Joining the club

Lauren Richert, who graduated from Richmond-Burton in 2009, plays for Illinois’ club softball team. Richert chose to continue playing softball at the club level because it allowed her to strike a balance between school, athletics and having a social life. (Photo provided)

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Lauren Richert figures she has the perfect situation.

The 2009 Richmond-Burton graduate spent her freshman year at Illinois playing for the Illini’s club softball team, which allowed the softball devotee to strike a balance between school, athletics and a social life – a feat many Division-I athletes struggle to accomplish – as well as play for a nationally regarded club team.

Although the benefits of a D-I athletic scholarship are obvious, Richert has found that club athletics are widely undiscovered and underutilized, but still highly competitive.

“A lot of the girls on my team didn’t want college to be all about softball, but they still wanted to play,” Richert said. “Some of the girls who play varsity softball (at Illinois) are working out with the team three hours a day, sometimes twice a day, and their college experience is really different. I was talking to one girl who said she didn’t have anything to say about the aspect of college social life. She never had one.”

Richert’s father, Dominick, first mentioned the option to Lauren during her final season at R-B. The decision has worked out so well that the two have been championing D-I club sports, which often include baseball and hockey.

Dominick Richert used the platform of the IHSA Class 3A and 4A state championships in early June to champion other options within D-I athletics. He was amazed by the number of people who were unaware that club programs, especially successful ones, were out there.

Illinois’ club program finished third in the country at the National Club Softball Association’s World Series in mid-April, losing to Florida State and the University of Florida. Illinois won its conference, the Great Lakes Conference-West, to receive a bid to play in the World Series.

The Illini finished 19-3 overall and 11-1 in the GLC-West, comprised of Illinois State, Wisconsin, Marquette, Illinois and Western Illinois. Most Big Ten schools and Mid-American Conference schools offer club softball teams, and the competition is on par with that of talented 18U travel softball teams, Lauren Richert said.

Club players are allowed to play for the team for as long as they are enrolled at the school, unlike NCAA sanctions that prohibit athletes from participating in varsity athletics after four years.

“These are some of the best high school players that either didn’t earn D-I scholarships and wanted to go to a big school or girls who just wanted to be able to play softball and manage their life,” Richert, who is a pre-med major, said. “Girls just don’t know they have the options they have.”

Richert’s younger sister, Caitlin, graduated this spring from R-B and plans to join Lauren at Illinois both on campus and on the field.

Caitlin Richert decided last year that she wouldn’t seek a softball scholarship, particularly at the D-I level. She has seen firsthand how demanding D-I athletics can be since her boyfriend, R-B wrestling phenom Jordan Blanton. Blanton earned a full ride to Illinois but his athletic schedule doesn’t allow for much outside of wrestling, Caitlin Richert said. She wanted more freedom.

“Being able to go to a big school and still do something I love is a great opportunity for me,” said Caitlin Richert, who plans to major in business. “As soon as I saw how much Lauren liked it and how good the team was, I knew it was definitely something I wanted to do.”

Camille Colletti, another recent R-B grad and varsity softball player, plans to try out for Bowling Green’s club team.

“I knew I didn’t want to give up softball,” said Colletti, a sports management major. “A lot of colleges were telling me about the club scene, and so I found out that most colleges have one. I decided I wanted to try it.”

McHenry catcher Megan Gier is on board, too.

“I wanted to go to a big school, but I was getting a lot of attention from Division II and III schools,” Gier said. “ ... I talked to Lauren about playing club, and she loved it, so I thought it would be the perfect situation. I didn’t want it to just be some group of girls putting together a team, either. I’m glad it’s going to be competitive and we’ll get to travel, so I’m excited.”