In more ways than one, Dundee-Crown junior Claire Weeks is as down to earth as it gets.
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Considering Weeks has been a softball catcher since second grade, perhaps only farmers have more experience working as close to the ground.
“I started out like anyone in Little League, playing a ton of positions, but I always wanted to be a catcher because you’re involved in every pitch, every play,” Weeks said. “You don’t get bored.
“You see the whole field and I feel like you’re kind of organizing things back there.”
Weeks is one of five three-year starters Dundee-Crown coach Tracy Beatty has in the lineup.
But Weeks has been the field leader who helps pull it all together for the Chargers (5-4-1, 1-2) as they seek status as Fox Valley Conference contenders.
“You’ve got to be smart to be a catcher,” Beatty said. “Claire thinks out there. And she is such a hard worker, hustling after every play. She’s intelligent about how she sets up and how to handle every single pitch.
“She pulls in strikes on the corner for our pitcher. And with her blocking ability and strong arm, she’s just a 100-percent all-around catcher.”
Weeks enjoys her vantage point catching pitches from junior Sydney Ruggles, who also has started three years. It’s a softball battery with a long life.
“We started out in travel ball together the same year and I’ve been catching her since I was 10 or 11,” Weeks said. “She hits her spots nicely, and always has been right at the top with her speed.”
Ruggles thinks the two know how each thinks after so many pitches.
“I feel like since we’ve grown up together, it’s helped strengthen the bond,” Ruggles said. “We know each other so well and how to work together.”
Weeks broke in as a freshman in 2015 when her sister, Casey, was still with the team. She credits Casey with helping generate some of her interest in the game.
Weeks hit .467 as a freshman and .339 last year. She’s batting .370 this season, attributing some improvement to offseason work with hitting coach Mark Doran, a former minor-leaguer in the White Sox and Angels organizations.
“I think our entire team is capable of being an excellent hitting team,” Weeks said. “We’ve all shown it at times.”
It’s still an area of concern for Beatty, who’d like to see every Charger take the line drive, contact approach of Weeks, who bats third in the order.
“Home runs are great but can be the demon,” Beatty said. “If you get some, you want more. And then you’re aiming for fences.
“Our thing last year was we were loading the bases and not making timely hits. Our maturity has gone up and it’s showing. This year when we played in Tennessee, we were behind in a couple games and battled and came back to win.”
Maturity is expected with this group.
Second baseman Andrea Conway and third baseman Deanna Origer are juniors in their third years as starters. Outfielder Jessica McVicker, infielder Kayla Sjodin and first baseman Megan Emerson are also in their third varsity seasons,
Shortstop Hannah Gestrich is a sophomore, but led the team in RBIs as a freshman. Gestrich (.464) and Origer (.462) are off to particularly hot starts.
“Our focus in practices has been on being more productive with the bats,” Weeks said. “We’ve come a long way, I feel. We have to show it in games.”
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