Wrapping Up Baseball and Softball

As we were going to press, the baseball and softball team were entering regionals. Please refer back to the school website if you would like to see how they did.













By Remington Kempiak

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Newark Lady Norsemen softball team for your 12-1 Regional Championship Victory against Earlville-Leland! The Lady Norsemen will now advance to the Sectional Semifinal game to be held on Wednesday, May 24th, 4:30 p.m. at Somonauk vs. Winner Somonauk Regional. Good luck Lady Norsemen!

Breaking Things In

The Lady Norsemen softball team started off with four cancelations due to rain, but finally got into gear with a game against Paw Paw, winning 11-0. On April 7, they traveled an hour and a half to Amboy and came out with a loss 3-1.

The next morning, the team competed in a double header on their field, winning both of their games 14-1 and 16-2. Reflecting on the early season, Senior Jasmine Mitchell said, “We have a lot of young talent on the team that is breaking things in and we are starting to get a good feel for team dynamic. We still need to work on consistent batting and keeping the defense tight.”

Junior Riane Tomsa stated, “We have a lot of new freshmen who are all solid players, which just adds to the group of returning players.
We all treat each other as family, and I think the upcoming season is going to be very fun!”

The girls will be playing Somonauk on May 1. Their record right now is 5-1.

By Caeley Larson

Swingin’ into the Season

The Lady Norsemen are less than a month into their 2017 softball season. Energy is already high as players, coaches, and fans are anticipating a successful season.

Players are excited for the upcoming competitions. Junior Alyssa Schofield, who started at second base last year, can’t wait "to play games in the warm weather."

Head Coach Mike Crackel seems encouraged by the skill and progress his athletes showed in just the first couple weeks of practices.

"The girls are working very well together. We are blending six freshmen with one new sophomore and ten returning players," Coach Crackel said. He believes their greatest challenge will be developing a consistent offense early in the season because of the variety of girls on the team this year.

The Lady Norsemen didn't waste time. After three weeks of practice, they jumped right into competition, with three games and a doubleheader the first week. Their opponents included Marquette Academy, Serena, and Families of Faith Christian Academy.

Looking ahead, the Lady Norsemen hope to clinch the conference title and possibly a regional title in May. The Lady Norsemen have been close to winning their regional the last two years and want to take it this year.

By Emma Nelson

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Newark Lady Norsemen softball team for your 12-5 Regional Championship Victory against Illinois Lutheran! The Lady Norsemen will now advance to the Sectional Semifinal game to be held on Tuesday, May 24th, 4:30 p.m. at Serena vs. Somonauk. Good luck Lady Norsemen!

Newark Softball Senior Highlights

KELSEA ZITT
Favorite Game: My favorite team to play is Seneca because it is always good competition.
Game day traditions or superstitions: I always have grape big league chew for each game.
Plans for Next Year: Butler University

SHELBY HODDY
Favorite Game: My favorite team to play is Somonauk, even if we don’t win we always play a good game.
Game day traditions or superstitions: Visit my car
Plans for Next Year: Internship in South Africa

DELANEY DREW
Favorite Game: My favorite team to play is HBR because Coach just let us play wherever we wanted. It was like playing 10U softball again.
Game day traditions or superstitions: Eating my mom's delicious PB&J's
Plans for Next Year: I'm planning on attending NIU to pursue a degree in speech pathology to become a speech therapist.

EMILY OLDENBURG
Favorite Game: Freshman year when Kelsea hit a walk off homerun. My favorite team to play is Somonauk.
Game day traditions or superstitions: Play catch with Klesea, wearing a certain pair of socks and a certain hair style.
Plans for Next Year: I plan on attending Aurora University to study nursing and play softball.

