All-Star win for Hardie

Crystal Lake South shortstop Kaitlin Hardie reaches for a ground ball during a game this season against Cary-Grove in Cary. Hardie capped her senior season by playing Sunday in the Super 60 All-Star Softbal Tournament in East Peoria. (Justin Edmonds – jedmonds@nwherald.com)

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If she couldn’t travel to East Peoria with her Crystal Lake South teammates to play in the state finals, Kaitlin Hardie figured she went there for the second-best reason.

Hardie, a shortstop, played Sunday in the Super 60 All-Star Softball Tournament in East Peoria after the IHSA Class 3A and 4A state finals. Hardie was the only softball player from McHenry County to play in the prestigious tournament, which was comprised of four teams made up of the top 60 players in Illinois.

South was one win away from a berth in the state finals last season, losing in extra innings in a supersectional. This season, the Gators lost in a Class 4A regional final to Prairie Ridge.

So it was special to play at the EastSide Centre to cap her senior season, Hardie said, especially when there was no pressure to win a state title.

Hardie’s all-star team won the two-round tournament, finishing 2-0 with a 4-1 win in Game 1 and a 5-0 win in the championship game.

“It was really fun,” said Hardie, who split time at shortstop and second base and played 11 of 14 possible innings Sunday. “I didn’t know there was a Super 60 game before this year. I was so excited to be on it. And playing with all those good players was amazing. Everyone knew exactly what to do out there. Everyone knew where to throw, where to cover, everything. It was kind of weird not having to coach anyone on the field.”

The talent level also impressed Marengo coach Dwain Nance, who coached Hardie’s team. Marengo senior shortstop Hallisey Kunde also had been invited to play, but had prior obligations, Nance said.

“The nicest thing was that everyone was in their natural positions,” Nance said. “We didn’t have to move anyone to a position they didn’t normally play, which made things so much easier. And we told them to make their own decisions if they wanted to. If they were on base and they wanted to steal, go ahead. We didn’t care. There wasn’t any pressure.”

Hardie finished with a hit, a stolen base, two RBIs and a run scored.

“It felt good to get a hit,” she said. “The pitching we were up against was so good (Hardie singled off Mackenzie Scott, who helped Burlington Central finish third in Class 3A on Saturday).

“[Scott] was really one of the best pitchers I faced all season.”

Nance asked St. Joseph-Ogden coach Randy Wolken to help him, figuring Wolken’s knowledge only could benefit the duo.

Wolken’s 752 wins make him the winningest active softball coach in the state and puts his program fourth on the IHSA’s all-time win list.

“As soon as I was asked to do this, I called Randy,” Nance said. “I knew I wanted to have him there.”