Irish Stop Beecher In 1st Round of Beecher Regional

Revenge is often a dish served cold and for the Lady Irish softball team they had over a year too cool down from their Sectional loss in the championship game last year.  That year off cooling off was just what the Irish needed to revenge that loss by beating back the Bobcats by a score of 8-6 Wednesday night.  Despite winning  seven straight regional titles, the Bobcats were unable to handle an Irish offense that put up a quick 7 runs in the first few innings.  The Irish were lead by Josie Dexter who went 2-3 with two doubles and 2 RBI's as well as Emily Olszewski who added two well timed singles to drive in runs for the Irish.  Sophomore Aly Hana also contributed to the win for the Irish with two great hits.  Up next for the Irish is Momence for the Regional Championship game.  That game will be held Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Beecher High School.

Irish Win All City Battle Against Cross Town Rival Kankakee

Despite being down early in their All-City battle with Kankakee, the lady Irish fought back hard after being down 3-0.  The lady Irish were lead on the mound by Belinda Schaafsma who kept the Kays off balance all afternoon. The Irish beat back the Kays Friday by a score of 5-4 thanks to timely hitting including two doubles from Josie Dexter with bases loaded and then another by Erika Tatum the allowed the Irish to take their first lead.  But it was Elle DeSelm who sealed the deal with a huge homerun in the top of the 6th inning that proved to be the difference with Kankakee scoring in the bottom of the sixth.  Congratulations to the Irish on their 1st All-City victory.

Irish Drop Two To A Tough Benet Academy Team

The Irish dropped two game Saturday to Benet Academy.  the first game saw the Irish fall short by a score of 4-0. The second game the Irish fought hard again but lost by a score of 3-0.  The stats for the games are :   Game 1: Belinda Schaafsma (7-2) Game 2 Melissa LaReau had a it and pitcher Alexa Slakeld was the pitcher of record going 6 innings striking out 2 and walking 2.

Lady Irish Sweep Joliet Catholic - Move to 6-0 In ESCC Conference

The Lady Irish swept conference rival Joliet Catholic 5-2 and 10-8 Friday to move their ESCC record to 6-0 and overall to 13-2. Belinda Schaafsma improved her record to 7-1 and pitch both games and gave up one earned run in the 1st game and came in to game to to relief Alexa Salkeld and striking out five batters and giving up three runs.  Kaitlyn Burczak had two hits in the opening game.  In game two, Erika Tatum had a three run home run and finish the game with four RBIs.  Josie Dexter and Megan Currie each contributed two while  Melissa LaReau added two hits to help the Irish to their 13th won of the season.

Lady Irish Softball Take Two at Grant Park 12-6; 12-2

The Irish traveled to Grant Park Saturday to battle the Dragons in a afternoon doubleheader.  By the end of the day, the Irish had accumulated 24 runs and another two victories improving their season record to 11-2.  In the 1st game the Irish bats were on fire and their pitcher, sophomore Alexa Salkeld improved her record to 5-1 striking out 3 K's, only allowing 2 runs w and going the full  7 innings.   At the plate Hillary Olszewski went 3-4 with 2 RBI,  Josie Dexter was 3-5,  Lauren Nicholson also went 3-5 with  2 runs and driving in 3 RBI's; Alexia Koziol was 2-5 with 2 runs.     In Game freshman Jordan Coash (1-0) pitched for he Irish going 5 innings allowing only 2 earned runs  while striking out 2 and only walking 1 batter.  Game 2 proved be yet another great offensive show for the Irish with Emily Olsewksi going,  3-4,  scoring twice and driving in 3 RBI's.  Hillary Olszewski went 2-2,  with 2 runs.   Erica Tatum was 2-4,  scoring once and driving in 3 RBI's; Megan Curry was a solid  2-2, with a towering HR and a double and 2 RBI's. Melissa LaReau also went 2-3 with 1 run.  

