win over Shepard. (David P. Funk/H-F Chronicle)
Softball dugouts are not quiet places, but Homewood-Flossmoor’s echoes with laughing, cheering, talking and dancing.
The players obviously enjoy playing with each other, and Coach Corinne Zimmerman said that can only be a good thing.
“I’ve known most of these girls for a really long time. We all played rec together,” junior Elodie Sullivan said. “We knew from day one we were going to have fun and we were going to be out here competing.”
While most of the H-F players grew up playing together, some spend their summers playing against each other. That’s where Vikings coaches put in the work developing the proper team bond and identity.
“We’ve focused, as a coaching staff, on building that team culture and chemistry,” Zimmerman said. “When we step on the field, we’re H-F softball. We’re wearing H-F helmets. We’re rocking H-F gear. They love and support each other, and that makes coaching them every day just the best because they have a lot of fun.”
The Vikings began the spring in what must have been a fun way March 20, with an 18-8 win over visiting Shepard. H-F pounded three home runs as it scored in bunches, plating seven in the second inning and 10 in the fourth to send everybody home early after a chilly season opener.
“I know that our team is electric. We practice and practice and everyone is crushing the ball,” Sullivan said. “To see it all work out on the field was amazing. Everyone did their job and was hitting like crazy. I knew we had it in us but we brought it out and really showed it.”
Sullivan was the big bat against the Astros. Her three-run homer in the second inning was the game’s turning point. Shepard led 4-0 after an inning and a half when Sullivan sliced one into the wind and over the fence in right centerfield.
“I knew my team needed it. We needed to get up. We were right there, with people on. We couldn’t lose it right there,” she said. “I just put my hands to the ball and saw it go.”
Sullivan added two more singles in the fourth to finish 3-4 with five RBIs. Amani Johnson and Kathleen Karner had the other two round trippers. Johnson singled in another.
“Our offense, there’s no weak spots in it. One through nine, there’s something every girl can do, whether it be hitting to opposite field, power hitting, we’ve got speed on the bases to pressure on the catcher,” Zimmerman said. “We hit the crap out of the ball.”
Pitcher Becky Urbaniak seemed to settle in after a rough first inning. She finished with six strikeouts over five frames, punctuating the game by catching a line drive for the final out.
“It’s a cold day, and we had some first game jitters out there but Becky is our leader. She’s our captain,” Zimmerman said. “We found a sequence she was comfortable with. She was learning the hitters and by the end of the game, she was hitting every spot.”
It’s always easier to throw with a lead, which is something the Vikings expect to be able to do for their pitchers all spring.
“We’re going to be an offensive force all season,” Zimmerman said.
