St. Anthony To Compete In Class 1A State Softball Tourney

Effingham St. Anthony is headed to the Class 1A State Tournament today.

Effingham St. Anthony is headed to the Class 1A State Softball Tournament today at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria and Coach Makayla Walsh and her Bulldogs are ready to face off against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond in the opener at 10 a.m. on a game that will be heard on KJ Country 102.3.

Coach Walsh, despite her busy schedule Tuesday, was glad to chat about her players, their strengths and what she hopes to accomplish at State.

"Talking about my girls is my favorite thing and they truly all deserve to be recognized," said Walsh. "Right now, it's been so difficult to change things up since the lineup I have right is working. All of the girls have a terrific attitude about that too. They know at any point if I need something different they are willing to take the task on."

The first-year coach and former Bulldogs player herself, talked about each of her players.

"Kenzie Kabbes is a sophomore who has a tremendous arm. She is honestly the strongest girl on the team and she 100% could throw anyone out at home from the outfield. Not only that she is one of the nicest girls I've gotten to coach, always smiling and making everyone else smile too.

"Taylor Quandt, also a sophomore, brings so much to the team whether it is communicating on or off of the field or getting a bunt down if you need her to. She does the job. This is also Taylor's first year of high school ball. I'm excited to see her growth!

"Laney Coffin, who is a freshman, has one of the best drop steps I've ever seen. You can tell her any adjustments and she is so quick to adapt to it. Her bat is starting to scare me, live pitching to her too! She will be a fun player to keep an eye out for!

"Cameran Rios, a sophomore, is one of the best softball players I've ever coached, yet watch play softball. She is so athletic. Her IQ of softball is what makes me so confident in her too. Not only is it fun to coach her, it's fun to watch her play the sport she loves.

"Addie Wernsing, a freshman, is truly a phenomenal player. Her drive for the game, amount of knowledge she has of the game and she is willing to learn is something I love having on my team. Her extra effort she puts into practicing too is what makes her the great player she is. I'm excited to see her growth over the next couple of years with softball.

"Haley Niebrugge is a freshman. It seems weird to be coaching Haley considering I played ball with her sister Hunter. I'm not going to lie when she gets up to bat I'm a little nervous she is going to smoke me at third base. She has so much power and utilizes it so well. She is a great weapon for us considering we can put her behind the plate to catch whenever we need her too. 

"Lucy Fearday is a sophomore who truly is shining. Lucy is a very focused and zoned in person when it comes to sports. Her pitching this past year is spot on and she honestly is one of the top pitchers in Illinois. I'm excited for her to keep adding on pitches to what she knows now! She has so much desire for the game and that is something I can't always teach. 

"Maddie Kibler is a freshman. One of my favorite things this year that has happened was when coaches would come over to me after a game and ask me who my catcher is. You can count on Maddie to throw out any runner. I have so much confidence in her as a player and she really is an outstanding person to be around too. When she is locked into the game, she is a scary good player.

"Sydney Kibler is a freshman. Again another favorite thing that happened was when the teams would ask if the pitcher could catch and vice versa not realizing we had twins on our team who can do both! Sydney is one of the most coachable kids I've coached so far. She never hesitates about questions and she is always wanting to learn. I love seeing her love for the game. Not only that, she was busy dual sporting with track and always put in extra time for softball as well.

"Stacie Vonderheide is a freshman. Again, she is always willing to learn any information you tell her and adapts so well. Not to mention she is the funniest kidI've coached. She is so quiet but when she talks, it always gets the whole softball team on their toes. Stacie has been very fun to watch all year.

"Grace Karolewicz is a junior on our squad and to be honest at the beginning of the season I didn't know where to play her. She knows every position all around  and you stick her anywhere she will know what to do. She plays a huge role in our outfield and isn't afraid to go all out after a ball. I love her attitude and she has been a huge key to our team.

"Alexis Stephens, also a junior, plays a major role in our team. She brings a lot of the momentum and gets the team hyped up for everything. That's something I appreciate being a coach so I can sit back and watch them enjoy the ride too. She honestly plays a hard role being the DP most of the season. She has adapted so well and has gotten huge key hits going for us. 

"Anna Faber, a sophomore, is a fantastic softball player. Again she plays a difficult role with being a Flex player but we need her defense. She isn't afraid to go all out for any play. I have so much confidence in her and I know she can do anything she puts her mind to. She has grown into a fun player to watch and I'm excited to continue to see her growth!

"Tyra Bedar, another junior of ours, got her season cut short with a broken leg sliding into second base. Tyra is always willing to learn and I've enjoyed coaching her this year. She will be healed up for next season."

Coach Walsh talked about her team's strengths.

"I think our team has so many different strengths, but one thing I love about this team is the accountability they have. At the beginning of the season I was really trying to figure out who my leader would be, but all 14 of them have contributed to it somehow and they have each other's backs all the time. They have truly turned into the St. Anthony team that I've been striving for. They are so humble as a whole team and that's what I think sets them aside from a lot of these other teams. 

"As far as State, I think we have always been the underdog which I'm okay with. These girls have worked their tails off all season and they are proving to everyone around us that we were meant to be up there in the rankings. We never let teams' records intimidate us, which just goes to show you the confidence these girls have in each other.

"I never anticipated to get this far being technically my first season coaching. A lot of coaches would always ask who the head coach was talking to me expecting someone older, which to me is a compliment. No matter the age you are being a coach it's never about the experience in my eyes it is about the knowledge you have for the game.

"Thanks to my dad, cousins growing up (Connor, Cavan, Curran) I got really invested into sports. At such a young age I loved the game, understood it and honestly I loved teaching others at a young age giving pitching lessons as a freshman in high school.

"It's even more special coaching with my assistant coach, my dad too. He was a terrific coach and has set a wonderful example to me that I wanted to do that same thing for these girls. 

"It's been a fun opportunity that came along that I really wanted to try out and here we are on our way to State. I really think this State run is the cherry on top for my last weeks being Coach Walsh -- Next year my assistant and I won't both turn our heads to Coach Walsh. Same team, new last name!"

The Bulldogs are 20-8 on the season. If they win their opener over ALAH, they will play for the State championship at 2 p.m. If the Bulldogs lose, they will play for third place at 1:30.