The Regina softball team showed up early in the Class 2A regional final against host Woodlands.
The Panthers erupted for two runs in the first, six in the second and three in the third of an 11-1, five-inning victory.
For Regina coach Vince Smart’s seniors, the pregame routine on Saturday, May 23, involved a little more than the usual batting practice and soft toss — it included graduation at 9:30 a.m. before bustling up to Lake Forest for the 2 p.m. first pitch.
“I was really excited for graduation this morning, but once it was over, I was looking forward to this and I just wanted to bring it all to the field right afterward,” senior third baseman Maddie MacBain said. “We were ready right afterward.”
For MacBain, the day started at 6 in the morning. Senior center fielder Audrey Jahns had a bit more leisurely morning, hitting the snooze button twice — and ultimately waking up at 6:50 a.m.
“I’m so tired today,” MacBain said on Saturday, May 23. “I’m so happy though that it has worked out.”
Beyond the strain of graduation, there was also the emotion.
“Regina’s a really close place to my heart. It’s my second home so there were a lot of tears at the end,” Jahns said. “We had a game to win, so cry, wipe your tears, come here and then give it your all.”
By the time they showed up at sunlit West Park, Jahns felt a palpable relief.
“This whole entire day had been rush, rush, rush,” Jahns said. “When we got here, it was pretty nice to just like take a break and focus on the game.”
The emotion of graduation combined with the emotion of leading Regina to its first regional title since 2005. Regina then beat Latin 15-0 in Lisle Sectional semifinal. It advanced to play IC Catholic in the sectional final at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 30.
“As soon as we make it to the second round of regionals, it’s like state is right around the corner,” MacBain said. ” … This was a huge deal for me. I was super excited to make it to the second round. We were all so excited to be here.”
If the Panthers were affected by the moment, they certainly didn’t show it. They stole base after base. Junior pitcher Emily Herberg pounded the strike zone and racked up strikeouts.
Graduation or not, the seniors were right in the thick of it. Jahns smoked a pair of line drives down the third-base line. MacBain clocked one over the center fielder’s head and kept a steady line of chatter headed Herberg’s way in the field: “Right here, Em. Right here, Em.”
That’s the kind of leadership they exhibited all season, according to Smart. When it came to writing a college recommendation for MacBain, Smart used a special term from his career as a firefighter.
“I said there’s not too many kids that I would say this about, but she’s the kind of kid that I’d crawl down a hallway with [in a smoke-filled building],” Smart said. “She’s unbelievable. I can’t say enough about that young lady. She’ll battle, she’ll play injured, and at the end of the day, whether she has a bad day or not, she’s a shoulder to cry on for the younger girls.”
MacBain’s calming presence was essential during a season when Regina played a challenging schedule. The Panthers took on a Plainfield South team replete with Division I recruits, and lost 18-0. Regina led Trinity 8-6 in the bottom of the fifth, before falling 27-10.
Jahns, meanwhile, is another “great leader,” according to Smart, and senior Claire Conroy took perhaps the most unsavory job of all, battling the sun in right field for the Panthers. Smart said right field at Regina’s home field, Techny Towers, is simply brutal because of the glare around 4:30 p.m.
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The tough losses prepared Regina for a deep postseason run.
“They’re great kids,” Smart said. “I want them to be proud about it.”
Rosenblum is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.