Paige Ligocki

St. Charles East

Sophomore

Softball

Why Ligocki was selected:

Ligocki belted two home runs and drove in three in the Saints’ 5-3 win in the regular-season finale May 18.

Like St. Charles East, Downers Grove North is a perennially competitive program. Yet Ligocki excelled against the Trojans on May 18 in what turned out to be the Saints’ final game of the regular season. Her two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored accounted for a large portion of East’s offense in a victory that moved their record to 27-7 and got them primed for the Class 4A playoffs. Ligocki, the St. Charles Bank & Trust Athlete of the Week, spoke with Kane County Chronicle sports editor Jason Rossi about her big day, the team’s success, and more. Here is an edited transcript.

Rossi: Hitting one homer is tough enough. What allowed you to hit two?

Ligocki: I knew the pitcher was throwing a lot outside, so I tried to go with it and just push it the other way. I wasn’t trying to hit home runs, but that’s what happened.

Rossi: How did it feel to be such a big part of a win like that?

Ligocki: Every home run or even a hit feels good, but it felt really good to contribute like that.

Rossi: How are you feeling personally at this point in the season? Are you reaching your goals?

Ligocki: I don’t really have any goals except to help the team any way I can, and right now I feel I’m going a good job with that.

Rossi: How’s the team feeling heading to the playoffs?

Ligocki: I think we’re trying to get better every day. We have to do what we’ve done all season. No matter what, we have to stick together because we’re stronger together than we are individually.