For players and fans alike, Tuesday’s conditions made it feel more like survival test than softball game. Senior catcher Kayden Corneils was among those battling the deep freeze for Sandwich.
The calendar said it was the second week of spring. Weather reports leading with the wind chill dipping into the 20s said otherwise. But when it was over?
Corneils continued to look like a great pickup for Waubonsee coach Hannah Tomasko.
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“She’s our main catcher,” said Riley Limon, who’s in her first year as Sandwich’s head coach. “She’s also a captain this year, and I think she’s definitely filling out that role really well.”
Corneils did that and more Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a single and throwing out a pair of baserunners for the host Indians. Serena, though, earned a 14-5 nonconference win.
One of those doubles by Corneils drove in a run to cut an early deficit to 4-3 for Sandwich (3-3). Serena (1-4) broke away from a 7-5 lead by producing a seven-run seventh inning.
“It’s definitely hard to keep the pitcher warm,” Limon said of the weather. “We do our best with hand warmers and jumping around and doing whatever they can to stay warm.
“We talked afterward about needing to improve our mental toughness. Both teams were playing in the same conditions. They were able to keep it locked in the entire time and we weren’t.”
Six errors didn’t help Sandwich’s cause, but Corneils helped quite a bit by nailing a runner trying to steal second base and picking off another who wandered too far off first base.
“It’s so cold out here, and unfortunately, the errors make it hard to get off the field,” Corneils said. “I was trying to throw out runners, get those outs for our team and get us back in a warm dugout.”
Corneils has been playing softball since grade school but began catching in eighth grade. She credited taking lessons on the side from Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler.
“I’ve been going to him for three or four years after hearing from friends and other players about how good he was,” Corneils said. “I found out what they say about him is definitely true.
“I enjoy working with him.”
She confirmed the lessons have helped her develop her game in a number of ways.
“I think honestly he’s helped a lot in developing my character and with my mental journey as well,” Corneils said. “I tend to struggle a lot with my head, and he has definitely helped me turn the corner for myself.”
According to Corneils, most of the pressure comes from within.
“I got pretty tough on myself, but having him with me really helps,” Corneils said of Kuefler. “And even fundamentally, his skills compared to my old skills, have really helped.
“He’s really brought those little extras into the picture for me.”
At Waubonsee, Corneils will likely be reunited with pitcher/infielder Brooklyn Marks, who graduated last year from Sandwich. Corneils plans to pursue a nursing degree but isn’t sure if the demands will allow her to play softball beyond junior college.
In her varsity career, however, Corneils has been a productive hitter for Sandwich.
She batted .435 with 37 hits, 22 RBIs, nine doubles, four triples and two home runs as a sophomore and followed it up last season by moving to the leadoff spot and hitting .573, totaling 47 hits, eight doubles, nine triples, two homers and eight RBIs.
She’s worked in the past year with hitting instructor Mike Trimarco out of Elite Sports Performance in Oswego. Six games into this season, she’s batting .522 (12-for-23).
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“I used to be a much taller batter in my stance,” she said. “I’ve gotten more comfortable getting lower and getting my legs more into it, helping me generate more power.”