College Notebook | Augustana’s Ranieri named CCIW Pitcher of Year
By Mike Walsh
Correspondent
This has been quite the spring for Augustana College’s Nadia Ranieri.
The Riverside-Brookfield graduate has been chosen Pitcher of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The junior lefty finished 15-4 with a 1.53 ERA in 23 appearances (21 starts) while helping the Vikings to an overall record of 22-20 and a conference mark of 9-7.
Ranieri, of North Riverside, tossed 15 complete games to go with six shutouts. Ranieri worked 137.1 innings, allowing 111 hits and an opponents’ batting average of .224. She struck out 183 and walked 34.
Ranieri was a four-time CCIW Pitcher of the Week this season and paced the conference in strikeouts with 157, good enough for second all-time in a season in conference games for the Vikings. She ranked second in the league in ERA at 1.64 and wins with 13.
In addition to her Pitcher of the Year honor, she was named First-Team All-Conference, becoming the first Augustana player since 2019 to do so. She is the first Viking to win either the conference’s Player of the Year or Pitcher of the Year since 2010.
In the classroom, Ranieri was one of five Vikings named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
Joining Ranieri on the academic team is infielder Olivia Blood, who also graduated from R-B. Blood batted .329 this season with 13 runs and 10 RBI.
Standing Tall
Troy Taller was one of three Elmhurst University graduate students to garner postseason accolades from the CCIW.
Taller, a pitcher/third-baseman who prepped at Andrew, was named to the All-CCIW Second Team for the first time in his career. He tallied a career-high 10 home runs this season to tie for the team and conference lead. He drove in 30 runs and slugged .563.
Taller was second on the Bluejays in runs (33), hits (44) and total bases (85), while finishing third in doubles (11) and fourth in batting average (.306). Elmhurst finished 15-21 overall and 6-12 in league play.
On the mound, the Tinley Park resident was 3-2 in eight appearances (seven starts) with 35 strikeouts.
A Little Respect
Isabelle Piwowarczyk was lauded as Illinois Wesleyan’s honoree for the CCIW’s RESPECT Award for the 2023 softball season.
RESPECT Award recipients have distinguished themselves as an integral member of the team, their institution and community by upholding the values of Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Service, Pride, Excellence, Collaboration and Trust.
Piwowarczyk, an Oak Lawn graduate and an outfielder for the Titans, appeared in 28 games (four starts) and scored nine runs. Wesleyan was 27-16 overall and 14-2 in conference.
1 Comment
Local News
Stagg health team earns fourth straight Blue Ribbon award
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva District 230 Supt. Robert Nolting likened the Stagg Health Education department to the New England Patriots. For the fourth straight year, Stagg won the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Education from the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Staff members said Stagg was the first school…
Boys Basketball: Highs and lows for Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent During a week that Oak Lawn coach Jason Rhodes knew would present a huge challenge for his team, the Spartans started with a big win over a top South Suburban Conference contender. Then the league’s greatest perennial power provided proof that Oak Lawn still has a lot of work…
Palos Heights: Business owners must choose whether to comply with mandates
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Palos Heights is not cracking down on businesses that violate Cook County COVID-19 mandates regarding proof of vaccinations. But the city will help if asked. Among the mandates, which started Monday, businesses including restaurants and gyms must have patrons show proof of vaccinations, which is a controversial topic for some.…
College Report: Division I schools listening to Heard
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Tadriana Heard is ready for a second round of Division I basketball. The former Argo star is playing her second season for Morton College, and heading into this week’s action was first in the nation among National Junior College Athletic Association players with 64 3-pointers. She was also…
Mayor reads hate mail before diving into COVID and crime issues
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Before Tuesday’s village board meeting, Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau said he received a disturbing email. The mayor, who shoots from the hip when it comes to his beliefs is a controversial public figure and figures to get hate mail. This one was especially nasty. “I figured that since I…
Boys Basketball: Evergreen Park riding out toughest stretch of schedule
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer So, how did Evergreen Park get to 9-6 over in its first 15 games? The Mustangs took a rollercoaster ride. In a nutshell: They started the season with four consecutive wins, lost the next three, won five straight and then dropped three in a row. The latest three-game…
Home is where the school is
Spread the loveBy Thomas L. Knapp In mid-2020, I mused that if the pandemic ended up producing any silver linings, the most likely bright spot would be its impact on government — so-called “public” — education. Throughout the previous spring, government schools had largely shut down in-person classes, switching to ad hoc and, it seems, fairly…
Gamesmanship in Springfield goes viral
Spread the loveBy Rich Miller The Illinois Senate’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols (testing, masks and limited remote voting) didn’t anticipate a partisan attempt to use a record-breaking virus surge to shut the chamber down, but that’s what almost happened last week. Senate Republicans were rightfully outraged that the Democratic super-majority geared up to jam through a…
Loving the Archer Heights Library
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 Well, that’s it, folks. The holidays are over. Next up in the market are Valentine’s Day candy, paczki, corned beef, Guinness and Peeps. Easter this year is on April 17. I will have to mention…
New year, old challenges
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 It’s a new year and a time for new beginnings. Many of us will be starting a new diet program. I plan to do this as soon as I’m done eating the remaining Christmas candy and cookies at my house. Wish me luck!…
Neighbors
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…
Another Choate Mental Health Center employee indicted for abuse of resident
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Another caregiver at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna is facing charges for abusing a patient. A grand jury indicted Joseph A. Clark, 24, of Grand Chain, on a felony charge of aggravated battery and a misdemeanor charge of battery. Clark pinned a Choate resident to…
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death. But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than…
Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…
Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party. Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in…
Pritzker signs bill creating new Department of Early Childhood
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday creating a new cabinet-level state agency dedicated to early childhood education and development. The new Department of Early Childhood, which will become operational in July 2026, will take over programs currently housed across three state agencies, including funding for preschool…
Speaker Welch rebuffs lawsuit from would-be staff union as ‘forum shopping’
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is urging a Cook County judge to dismiss a lawsuit members of his staff filed against him last month seeking to force recognition of their union. In a new filing Monday, attorneys for Welch argued the Illinois Legislative Staff Association has no…
Advocates say SCOTUS ruling paves way for law ensuring abusers have guns confiscated
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com After the U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld a federal law that bars those under domestic violence-related restraining orders from owning guns, victim advocates say Illinois lawmakers should pass a measure to ensure firearms are actually confiscated in those situations. The legislation has been stalled for more than…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
[…] source website […]