,
but we’re looking for everyone
to step up,” Farrell-
Fink said. “We want to
make it to the next level.
The girls have become so
much better over the summer
and having these freshmen
on the team is going to
push some of the older girls
even harder.”
Loyola will have a number
of newcomers in the
playing rotation but will be
looking for some of their
freshmen to play big roles.
“KK Raymond, she’s
a freshman, we’re looking
for her to step up right
away. She’s one of the girls
who we’ll have catching
but she’ll primarily be an
outfielder and infielder,”
the coach said. “Nyah
Moore and Caroline Kinsella,
the two pitchers, will
be big for us. We’re looking
for KK Raymond to have a
season of a lifetime. She’s a
good ball player, she’s fast,
she knows the game, will
learn. She’s a lefty so she
can do a lot at the plate.”
Loyola will face a tough
schedule feature some of
the tougher teams in the
area, including Providence,
Bishop McNamara and
Stevenson, as well as Regina
and New Trier. LA will
also have a special wrinkle
to its schedule May 17,
when it faces Young at the
Chicago Bandits stadium in
Rosemont.
This Week In...
Trevian varsity
athletics
Badminton
■March ■ 17 - at Hinsdale
south Invite, 9 a.m.
■March ■ 20 - host Maine
South, 4:30 p.m.
Baseball
■March ■ 20 - at Lane, 4:30
Boys lacrosse
■March ■ 17 - host
Glenbrook South, Glenbrook
North, 1:30 p.m.
■March ■ 21 - host Vernon
Hills, 7 p.m.
Girls lacrosse
■March ■ 17 - host Lyons,
11:30 a.m.
Girls soccer
■March ■ 15 - host Prospect,
6:30 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - host Highland
Park, 11:30 a.m.
■March ■ 20 - host
Libertyville, 6:30 p.m.
Softball
■March ■ 15 - vs. TBA (at
Heritage Park), 4:30 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - vs. TBA (at
Heritage Park), TBA
■March ■ 21 - at Young, 4:45
Boys track and field
■March ■ 16 - at CSL Invite
(at Evanston), 4:30 p.m.
Girls track and field
■March ■ 15 - at CSL Invite
(at Glenbrook South), 4:30
Boys volleyball
■March ■ 19 - host
Libertyville, 6 p.m.
Boys water polo
■March ■ 16 - vs. DeSmet
(Mo.) (at Fenwick Invite),
4:45 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - vs. TBA (at
Fenwick Invite), TBA
Girls water polo
■March ■ 16 - at Loyola, 7
■March ■ 17 - vs. Lincoln-
Way Central (at Naperville
North Invite), 10:15 a.m.
■March ■ 17 - vs. Neuqua
Valley, 11:45 a.m.
■March ■ 17 - at Naperville
North, 1:15 p.m.
Rambler varsity
athletics
Baseball
■March ■ 17 - vs. St. Patrick
(at Kerry Wood Field), 3
■March ■ 19 - host Niles
North, 4:30 p.m.
Girls lacrosse
■March ■ 15 - host Fenwick,
6 p.m.
■March ■ 16 - at St. Ignatius,
4:15 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - host Mother
McAuley, TBD
■March ■ 19 - at Lake Forest,
4:30 p.m.
■March ■ 20 - at Maine
South, 7 p.m.
Girls soccer
■March ■ 15 - host Lane,
4:45 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - at St. Charles
North, 2 p.m.
■March ■ 20 - host Evanston,
4:30 p.m.
Boys track and field
■March ■ 17 - at CCL Invite
(at University of Chicago),
8 a.m.
Girls track and field
■March ■ 17 - at CCL Invite
(at University of Chicago),
3 p.m.
Boys tennis
■March ■ 15 - host Brother
Rice, 4:30 p.m.
Boys volleyball
■March ■ 21 - at Niles West,
6 p.m.
Boys water polo
■March ■ 19 - host De La
Salle, 6 p.m.
■March ■ 21 - host St.
Patrick, 6 p.m.
Girls water polo
■March ■ 16 - host NT, 7
Panther varsity
athletics
Girls lacrosse
■March ■ 17 - at Warren,
11:15 a.m.
■March ■ 20 - at Vernon
Hills, 5:30 p.m.
Girls soccer
■March ■ 15 - host Intrinsic
Schools, 5 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - host Willows,
11 a.m.
■March ■ 20 - at Parker, 4:30
Softball
■March ■ 16 - at Niles West,
4:30 p.m.
■March ■ 17 - vs. DePaul
Prep (at DePaul University),
11 a.m./1 p.m.
■March ■ 20 - at Guerin, 5
Girls track
■March ■ 17 - at GCAC Invite
(at UIC), 8 a.m.