Lady Scots Vie for Second Consecutive Championship
Elizabeth Weber
Issue date: 4/21/05 Section: Sports
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Under Coach Leon Palatas, the team started their preseason workouts as early as January. Palatas had his players condition every night for eleven weeks, making sure every player remained in top physical form. Besides the usual lateral runs, throwing, and batting exercises, Palatas's key to improving each individual player's skills is having them bat with their dominant side and then working to strengthen their weaker side.
The preseason warm-ups definitely paid off as the wins started outnumbering the losses. After starting 0-2, the Lady Scots turned things around quickly with a two game sweep against Prairie State Community College. In the first game, the team scored three runs in the first inning. Pitcher Jamie Grzelak shut out the other team with a final score of 3-0.
Although the first game was a breeze for McHenry, winning the second game would not be as easy. After 10 innings, the game was almost about to be called for darkness if the Scots did not score. With a final score of 3-2, outfielder Becki O'Brien came through in the clutch, hitting the game winning RBI single. Third basemen Jackie Plett lead the team with three hits, a triple, and a run scored. Pitcher Meghan Osness refused to let her arm tire, going all 10 innings and allowing no earned runs.
The Lady Scots displayed dominance to the fullest during the Triton Tournament in River Grove. McHenry swept both of its opponents, scoring a total of 21 runs in two games. No team took a beating from the Scots like Milwaukee Tech did during McHenry's win of 18-0. Jamie Grzelack pitched another shutout game and even added three RBIs to MCC's score.
In the second game, rivals Prairie State gave a valiant effort, but could not overcome the Scots with a final score of 3-1. Grzelack again threw terrifically on the mound, giving up only one earned run. Becki O'Brien scored all three runs in the game.
Even with their success, the Lady Scots have had struggles and adversities to overcome. Pitcher Jamie Gzelack, who led the team with a 1.85 ERA, had to sit out after receiving an injury to her elbow. Pitcher Meghan Osness had to step up to the plate and take over full-time while Gzelack recovered. Coach Palatas proudly calls Osness his "working horse" and feels Osness, who boasts a 2.74 ERA, has definitely come through for the team, pitching solidly for six consecutive games.
Even though the team has to contend with only two starting pitchers, one currently out, Palatas feels the team's biggest weakness has been offense. Through over 27 games, the team has been shut out 7 times and has won by a close margin of no more than two runs 10 times. Still, the lineup is filled with big bats that include Jackie Plett and Lisa Weidner. Plett leads the team with a .354 batting average, 28 hits, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 20 runs, and 3 homeruns. Weidner is the current RBI leader with 23 to her credit.
Perhaps the biggest key to the team's success is the attitude of every player. Palatas recognizes his players' desire to win and their ability to adapt so well. He also credits assistant and pitching coach Howie Bierman with his systematic way of working pitches. Adds Palatas, "I am most please with the attitude of the team and their will to win. They are trained to adapt, their defense and pitching is strong, and I am pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie among all the players."