Downers Grove Rebels Fast-Pitch To Third Place National Finish

Submitted by Dave Bernhard

The goal of any fastpitch softball team is to play its very best at the end of a season. The Downers Grove Rebels 14U “A” team did just that, placing 3rd out of 37 teams in the ASA Northern National Tournament in Bowling Green, Kentucky on July 24-27.

“We finished playing our best ball — pulling offense, defense and pitching all together at the most opportune time — and were able to string together a great run at the ASA Nationals”, Rebels 14U head coach Dave Bernhard Jr. said.

“The tournament success was a total team effort. Each member of the team did not simply contribute; rather each and every player did something outstanding to play a key role,” said Bernhard, whose travel teams have won more than 75 percent of its games over the past five years. “To see the girls come together and play so well on the national stage was really something special.”

The performance capped a season that saw the Rebels finish with a 48-15-1 record during the spring and summer season. Combined with the fall season, the 14U “A” Rebels put a 61-17-1 mark into the book. Of the 15 losses in the summer, eight were by only one run. Separate winning streaks of 19 games and 13 games were included in the summer season.

In the ASA National Tournament the Rebels dominated their first six opponents, outscoring them 59-7 — the highest scoring differential of teams through their first six games. Additionally, the seven runs allowed were the fewest among the 37 teams. The Rebels shut out three opponents, the second most among tournament teams, while the 59 runs scored were also second highest.

Before dropping their final two games to the eventual first- and second-place finishers, the Rebels had a team batting average of .387 and a team ERA of 1.31. For the tournament, the Rebels committed only 10 errors in eight games. In each of their six victories, the Rebels either won the game in their last at-bat or ended the game in their final at-bat via the run rule.

The third-place national finish capped yet another outstanding season for the Rebels and added to tournament trophies already earned. One week earlier the Rebels won the Summer Spectacular Tournament in Romeoville to match a first-place finish at the USSSA World Series Qualifier in Hodgkins in May.

The 14U “A” Rebels battled injuries, illnesses and personal challenges throughout the season, but balanced outstanding pitching, hitting, defense, baserunning and character to overcome adversity.

“This was a unique and challenging season for everyone as we didn’t really get an opportunity to operate at full capacity,” Bernhard noted. “That said, a defining characteristic of these girls is their perseverance and character. When one girl was down, the others rallied together to pick each other up. Working through those challenges throughout the season culminated into the year-end push.”

PHOTO: The 12 members of the team represented eight different high schools in the western suburbs with strong softball programs. Team members included: Sam Martin, MacKenzie Bernhard, and Jade Mejia Wick, all from Downers Grove North; Rachel Davis and Sam Krupa from Downers Grove South; Emma Smith and Olivia Glass from Oak Park-River Forest; and Katherine Porter (Glenbard West), Madison Collins (York), Lilja Carden (Hinsdale Central), Alaina Grosvenor (Bolingbrook) and Emma Zenkel (Metea Valley).