Stryczek Sets High Bar at Oak Forest

Around the horn with the Bengals

Coach: Paige Stryczek.

Last year's record: 31-4, 19-0 in the South Suburban Red.

Returning players: 9.

Quick hit: "We lost all but one outfielder," Oak Forest coach Paige Stryczek said. "I am looking for our veteran infield and battery to step up. It will be nice to watch them mentor the young outfield. We will need to work hard this year. We're still a target on a lot of people's schedules."

Opener: March 21 vs. Shepard.

Infield: Senior third baseman Samantha Kallivretakis returns after hitting .329 and racking up 10 RBIs. She was an honorabe-mention all-conference pick. Senior second baseman Samantha Ball batted .369 and flashed her speed with 12 stolen bases.  Junior shortstop Jourdan Skirha will add additional pop to the Bengals' lineup. She hit .425 with 13 doubles, 11 stolen bases and 31 RBIs. Emily Missagia will split time between first base and DH. She hit .316 and had 18 RBIs.

Outfield: Junior Ronnie Widtmann is the only returnee here. She had a .280 batting average with five doubles and 10 RBIs.

Catcher: Junior Emily Naegele had a fantastic 2010 with a .558 batting average, 47 RBIs, 23 doubles, 30 stolen bases, six triples and 3 homers.

Pitching staff: The anchors will be seniors Emily Norton and Colleen Sherwood. Norton had a .455 batting average with 15 doubles. She also had a  31-4 record with a 0.81 ERA and 301 strikeouts. Sherwood had a 4-0 record with a 0.54 ERA and 60 strikeouts.

Diamond gems

Oak Forest defeated Chatham Glenwood 7-1 to win the Class 3A state championship in 2009.

Coach Paige Stryczek says: "It's always a goal of ours to win state. If we start with a small goal, that is what we get in return. I like to push the girls from the start."

College recruits:  Emily Norton (Radford, Va.), Emily Naegle (Radford, Va.), Colleen Shorewood (Benedictine), Samantha Kallivretakis (Carroll, Wis.)