Evergreen Park Softball 14U will be honored as the Chicago Area Softball Organization of the Year at the 78th Annual Pitch and Hit Club Awards Banquet. The banquet will be held on Sunday, January 18th at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park. Doors open at 3:30PM for autographs and the memorabilia auction. Dinner begins at 5PM.
The team consists of 4 coaches and 10 players. The team is managed by Adam Goyke with coaches Megan Schillo, Bill Hovanec, and Marty Racz. The roster consists of Molly Goykel, Layne Schillo, Addison Mrskos, Sam Johnson, Ava Krueger, Liv Hovanec, Makenna Juarez, Mackenzie Norbut, Molly Racz and Ceci Chavez.
As for details about the team, they went 5-0 during the Illinois state tournament beating teams from other districts in Illinois. After winning the state tournament they advanced to the Central Region tournament and went 4-0 beating teams from Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky (Missouri, Indiana, and Iowa were also in the tournament). After winning the Central Region, they advanced to the Junior League Softball World Series in Kirkland, WA. The team went 4-0 in pool play beating teams from Italy, South Carolina, Washington, and Puerto Rico. After pool play they advanced to the quarterfinals and beat a team from the Philippines. In the semifinals they played the team from Puerto Rico and beat them again advancing to the championship game against a team from Texas. Unfortunately, they fell short in the championship game 2-0 to take 2nd place in the world. Through this 16-game stretch they went 15-1 and they outscored their opponents 165-57. They are the first team from Illinois to reach the Junior League Softball World Series.
All of the girls on the team (and coaches) reside in Evergreen Park, IL and neighboring communities.