Softball: 5 standout stats from the 2023 season in DeKalb County

Whether it was long playoff runs, standout freshman seasons or swan songs for seniors, there were plenty of interesting storylines from the 2023 softball season.

Here’s a look at five numbers that put the season into perspective.

3

This one serves a double purpose when it comes to Sycamore and Kaneland. When the teams met in a Class 3A Belvidere North Sectional this season, it was just their third playoff meeting going back to 2011.

And as it turns out, it would be the number of times they tried to play the game. Originally scheduled for May 31, lightning delays caused the game to be pushed to June 1. With the sectional final looming June 2, lightning delays in Belvidere again caused extended delays.

Instead of waiting it out at the lightless BNHS field, the teams decided to travel south to Sycamore and play at a lighted park district field. The Spartans ended up winning the game and the sectional.

“Coach Carp [Sycamore coach Jill Carpenter] and I were on the same page. We really didn’t want to push them one more day,” Kaneland coach Madison Mikos said after the marathon game concluded after five hours and 27 miles away from its start. “We played half an inning yesterday for an hour bus ride, so that’s two hours of our lives yesterday. Today I know Belvidere North was really trying to get our game in, and we really appreciated that, but pushing it here made sense.”

.516

Sydney Myles had a heck of a freshman year for DeKalb. The center fielder hit .328, drove in 17 runs and slugged .516 for the Barbs. And she did this as a part-time player.

Myles also competed for the track team, taking third at the Class 3A state tournament in the high jump.

1.105

Genoa-Kingston lost in a 2A regional semifinal, but the Cogs could rake. And in the middle of that was Christine Venditti, a catcher who would have been a four-year starter if not for her freshman year being wiped out because of COVID-19.

Venditti blasted six home runs and had an on base-plus-slugging average of 1.105. She drove in 24 runs. She also was a rock behind the plate, not committing an error and having a hand in a pair of double plays.

She even mostly ran for herself, scoring 24 runs and stealing six bases.

8

Even though they finished 17-17, the Knights won their eighth straight regional title. It took a gutsy performance by a freshman to get it done.

Brynn Woods had 15 strikeouts to outduel Harvard Ace Tallula Eichholz, who struck out 18. It’s definitely a momentum booster for Woods, who finished the season with a 3.82 ERA and 129 strike outs.

Woods could also hit, battling in the middle of the Kaneland lineup and hitting .385.

52

When it came to Sycamore’s success this season, a lot of it started at the top with sophomore centerfielder and leadoff hitter Addie McLaughlin.

McLaughlin scored 52 times this year. She stoles 17 bases, led the Spartans with a .431 batting average and reached base at a .557 clip.

Most impressive was her .618 batting average when leading off an inning. She made only two errors all season, fielding at a .958 clip.