Wolves eye 3rd consecutive regional crown

Prairie Ridge's Anna Patras, leading off during a sectional semifinal last season, said the Wolves are eager for the postseason to begin. The Wolves play Tuesday in the Woodstock North Regional. (Travis Haughton – thaughton@nwherald.com)

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The weight of expectation proved significantly heavier than Prairie Ridge’s softball team anticipated in the opening weeks of this season.

The Wolves had dominated last year with virtually the same roster, making a supersectional appearance before losing to Fremd.

It widely was assumed the Wolves could win a state title this season. In the first few games this season, that expectation was just too much to handle.

“It was like we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win,” senior shortstop Anna Patras said. “We should’ve just been playing to have fun because that’s exactly what we did last year.”

A few losses early were what Patras called “a blessing in disguise” because Prairie Ridge, she said, is ready for the IHSA Class 3A postseason, which begins throughout the area today.

The Wolves earned the top seed in the Woodstock North Regional and open postseason play at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of today’s regional quarterfinal between fifth-seeded Woodstock and fourth-seeded Marian Central, which will host the Blue Streaks.

The regional-host Thunder (10-22), seeded third, will face second-seeded Richmond-Burton in the other semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, with the regional championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.

If the Wolves (25-9) win a third consecutive regional title, they could set up an intriguing second game against Marengo and return to their home field in a Prairie Ridge Sectional semifinal next week.

Marengo (31-4) earned the top seed in the Belvidere Regional, which includes No. 2 Freeport, No. 3 Belvidere North, No. 4 Belvidere and No. 5 Rockford East.

The winner of the Vernon Hills Regional, which includes top-seeded Wauconda and second-seeded Crystal Lake Central (23-8), also will head to the Prairie Ridge Sectional next week against the winner of the Lakes Regional. The Vernon Hills Regional includes No. 3 Vernon Hills – which faces Central in a regional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday – No. 4 Regina Dominican and No. 5 North Chicago. The regional championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday.

In a Lakes Regional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, top-seeded Antioch will face the winner of today’s quarterfinal between No. 5 Grayslake Central and No. 4 Johnsburg, which will be played at Johnsburg at 4:30 p.m. No. 2 Grayslake North will play No. 3 Lakes at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the other semifinal. The regional championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday.

Hampshire is the only local 3A team not heading to the Prairie Ridge Sectional. The Whip-Purs are the fifth seed in their own regional and will face No. 4 Wheaton Academy at 4:30 p.m. today in West Chicago. Should the Whips win, the will face top-seeded St. Viator at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The regional championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the DeKalb Sectional next week.

Players to watch

Here are a few key players to watch during the IHSA Class 3A softball playoffs:

Prairie Ridge - Kirsten Stevens, freshman pitcher
The lefty has been a great weapon for the Wolves since early this season.

Marengo - Danielle Simons, senior pitcher
Simons has kept her ERA under 1.00 all season.

Johnsburg - Jordan Hauck, senior catcher
Hauck has three years of playoff experience behind the plate.

Woodstock North - Nikki Greenhill, junior pitcher
Greenhill should help the first-year varsity program adjust to playing in a regional.

Marian Central - Kaitlyn Bliss, senior shortstop
Bliss has helped anchor the Hurricanes through an up-and-down season.

Woodstock - Abby Haubold, senior catcher
Haubold will start in a regional for a fourth year.

Crystal Lake Central - Brittany York, junior catcher
York has been hard to contain from the plate and calls a solid game for pitcher Jackie Kisman.

Richmond-Burton - Caitlin Richert, senior infielder
Richert is batting .448 heading into the regional.

Hampshire - Grace Jakubowski, sophomore pitcher
Jakubowski just picked up Big Northern Conference East Division All-Conference honors.