Softball notes: Wheaton North’s Erin Metz cleans up with walk-off homer to beat OPRF

Erin Metz has faced plenty of pressure-packed moments as a varsity pitcher over four seasons as Wheaton North’s ace.

But in the batter’s box?

Coming to the plate in a tie game in extra innings against fellow state-ranked Oak Park-River Forest, Metz, a Wheaton North senior and Valparaiso recruit, had a little extra juice.

“It was definitely a nerve-wracking situation,” Metz said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a situation like that before and I’ve been here four years.”

Metz delivered what was undoubtedly one of her more memorable hits at Wheaton North. Her walk-off homer, her second homer of the game, rallied the Falcons past Oak Park-River Forest 5-4 in eight innings April 8.

“It was awesome to beat such a high-ranked team and such a competitive team,” Metz said. “It showed us that we can compete and beat teams and are just as good as they are. It proved to us that we can go far in the playoffs. These past few years we haven’t gone as far as we’d like. Seeing that we can compete like that helps us mentally.”

Indeed, Wheaton North is looking to extend its success farther in the postseason this spring. The Falcons last year won 25 games and took second in the DuKane Conference but were upset by West Chicago in a regional final. They won 20 games in Metz’s freshman year but lost in a regional final.

The Falcons are off to a 11-2 start this season, the lone losses to defending Class 3A runner-up Antioch and Fremd. Wheaton North is led by Metz in the circle and a potent lineup with junior shortstop Reagan Crosthwaite and Metz.

Crosthwaite is batting .500 with seven doubles, seven homers, 22 runs scored and 21 RBIs. This past week, she matched Wheaton North’s career home run record with her 21st.

Metz is batting .500 with four doubles, four homers, 18 RBIs and 12 runs scored and is 6-2 with a 1.56 ERA and 88 strikeouts over 49.1 innings.

“I feel really good going into conference, which we know is going to be really tough,” Wheaton North coach Allie Ravanesi said. “We’ve had a good start, simply playing good fundamental softball. We are putting the ball in play, the defense is making plays, Erin is pitching great right now and when we get runners on, we get them over and get them in.”

Metz, who also hit the game-tying home run against OPRF, had been hitting leadoff for a stretch this season. It wasn’t a fit and Metz has since been moved to cleanup hitter with Monica Kading, who leads Wheaton North in walks, in the leadoff spot.

“When I got moved to the first spot mentally, I don’t know how to explain it, it felt uncomfortable. I wasn’t able to rise to the occasion at leadoff,” Metz said. “I got moved back down to fourth and it made me comfortable in the box. I went through a stretch where I was striking out and mentally was not where I am supposed to be. My coaches definitely helped me out mentally.”

Metz may hit in a power position, but she defers to Crosthwaite as Wheaton North’s big home run hitter.

“I see myself as more of a contact hitter. I’m just trying to make contact and the home runs do come,” Metz said. “By keeping it simple, I’m able to hit it farther.”

Wheaton North opened its conference season with a 6-2 win over St. Charles East on Monday.

Softball under the lights at Willowbrook

Nick Hildreth has coached plenty of games under the Friday night lights the past decade as Willowbrook’s highly successful football coach.

Last Friday, though, was a whole new ballgame in Villa Park.

The Warriors hosted Glenbard South in Willowbrook’s football stadium, the softball program’s first-ever game under the lights.

First-year coach Hildreth, who had coached youth softball before this year and has a wife who played softball and a daughter who plays 10U, said he got the inspiration watching college softball games in football stadiums on ESPN+ early in the season.

“I thought we can do that here,” Hildreth said. “I presented it to our AD and our principal and everybody was on board and able to make it happen.”

Hildreth said they had portable fencing used at indoor track meets stored in the field house for the “outfield” fences and got a bunch of sand bags to hold them down. A good crowd turned out in the bleachers and the Willowbrook baseball team came out after its game. The game was streamed live on the student-run YouTube channel.

Lindsey Rugg had the honors of hitting the first homer under the lights in a 9-4 Willowbrook win.

“It was cool to get more eyes on it, find an opportunity for softball to be the featured game of the weekend, got some more people there,” Hildreth said. “We’re hoping to do this again. The girls are like, ‘Can we do four or five of these things?’ ”

IHSA softball assignments

The IHSA has released its postseason softball assignments. Notably, Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, Riverside-Brookfield and Benet – third in Class 3A last year – are in a Class 4A sectional at Marist with defending Class 4A champion Marist. Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South are at Plainfield North, along with defending Class 4A runner-up Yorkville.

In Class 3A, two-time defending champion Lemont is a sectional host and Glenbard South hosts a sectional that includes Montini, moved up from Class 2A. In Class 2A, IC Catholic Prep is a sectional host.