MEGAN DICLEMENTI
Favorite Game: Favorite softball game was my freshman year first game in the sectionals and Kelsea hit a walk off wonder that won us that game!
Game day traditions or superstitions: I always tie my cleats and then retie them, because it makes me hit better.
Plans for Next Year: I plan on attending Aurora University to study sports psychology/athletic training and play softball.

by Maddie Friestad

Newark Softball

Spring is right around the corner, which means softball is as well. This year Coach Krackel and Coach Akre are working the girls hard to accomplish big things this year. Last year, the girls went 15-7 and ended the season after winning regional semi finals.

The seniors will be Sara Hipsman, Kelsea Zitt, Shelby Hoddy, Delaney Drew, Megan DiClementi, five of those being returning veterans. Senior Megan DiClementi says some team goals are, “Going undefeated in conference, getting first in conference, and making it to sectionals.”

Sophomore Nikki Kala was asked what is the best part of softball and she said, “The team. The team is worth every long practice, hard games, black eye and bruise. We are a family and we win for each other.”

The first games this season will be March 21 at Aurora Christian, March 24 against West Minister Christian at home and March 30 against Ottawa Marquette at home. Come out and support your Lady Norsemen!

By Marissa Friestad

Softball

Softball season is right around the corner! Are you ready for sunflower seeds, uniform tan lines, and warm Saturday games? The softball team sure is!

During the month of February, the team has been having open gyms every Wednesday night and plans to do so up until the first practice. The practice schedule begins on March 1.

The first game for the Newark softball team is on March 21 and is away at IMSA starting at 4:30. The next, and last game for the month of March is the 22nd. The game is home against Aurora Central Catholic and will also be starting at 4:30.

This year, the softball team consists of six seniors, one junior, seven sophomores, and three freshmen. Senior Kelsea Zitt is most excited for Saturday double headers with a cookout in between games. Senior Delaney Drew stated that the team can’t wait to begin practice to work together as a team and to have a great overall season.

By Shelby Hoddy

Softball Senior Night

Softball Senior Night was held on May 7. Two seniors were honored: Caroline and Lexi. As of press time, the team was continuing to play in the regional tournament.

Photos courtesy of Caroline and Lexi.

Get Your Game Face On: Newark Softball

Newark Softball is in full swing! The lady Norsemen have kicked off the season with some wins under their belts.

They have played some conference games against Somonauk, Serena, and Earlville. They have also played some games against some big non-conference teams, like Plano and Wheaton Academy.

May will be a big month for the team. They will kick it off with playing Dwight at Dwight on May 1. On May 2 they have a double-header against Kirkland-Hiawatha at home.

They will finish up their conference games, playing Indian Creek on May 6 at home and May 12 at Indian Creek.

The Lady Norsemen play some non-conference opponents, like Aurora Christian at home on May 7 and Gardner-South Wilmington away on May 14. Junior Megan DiClementi says, “As long as we keep our head in the game we will be strong leading into the post season.”

On May 16 they will play in the Putnam County Tournament at Putnam County. The tournament starts at 8:00.

By Maddie Friestad

Field Work: Newark Softball

Newark softball has begun! The last two years, Newark has won a regional title, so they have high standards set. They had two seniors graduate last year, so there are some big spots to fill. That won’t shake the Lady Norsemen. This year, the team also has two seniors. They are Lexi and Caroline. They are assets to the Lady Norsemen softball team and will help them reach some goals this season. They have their work cut out for them, but they’re putting in the hard work now. Weather permitting, Newark will play the first conference game at home against Hinckley-Big Rock on April 6 at 4:30. Come out and support the blue and white this spring!

By Maddie Friestad

Newark Lady Norsemen Softball

The Newark Lady Norsemen have enjoyed a great start in their season! In the beginning of the season they faced many game delays and cancellations due to rain and weather conditions. So far, the Lady Norsemen have won twelve games! They have come out of three conference games a little short against Serena, Somonauk, and Earlville. They are left with three games in regular season play and one round robin tournament at Putnam County. Then, they will be rolling right into the regional games and hopefully onto a road to a strong post season! The regional ran Monday, May19th through Saturday, May 24th. This year, Newark hosted the softball regionals. This year’s team is losing two seniors. They are Kristine Zitt and Megan Malone. Both girls have played four years of softball and will be missed next year. Newark is looking forward to a great post season, and some good teams to come next year!

