Welcome to the deep end of the pool.
South Elgin’s Charlotte Rzenno may have been surprised to make the varsity softball team as a freshman, but she’s quickly finding her place.
In fact, the rookie catcher has made an impressive splash through the first six games of her career, which includes the Storm’s annual five-game spring break trip to Tennessee.
“I definitely did not expect it to come this quick,” Rzenno said of her success. “I thought I might have a shot to make the team but was hoping to be somewhere up there like JV.
“I was definitely not expecting varsity right away. I was so excited I made it. Then, actually being able to play was great. It’s a locker room with such a high level of players.”
Appearing in just four games, Rzenno has a team-best .571 batting average with four hits in seven at-bats for South Elgin (4-2).
Two of those hits were home runs and another was a double. She’s tied with shortstop/third baseman Ava Lazare, a fellow freshman, for the team lead with six RBIs.
Add her five walks and Rzenno’s team-leading on-base percentage zooms to .750.
“She’s got really good softball instincts,” South Elgin coach Brad Reynard
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said. “She’s far beyond her years. Offensively, she’s been very impressive, and it’s come against some pretty good competition.”While South Elgin lost veteran catcher Chloe Ricard, now a freshman at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, to graduation, Rzenno and sophomore catcher/third baseman Ryleigh Fagan have stepped into the void and filled it nicely.
Rzenno has also developed a rapport with junior pitcher Jenna Sheehan.
“Charlotte and I hit it off right away,” Sheehan said. “We threw all winter. We have good chemistry. She pushes me. She’s a stud and a humble player.”
Sheehan (2-0) has 14 strikeouts in 16 innings.
“We only have two seniors,” Reynard said. “We’re extremely young but really talented.”
Last season, the Storm went 29-5 and advanced to a sectional final, losing 5-0 to St. Charles East.
Although she fits into that young category, it sounds like Rzenno has been preparing for this opportunity for a long time.
“I’ve played with a travel team, the Indiana Magic Gold, since I was 8 years old,” she said.
That team features three players from Wisconsin, two from Indiana and the rest from Illinois and practices twice a week in Crystal Lake.
Her older brother, Aiden, is a junior on South Elgin’s junior varsity baseball team. Charlotte credited him and maternal grandfather Jeff Foy for being big influences on her softball path.
“I’ve been catching since I first started playing and I got that from my brother because he’s a catcher, too,” Charlotte said. “My brother has played from a young age and my grandpa was always big into baseball, playing for a long time and always coaching.”
Rzenno pointed out that she’s more of a power hitter.
“I’m not super fast,” she said. “I’m not gonna beat out a lot of balls hit to the infield. My hits go to the outfield, hopefully on hard line drives.”
And those walks?
“My dad (Bart) always says I’ve got a good eye,” Rzenno said. “I get deep into the counts. I definitely look for my pitch.”
Reynard confirmed Rzenno knows the strike zone well from having caught so many pitches.
“Chloe was the same way last year,” he said.
What’s the appeal to get behind the plate?
“My grandpa would say you’re in every single play and you’re like the captain on the field,” Rzenno said. “You see everything. It’s all there in front of you. No one else on the field can see everything. You’re involved in every play.
“I found that to be so cool. That really stood out to me when he said that.”
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