Riverside-Brookfield freshman Amelia Pytel, who pitched a team to Little League state title, leads surging R-B

How many high school freshmen have won a state championship before they ever threw a varsity pitch?

Amelia Pytel, for starters.

Riverside-Brookfield’s precocious freshman starred for the Brookfield Little League 12-Under All-Star team that won the Majors state championship in the summer of 2023.

R-B classmate Brailyn Naylor was also on that team that reached the Little League Central Regional.

“It was amazing, so cool. We worked so hard to get there,” Pytel said. “I’m glad that it was something I got to experience.”

Now she’s helping her high school program experience success.

The Bulldogs (15-9), with three freshmen and three sophomores starting, won seven straight games before a 3-1 loss to Bartlett Thursday, all seven wins on the road.

Pytel on Tuesday had 19 strikeouts in R-B’s 10-3 win over Glenbard East, who beat the Bulldogs the first time through conference play.

“We are working as a team and we finally came together,” Pytel said. “We didn’t have a great start, but we started bonding. The season has gone a lot better.”

First-year R-B head coach and former assistant Emma Jarrell, who swapped spots in the dugout this fall with former coach Doug Schultz, knew she had a special freshman class coming in.

She’d seen them at clinics and camps and watched what Pytel and Naylor did for the 2023 Brookfield All-Star team.

She also had a four-year starter at third base in Northern Kentucky recruit Ellie Megall, and third-year starters in Ella Jurgens at second base and Trinity Stevenson.

“We had a lot of injuries and a lot of people sick the first half of the season; Amelia got sick a little bit and had a small injury, we were messing around with lineups,” Jarrell said. “We had prom in April, we got a break, everybody has been healthy since.”

The Bulldogs have indeed taken off.

Pytel struck out 14 and homered in a 10-2 win over West Chicago, who beat R-B the first time through conference play. Three days later, Pytel struck out 16 in a 3-2 win over neighborhood rival Lyons.

“That felt good,” Pytel said. “They’re like a rival team, plus a team that’s in our sectional.”

Lyons coach Megan Pyles was well-versed with Pytel’s talents, having coached her personally.

“She taught me most of my pitches,” Pytel said. “It’s almost like I owe her a thank you.”

Jarrell has the luxury of five pitchers on the roster, which allowed Pytel to split games at the beginning of the season to get her feet on the ground. Now she is throwing full games and getting tons of swing and misses.

Pytel has 114 strikeouts through 57 innings, or two strikeouts per inning, and has allowed just 37 hits with a 5-2 record and 2.85 ERA.

“All of her pitches move really well; she has a lot of movement, a lot of different tools,” Jarrell said. “Whatever the ump’s strike zone is she has a pitch for.”

The experience of pitching in high-pressure summer games two years ago has certainly steeled Pytel for the challenge of facing high school hitters.

“It definitely helped me a lot, facing higher batters. I’m not at as intimidated going up there,” Pytel said said. “It’s definitely helped me a lot and built more confidence.”

Falcons slugger flies higher

Reagan Crosthwaite has already helped lead the Wheaton North program to new heights.

The senior shortstop and Brown commit last year broke the program’s career home run record, and helped lead the Falcons to their first conference and regional championships in 38 years and a sectional final.

She’s having quite an encore senior year.

Crosthwaite through 22 games is batting .486 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs. She is on pace to top her junior year production, when Crosthwaite belted 18 home runs to go along with 50 RBIs.

“I think she wants to leave the program better than it was – and she has done that,” Wheaton North coach Allie Ravanesi said. “She just wants to play her best ball for her teammates. She just loves the game.”

Crosthwaite hit two home runs Tuesday in Wheaton North’s 14-12 slugfest of a loss to Oswego, a game which featured 10 home runs.

With her lanky frame, Crosthwaite doesn’t necessarily paint the picture of a powerful slugger – until the ball flies off her bat.

“That’s what I get all the time, is that she barely swings,” Ravanesi said with a laugh. “She just works her butt off. Weekends, after games. She thinks she didn’t hit well and goes and works with her dad. Crazy how hard she works.”

Milestone for York pitcher

York senior pitcher Avery Kanouse reached a milestone this week, her 500th career strikeout.