By Maddie Friestad

Make Up Your Mind, Mother Nature!

Softball is one of the most difficult sports to be able to get games in on their scheduled days, because it all depends on the weather. This spring, Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind. There was a continuous amount of snow and cold dumped on us, and then once that melted, rain and storms made their way through Illinois, followed by a little more snow. Games keep getting canceled and the softball team has only managed to play a few of their scheduled games so far. Luckily, they’ve won most of the games they have played so far, and hopefully they continue to do so. Good luck with the rest of your season, ladies, and may Mother Nature be ever in your favor!

By Madeline Hoddy

Stepping Up to the Plate (If it’s Visible Under All the Snow)

It’s that time of year again when the snow begins to melt and softball season begins. Well, that’s usually how it goes. This year, with the amount of snow we’ve been getting, it’s unlikely that the girls will be able to get out to the field for quite some time. The softball season began on March 3rd, and there are 13 girls on the team. Mr. Holman, the softball head coach, called the team this year, “all-stars,” and has been working the girls hard to get them ready for the season. Best of luck to the 2014 softball team!

By Madeline Hoddy

Lady Norsemen Softball

The Lady Norsemen softball program is wrapping up the season with a record of 14-6. They finished second in the conference with a record of 10-4. The Ladies received the first seed in their regional which began on Monday, May 13th. The top seed gave them a first round bye, so they did not take the field until Tuesday night against Paw Paw. Lady Norsemen have won the regional championship and the first game of the sectional. They will play for the sectional championship on Saturday, May 25th at 11 a.m. in Varna. Coach Holman said the team has been in a minor slump lately, but he is confident the ladies will bounce back for the post-season games.

By Lauren Tollefson

Lady Norsemen Advance to Sectional Championship

Congratulations to the Newark Lady Norsemen softball team for your 5-4 Sectional Semifinal victory against West Prairie! The Lady Norsemen have now advanced to the Sectional Championship game to be held on Saturday, May 25th, 11:00 a.m. at Varna (Midland) vs TBA.

Regional Champions!

Congratulations to the Lady Norsemen softball team for your 10-4 Regional Championship victory against Serena on Saturday! The Lady Norsemen have now advanced to Sectional Semifinals to be held at Varna (Midland) on Tuesday, May 21st vs. Sciota (West Prairie).
Good luck Lady Norsemen!

Lady Norsemen Softball

The Lady Norsemen softball team is off to a solid start with a 9-1 record. The girls have won all their conferences games thus far including two wins against Paw Paw and two against Hiawatha. Coach Holman is pleased with how his team has been competing against bigger schools. The Ladies defeated Plano, Rosary, Wheaton, St. Francis, and IMSA. Their only loss so far was against Putnam County by three runs. The girls were scheduled to play two more conferences games Thursday and Friday against LaMoille but results were unavailable at press time. Senior center fielder Melissa Schmidt stated that she and her teammates are looking forward to competing against more conference teams in the next couple weeks. Go Lady Norsemen!

By Lauren Tollefson

Lady Norsemen Softball

Softball season is underway at Newark High School, and Mr. Holman and his team are excited it’s finally here! Many new freshmen and a couple new sophomores joined the team this season, but unfortunately there are not enough of them to make a J.V. squad. The weather has prevented the team from playing their games thus far, but they are hoping to get out on the field soon! Good luck to the Lady Norsemen softball program this season!

By Lauren Tollefson
 
 

Softball

The excitement in Newark High School isn’t only graduation and summer vacation, but also the Lady Norseman Softball season! When asked about his expectations for the postseason, Mr. Holman responded by saying, “To play our best softball!”. I had also asked him how they were preparing for the post-season and how the practices usually go; he said, “Practices usually go like this: we catch, talk, hit, talk, walk around, go home.”

By Jake Ramey & Tayler Schomer