Mac Holds On For Win Against Herscher

The Herscher Tigers came into Mac's home field with a plan to steal a victory from the Lady Irish softball team. Unfortunately for the Tigers that plan did not work out as the Irish held on for yet another win by a score of 7-6.  Elle DeSelm (2-3; 2 RBI's)came thru with the go ahead runs with a double that drove in Josie Dexter (1 hit; 1 Run; 1 RBI) and Erica Tatum (1 hit; 1 Run; 1 RBI) who both had provided hits to tie up the score.  Aly Hana had a great game going 2-2, walking twice and scoring once.   In addition Emily Olszweski also provided a timely hit to score another run to help lift the Irish to their 9th win of the season.  Alexa Salkeld pitched the Irish to victory while improving her record to 4-1.

10 Inning Battle Goes Irish Way Against Clifton Central

Emily Olszewski's 10th inning hit combined with great defensive plays, including 2 double plays in crucial situations proved to be the difference for the lady Irish Wednesday as they improved their record to 8-2 with a 1-0 win over the Clifton Central Comets.  The freshman stepped up to the plate in the 10th and slammed a hard hit ball that the Comets 2nd basement couldn't reach, driving in pitcher Belinda Schaafsma to win the game. Schaafsma's shut out imporved her record to 5-1 striking out 5 and allowing just 5 hits walking 2.  The Irish were led by Emily Olszewski who was 2-3 with 1 RBI, Josie Dexter with a Triple and Elle Deslem who had 1 hit. Next up for the Irish are the Herscher Tigers.  Game time 4:30 at River Road.

Irish Twice As Nice Against Conference Rival St. Joe

Saturday proved to be a very nice day for the Lady Irish Softball team as they squared off against conference rival St. Joe - Westchester.  The lady Irish swept both games scoring 24 runs while only giving up 4.  Game 1 ended in 5 innings with McNamara winning by a score of 11-0.   Belinda Schaafsma  (4-1)  pitched a 3 hit shutout while striking out 7.  On offense the Irish were led by Aly Hana  3-4,  2 runs, 2 RBI; Hillary Olszewski 2-2,  3 runs, 3 stolen bases;  Josie Dexter 2-4, 2 runs and, 2 RBI; Belinda Schaafsma 2-4; Elle DeSlem 3-4.  In Game 2, The varsity team won strong again by a score of 14-4  in 5 innings.    Alexa Salkeld (3-1) threw for the  Irish and at the plate Eric Tatum went 2-3 with 2 runs and 2RBI.  Emily Olszewski went  3-3,  3 runs and 3 RBI and  Hillary Olsewski went 3-4 with2 runs and 3 RBI's.

Irish Drop One Against Coal City

The Irish were toppled by one of the toughest teams in the area, Coal City. by a score of 4-1 while facing tough pitching throughout the day that kept them off balanced.  The Irish were able to manufacture one run, engineered three walks and one hit by Josie Dexter.  The Lady Irish are sure to face the Coalers again in the post season  where they were able to knock off the Coalers to advance to Sectionals. 

Irish Softball Team Rolls Past St. Viator in Double Header

The Lady Irish turned in an impressive Saturday combining for 16 runs while only giving up 2 and winning both games against St. Viator.  The first game the Irish were lead on the mound by Belinda Schaafsma who threw a 2 hitter and only allowed 1 run and chalked up 6 strikeouts.  Schaafsma improves her record to an impressive 3-0.  At the plate the Irish were lead by Katlyn Burczak who went 3 for 3 in the 5-1 victory.

In the second game Alexa Salkeld improved her record to 2-1 recording 6 strikeouts and giving up no walks.  The Irish bats were on fire again with a host of Irish players stepping up and contributing to the 11-1 victory. Aly Hana was 2-for-4 with a 1 double,  2 runs; Josie Dexter was 2-for-3,  1 run,  and 2 RBI's; Elle DeSelm went 2-for-2 and slammed a Grand Slam and ended the game with an impressive 5 RBI's.  

