Softball: Harvard’s Tallulah Eichholz commits to Belmont

Harvard’s Tallulah Eichholz was on Belmont’s radar before she threw a single pitch in high school.

Eichholz always appreciated Belmont’s interest and stayed in contact throughout the recruiting process. Two weeks ago, the Hornets ace announced her commitment to play for coach Laura Matthews and the NCAA Division I Bruins.

“I think that’s one of the biggest things that stood out to me,” said Eichholz, a junior. “Not many coaches would put a lot of thought into a 13-year-old. But the effort they’ve put in is phenomenal. I can tell, those next four years when I go there, it’s going to be a great experience.”

Eichholz was a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team pick for the second consecutive season in the spring, helping lead the Hornets to their first winning season in the Kishwaukee River Conference. She racked up 239 strikeouts with a 2.09 ERA and 0.86 WHIP and also was the team’s leading hitter with a .458 batting average.

Eichholz received lots of interest since Sept. 1, the first day that coaches can start recruiting juniors for softball. Eichholz then narrowed her list to four: Belmont, Northwestern, North Georgia and St. Thomas.

“As soon as Sept. 1 hit, I had a lot of coaches contact me, just asking for visits and getting to know them,” she said. “I got to know the coaches, what I liked and what I didn’t like, and Belmont is the one that really stood out.

“I put them toward the end of my visits and everything just clicked.”

Not many coaches would put much thought into a 13-year old. But the effort they’ve put in is phenomenal. I can tell, those next four years when I go there, it’s going to be a great experience.”

—  Tallulah Eichholz, Harvard junior

Eichholz has been one of the area’s toughest pitchers to hit with 453 strikeouts in her first two seasons. She carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of last year’s Class 3A Burlington Central Regional championship, striking out 18 in an eventual 1-0 loss to Kaneland.

She gives a lot of credit to her coaches on her travel team, Wisconsin Lightning, among others.

“When I first came to the Lightning, I was clocked at 47 mph,” Eichholz said. “They got me up to 55 in 12U, and now I’m 63, low 60s and pushing myself every day. I’m learning new pitches, learning how to slap, learning how to power hit ... everything.”

John Lagerhausen, a longtime baseball and softball coach at Harvard who still works with pitchers in the McHenry County area, said Eichholz’s potential was apparent early on.

“I immediately knew she was an athlete,” Lagerhausen said. “She’s got strong legs. Her mom brought her to me for lessons, and away we went.”

Eichholz said Lagerhausen has been a tremendous coach and teacher. He encouraged her to reach out to the top softball programs in the country.

“I think he’s really helped me with the mental part of the game,” she said. “He has a brain for softball. He can be a chatter box but he definitely has a lot of information he throws at you. He helps you understand why you’re doing this and why the brain works like this.”

Eichholz’s mom, Allison, also was coached by Lagerhausen and later played at McHenry County College.

“She’s always pushed me,” Eichholz said of her mom. “She wanted me to be a first baseman, but I saw some of my friends pitching and I was like, ‘Hey I kind of want to try that.’ We’ve really bonded over the sport.

“We sat down the other night and watched footage, what I used to do and what I do different now. It’s really nice to have that connection with her.”

Eichholz said playing against top players in college will “make me better and push me to the next level.”

Eichholz is equally excited about her final two years at Harvard, where she hopes to contend for conference and postseason titles. In two years when she’s a senior, her sister Leona will be a freshman.

“I’m really excited,” Eichholz said. “We have a few new freshman incoming and they have been involved in so many different sports. They all want to work hard. Some text me to hit on my days off. You can tell they want it.”