Five local athletes helped D-III Elmhurst College’s baseball team post its best record since 2004 this spring.

The Bluejays (23-20) improved by five games in the Conference Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin standings, finishing 11-10.

Offensively, Jacobs grad Zach Hofer led the team in seven categories. Hofer, a senior infielder, led Elmhurst with a .433 batting average, 11 doubles, four home runs and 35 RBIs.

The Bluejays also relied on a strong pitching staff, getting impressive contributions from four local players. Marian Central grad Dave Parr, a sophomore, was 4-4 as a starter with a 3.62 ERA and led the staff with 63 2/3 innings. Freshman Erik Swanson (Huntley) was 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA and tied for the team lead with two saves. Cary-Grove’s Brian Marquis, a junior, went 3-1 this season, while sophomore Bryan Baker (Jacobs) had a 2-2 record.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Brett Loeding estimated that he pitched about 25 innings last season at Elgin Community College.

“It was usually one inning at a time,” said Loeding, a Prairie Ridge graduate. 

This spring, Loeding anticipated plenty of work in his first season as a relief pitcher at NCAA Division II Northern Kentucky University.

“I expected to pitch a lot, but not 700 innings,” Loeding said with a laugh.

Loeding, a junior at NKU, has been a workhorse for the Norse (36-20). He leads the team and the Great Lakes Valley Conference in appearances (38) and innings (102 2/3) and has been the most reliable arm on the team.

“I just know I’m going to get the chance to pitch every day,” Loeding said. “I love it. I can’t complain.”

Loeding collected his 12th save of the season Thursday, allowing two hits in 4 2/3 innings while helping NKU win the opening game of the NCAA Midwest Regional, 6-4, against Wayne State in Ypsilanti, Mich. Loeding (7-4) also leads the team in wins, strikeouts (90) and ERA (1.84). He is only six innings away from breaking the school’s single-season record.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Loeding said. 

Along with closing games, Loeding has been used in a number of different roles. In the conference tournament on May 13, Loeding began the day throwing 1/3 of an inning for a save against Missouri-St. Louis. He returned for the championship later in the day – a 4-3 loss to Indianapolis – with 5 1/3 innings of relief.

“My arm is just never sore,” he said. “A lot of guys wake up sore (after they pitch) and can’t even play catch the next day. I don’t get that. The only thing that sometimes gets sore are my legs.”

Loeding’s contributions have earned impressive accolades.

He was named first-team All-GLVC earlier this month for the Norse, who will move to NCAA Division I next season. On Thursday, he was selected to the Daktronics All-Midwest Region second team.

Loeding credits his success to throwing a fastball in various locations and sprinkling in an occasional “Frisbee slider.”

“I’m not going to overpower anybody,” he said. “I pitch to contact. I let them hit it and the defense does the work.”

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Prairie Ridge grad Kelly Olson shared Most Improved Players honors this spring for the D-III Augustana College women’s golf team.

Olson, a sophomore, posted a 103.4 stroke average this season for the Vikings.

Olson’s best finish this season was a tie for 10th place in March at the Florida Tech Dual.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Junior softball outfielder Melissa Summaria earned second-team All-Northern Athletics Conference honors this spring for D-III Dominican University in River Forest.

Summaria, a graduate of Dundee-Crown, batted .344 while leading the team with five home runs and 17 stolen bases.

She also ranked second for the Stars (24-21) with 32 runs scored and 27 RBIs.

Dominican advanced to the NAC Tournament championship game this season for the first time since 2009. 

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Cary-Grove grad Carly Loeffel was the top Notre Dame finisher last week in the women’s heptathlon at the Big East Conference outdoor track and field championships in Tampa, Fla.

Loeffel, a freshman for the Irish, finished sixth with 4,869 points.

Her top finish was second place in the high jump (5 feet, 6 ½ inches) and posted personal bests in the shot put (fourth place, 37-4 ½), the 800-meter run (fourth, 2 minutes, 22.8 seconds) and the 200 dash (sixth, 25.8).

Loeffel helped the Irish finish second as the team, their best finish since 2007 in the Big East outdoor meet. Notre Dame finished 10th last season.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.