BBCHS Game Rescheduled for Tuesday April 28, 4:30 at River Road

Lady Irish Get Win Over Rich East 10-0

Alexa Salkeld (1-1) pitched a shutout and went 2-3 at the plate against Rich East to help lead the Lady Irish to a 10-0 Victory.  The Irish bats were on fire with several ladies leading the way including, Aly Hana who went 2-3, Josie Dexter also went 2-3, with 2 RBI's and Erica Tatum was 2-3, 3 RBI's,  

The Ladies face St. Viator Saturday in a double header at home.  Come out this weekend and watch the Lady Irish softball team.  The games will be played at Kankakee Community College Softball field.

Lady Irish Defeat Manteno and 4 Year Starter & ONU Recruit Junge

The lady Irish softball team came out on top against Manteno, the #14 pre-season ranked 2A team, by a score of 3-1.   The Irish were solid throughout the game to defeat 4 year starter and ONU recruit pitcher Jordan Junge.  It was another stellar pitching performance by Sophomore Pitcher Belinda Schaafsma who was backed up by strong defense. Megan Curie reached on a walk and Josie Dexter  followed with a base hit to set the stage or Katlyn Burczak who hit a towering fly ball to score both players. Burczak went 2-2 with 2 RBI's.  Those factors coupled with Aly Hana's mammoth home run helped seal the victory.

Lady Irish Come Up Short in Pitchers Duel with Peotone

The Lady Irish fought hard for 12 innings before losing to an Top 25 (#20) Pre-Season favorite, Peotone Blue Devils 4-1.  The Lady Irish were led by Belinda Schaafsma who pitched a great game and struck out 11 Blue Devils.  The Lady Irish now will face Manteno Thursday afternoon .

Lady Irish Teams Dominate In Opener Game Against Watseka

The Lady Irish started off the season right with a 13-1 victory over the Watseka Warriors.  The Lady Irish were lead by great pitching and great hitting.  Belinda Schaafsma pitched 3 strong innings giving up only 1 run and Alexa Salkeld pitched 2 innings and gave up no runs.  The lady Irish bats were also on fire against the Warriors. Led by by Megan Curie who went 4-for-4, and Aly Hanna and Cassie LaBeau who each hit homer runs early in the game to set the pace. The Lady Irish next contest will be HOME against Peotone Blue Devils on Monday March 23rd at 4:30 p.m.

The Lady Irish JV squad started the season off on a high note with a 33-0 victory over the Watseka Warriors. The Lady Irish were lead by great pitching by Jordan Coash and Jillian Sebastiani who combined to pitch a perfect game. Strong sophomore hitting lead the way for the Lady Irish with standout performances by Melissa LaReau (4-4), Sarah Kidwell (3-3), and freshman Kourtnee Thompson (3-3).

The Lady Irish next contest will be on the road against Peotone Blue Devils on Monday March 23rd at 4:30 p.m.

Lady Irish Announce 2009 Rosters

The Lady Irish are pleased to announce their 2009 Varsity and JV Rosters.  The Irish will start off the season on March 19th against Watseka.  To view the Rosters please click on the Player profile links for Varsity roster and nd JV roster

For more information on the 2009 Lady Irish Softball check back here periodically.

Irish Welcomes New Coach for 2009

• 2006: 28-6 (best win/loss percentage in McNamara Baseball History)

• 2007: 21-11

• 2008: 19-13-1

As a McNamara student in the 1970’s, Schmidt played a vital role in the school’s Baseball and Basketball programs earning 7 Varsity Letters in those two sports. Upon graduation in 1975, Ray Schmidt was selected in the 12th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. After being released for 2 injury shortened seasons, Schmidt returned to KCC for 2 years followed by 2 years at Eastern Illinois University.

Coach Schmidt currently resides in Manteno with his wife, Jorie, and family. He is currently employed by Cognis Corporation.

Lady Irish 2009 Schedule