This chapter of softball is almost over for Emily Chavosky, but the book isn’t quite closed on her career.
The Richards senior plans to attend Illinois State and study nursing, so academics will be her main priority.
“ISU has club softball, so maybe I’ll do that,” Chavosky said after pitching the Bulldogs to a 7-1 win against Evergreen Park on May 12. “And then I think I might play a little bit of travel (ball) over the summer. We’ll see how that goes.”
If those plans don’t come to fruition, Chavosky still has something to remember her last competitive season for.
After beating Evergreen Park and then knocking off Bremen 18-0 two days later, the Bulldogs finished 16-3 in the South Suburban Red and won a share of their first conference title in 10 years. Richards shares the title with Evergreen Park, which beat Hillcrest 16-1 on May 14 in its conference finale.
Chavosky was in control against Evergreen Park, throwing a six-hitter with one walk and 10 strikeouts. The Mustangs’ run was unearned.
Speaking before the Bremen win, Chavosky said, “hypothetically, if we do win, (a conference title) would mean a lot to me. I have never won conference my past four years (though) we’ve always been top three if I’m correct. …
“It would reflect on how hard me, my coaches and my teammates work.”
Richards put itself in a tough spot, losing 3-1 to Shepard the day before beating Evergreen Park.
“We talked a lot about, who did they want to be?” Bulldogs coach Julie Folliard said. “What is their legacy? … They decided they wanted to bounce back today and come out with better energy.”
Mia Albon was 3-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI against Evergreen Park, while Layla Kruse went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and two RBIs. Chavosky’s sister Brenna, a freshman, finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Abby Witt was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs.
“That is my favorite part of the season,” Emily Chavosky said of being teammates with her sister. “Me and her are very close. We have never played together before (because of the age difference) and it was the best news hearing that she was on varsity.”
Grace Fontaine was 1-for-3 with an RBI for Evergreen Park.
Winning conference after graduating some key hitters from last season was encouraging for the Mustangs.
“In that sort of situation where we don’t kind of know what our season is going to look like — and then to not necessarily exceed expectations, but to kind of surprise us and have the top-to-bottom offense that we did was the difference maker this year,” Evergreen Park coach Michelle Vucsko said.