Hickory Creek Middle School Girls Softball Team wins at State

The Girls’ Softball Team members from Hickory Creek Middle School are the State champs. The team participated in the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Tournament in Normal, Illinois on September 26. After a win at Regionals of Hickory Creek vs. Beecher 4-3 followed by a win at Sectionals of Hickory Creek vs. Oak Prairie 5-2 with Danielle Drogemuller pitching both games, the girls went on to compete at State.

In the first round at State, Hickory Creek beat St. Joseph 7-6 in eight innings. The team was down 5-0 after two innings and came back with big hits and RBI’s from Paige Geraghty, Melissa Bauer and Avery Parchem. Gabby Paliska’s double won the game in the eighth inning.

In the second round at State, Hickory Creek beat Charleston 10-2. Katie Burns pitched five innings of scoreless relief pitching. There were big hits from Melissa Bauer, Avery Parchem and Katie Burns.

In the State Championship game of Hickory Creek vs. Canton Ingersoll, the Hickory Creek Tigers won 4-3 in the final at-bat. Danielle Drogemuller was dominant as she pitched six scoreless innings in relief to get the win and Payton Wuske made an RBI suicide squeeze. In the final inning, Danielle Drogemuller led off with a base hit and Gabby Paliska sacrificed her over to second base. Katie Burns had a base hit scoring Danielle. Kara Frencl had a base hit scoring Katie Burns with the winning run. Coach Sean Bouck stated, “This run was one for the movies!”

Team members include Ashley Esposito, Gabby Paliska, Katie Burns, Paige Geraghty, Ellie Marion, Danielle Drogemuller, Kara Frencl, Payton Wuske, Maddie Harper, Melissa Bauer, Brianna Ebenroth, Avery Parchem and Abby McCreary. The coaches are Mitch Stein and Sean Bouck.

The win was the first State Championship for the Hickory Creek Girls’ Softball Team. The team’s overall record is 21 wins and 3 losses. Coach Stein stated, “We are so very proud of the girls. They were down in two of the games facing very good teams and never gave up. They were determined to win the whole thing, and were not going to be stopped.”

In an e-blast on the Sunday following the game, Principal William Z. Seidelmann asked all students and staff to wear the school colors of maroon and gold to school on Monday to show congratulations to the team. He stated, “The support they have received has been incredible. The players, coaches, and parents should be very proud of this huge accomplishment! Thank you to everyone that was able to make the trip to Champions Field, follow the emails, or follow online. The staff, community, and student body really came together to support this team, and I am proud of the unity I have witnessed.”