John Leusch

Arlington Heights

High School Sports Reporter at Daily Herald

High school sports reporter for the Daily Herald, and contributor to Arlington Park coverage.

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Articles

Softball notes: Piento swinging hot bat for Fremd; Hersey heats up heading into stretch run

1 day ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Taylor Piento has found a groove in May. Since the first day of the month, the Fremd senior centerfielder has led the Vikings offensively. In her first seven games in May, Piento is hitting .524 with an OBP of .593 while scoring 12 runs, five more than the next Viking. Additionally, senior pitcher Hailey Lucas (Southern Illinois commit) has been dominant in the circle, striking out more than two hitters per inning while putting together a 5-1 record.
Softball: Barrington explodes for 20 runs in win battle of MSL division leaders vs. Prospect

1 week ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Barrington's state-ranked softball team put on an offensive clinic on Wednesday when the two leaders from the Mid-Suburban West and East divisions met at the Fillies' Fields of Dreams. When it was over, Barrington (22-2-1, 11-0 in the MSL West) finished with a season-high 20 hits in a 20-0 four-inning triumph over visiting Prospect (18-6, 7-4) which entered the crossover game leading the MSL East.
Softball: Kanupke continues power surge, sends Fremd past Elk Grove

1 week ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Claire Kanupke began the week with a walk-off homer in Fremd's 11-1 win over Schaumburg. On Thursday, the senior No. 3 hitter came up with a chance to do the same thing against Elk Grove in the fourth inning. Sure enough, Kanupke clubbed a towering 2-run blast well over the center-field fence to wrap up the Vikings' 16-0 shutout over Elk Grove as a drizzle fell from the skies at the end of the Mid-Suburban League crossover.
Softball: Hersey rallies from 7 runs down, stuns Prospect

2 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Talk about never giving up. Down 8-1 going into the sixth inning at Prospect, Hersey's softball team put together a magical half inning with 7 runs and 3 home runs to tie the game at 8-8. The Knights came back for a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the sixth before Hersey pulled another two runs out of the hat in the top of the seventh and escaped with a 10-9 spell-bounding win in Mt. Prospect. The win left the Huskies (9-5, 5-2) just a half-game behind Prospect (17-4, 6-2) in the Mid-Suburban East.
Cook softball notes: Barrington’s Kenny slams her way into elite company

2 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Load the bases and watch out when Shannon Kenney comes to plate. Her bat was making quite a bit a noise in a period of five days. The Barrington senior shortstop clubbed a school-record three grand slam home runs, leaving her one grand slam away from tying the IHSA single season record. Carmel's Jennifer Bahan (2014) and Oregon's Aleah Wight (2017) each hit four in one season.
Softball: Buffalo Grove continues surge with win over St. Viator

2 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

After a 1-6 start, Buffalo Grove's softball team has found its groove. "I feel we're really coming together as a team now," said first baseman Erin Ryan, one of five sophomores in coach Martha Kelly's starting lineup on Tuesday along with two freshmen, a junior and a senior. "We're playing for each other instead of individually.
Softball: Barrington handles Fremd in battle of state-ranked teams

2 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Barrington softball coach Perry Peterson said Thursday's practice for Friday's Mid-Suburban League West game with host Fremd was a chance to identify what his Fillies might see in the showdown between two state-ranked teams. "We are training really hard and like a good team, you try to train based upon what your next set of competition is," he said.
Softball: Conant pays tribute to beloved former player, coach Gadomski

3 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Northern Illinois softball commit Ava Falcone of Conant will never forget her first hitting and pitching coach Sammie Gadomski. In a special game dedicated to the late Gadomski on Wednesday, Falcone had only one thing on her mind when she homered to lead off the bottom of the first, hit the game-winning RBI with a double in the fourth and saved the game in the seventh with a terrific diving catch with a runner on third base to end Conant's 4-3 victory over visiting Schaumburg.
Softball: Elk Grove knocks off defending MSL East champ Hersey

3 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

Over his 44 seasons as the Elk Grove softball coach, Ken Grams said he recalls very few catchers he's sent out behind the plate who called their own pitches. "Maybe one or two in all the years and it's been a long time since we've had one," he said. Maria Smith owns the rare role for Grams this spring. The Grenadiers senior, a three-year starter behind the plate, is calling the pitches for the first time. You can call it a success thus far.
Softball: Lucas fans 19, hits grand slam in Fremd’s win over Prospect

4 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | John Leusch

After a dominating performance in which she struck out 19 batters and belted a grand slam while reaching base three times, Fremd senior Hailey Lucas called the Vikings' 7-0 win on Wednesday in Palatine a great team win. That's the sign of a great team player who respects all of her teammates. And respect was all Prospect coach Krystina Mackowiack had for the hard-throwing right-hander who is committed to Southern Illinois University. "Hailey is phenomenal," Mackowiack said.