With her future plans as a softball player at Wagner College in New York solidified in the fall, Grant Park senior standout Cheyenne Hayes has enjoyed the stress-free vibes she’s been able to take into her final spring with the Dragons.

“It’s just a big pressure off my shoulders,” Hayes said. “I’m just out here to have fun with my friends for my senior year. It’s all about coming back and having fun. Some girls work every day with their coaches for high school ball and dread it, but I love to come out here with my friends, playing and practicing.”

And that comfort is leading to quite a dominant season that continued in the Dragons’ 11-1 home win over Watseka on Wednesday.

Hayes allowed an unearned run on six hits, a walk and 10 strikeouts in a complete game, one that was abbreviated when her two-run double in the bottom of the fifth brought things to a premature end due to the run rule.

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Watseka's Aspen Eades, left, looks to tag Grant Park's Reegan Thompson out at home during a game at Grant Park Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Mason Schweizer)

It was the ninth time Hayes has allowed an earned run or less and the seventh game with double-digit strikeouts for the 12-0 Dragons, sitting at 10-0 with a microscopic 0.49 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 57 innings. She’s also hitting .600 with three home runs, eight doubles and 21 RBIs.

“Of course, it’s my senior year. To be 12-0 it’s perfect,” Hayes said. “Usually at the start of the year we have really hard games, but I feel like we just came out with a great start to practice. We’ve killed every pitcher we’ve faced, we’ve fielded every ball that we’ve had to have. The practice has really paid off.”

Dragons coach Robert Crivokapich said that not only has Hayes’ talent been a spark for the program, but so has her commitment, leaving quite the impression on a roster with seven underclassmen.

“They look up to that and they see that,” Crivokapich said. “I have a lot more players playing in the summer now than in the past year. It’s her work ethic and they know she travels a lot. I bet 90% of my team plays now in the summer. It’s things we haven’t had before, and a lot of the impact is from her.”

Hayes and junior shortstop Lola Malkowski had back-to-back two-run singles to fuel a five-run second inning that gave Hayes and her defense plenty of breathing room. After a scoreless first, the Dragons scored in every inning, with Hayes’ walk-off two-run double the feather in a two-hit, four-RBI cap.

Malkowski had a pair of hits as well. Abi Roberts, Claire Sluis and Mackenna Wells each scored twice and Delaney Heldt drove in a pair in the latest game of what’s been about as good of a season as Malkowski and the Dragons could have envisioned thus far.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” Malkowski said of the 12-0 start. “Our team, we’re hitting the ball pretty well, our defense is pretty good and I think we really have deserved it this year.”

While Wednesday may not have been one of them, the Warriors (10-5) have had some spectacular moments as well this spring. Like the Dragons, Watseka and coach Barry Bauer rely on a relatively young roster, but also boast some key leadership from seniors Nolle Schroeder at shortstop and Christa Holohan at third.

Bauer, who is retiring from the softball position after this year, has coached the duo in almost 200 games between softball and girls basketball, at least three seasons in both. He’s hoping to give them a stretch run to remember as the Warriors look to quickly turn the page and keep the momentum they’d built with three wins in their last four games prior to Wednesday.

“You think about that a lot, and as a coach you just want them to grab as many memories as they can, and those usually come with winning games,” Bauer said. “You don’t have a whole lot of memories when you’re not successful, so we just hope that we finish strong here.

“It’s my last year of softball too, so hopefully we can make some noise, and we’re hosting a regional. But tonight wasn’t a very good night.”

Holohan had a pair of hits Wednesday. Kyah Westerfield had an RBI single that scored Abigail Neukomm, who also singled, in the fourth.

The Dragons will wrap up the week at Momence Thursday and at home against Peotone on Friday before they visit juggernaut Beecher on Tuesday for a pair of games between current undefeated River Valley Conference teams.

“I’m hoping we’re going into the game looking forward to giving them a game,” Crivokapich said. “A lot of years, because it’s been a long time with them, sometimes we’re beat before we get there. I think this group has a different mindset and different attitude.”