There were no winners or losers Wednesday in the Pasqualini household, thanks again to our soggy spring that continues to wreak havoc on the area softball schedule.
“It’s been a big thing in the house the last few days,” Aurora Central Catholic coach Mark Pasqualini said.
He was referring to the nonconference game his Chargers were scheduled to play at Oswego East before the rainout.
It made for a house divided on the Southeast Side of Aurora.
Pasqualini’s daughter May, you see, plays for the Wolves.
The matchup was one the younger Pasqualini, a junior shortstop/catcher in her third year on the varsity, has been looking forward to playing for a while.
Naturally, she and her mom, Amy, had been going back and forth with Mark, giving dad the business.
“It was definitely a little rough in the house this week,” May said. “I was worried because he knows what I like to do at the plate and how to pitch me. He knows a lot of the girls on our team at Oswego East, too.”
May has been coached by her father for years, starting with T-ball, then recreational ball before moving on to travel with the Wheatland Spikes.
Two of May’s Oswego East teammates — center fielder Mia Corres and third baseman Kenzie Gatz — will again join her this summer in playing for her dad’s 16-U team.
ACC (6-3) and the Wolves (5-1) were both carrying four-game winning streaks into Wednesday’s showdown.
“I kind of have a history of rainouts this spring,” Mark Pasqualini said. “Everyone associated with our travel organization was texting me saying, ‘Yeah, we called it,’ talking about the postponement.”
Mark, a Burr Ridge Park District administrator, didn’t plan his household divide.
A Fenwick graduate who played baseball on scholarship at Northern Iowa, Pasqualini agreed to be an assistant to his friend Vincent Holloway in February 2020.
Holloway had been the JV coach at ACC under Tom Babyar, taking over when Babyar retired. Then the pandemic hit and the season was canceled.
May, meanwhile, made the Oswego East varsity, only to have her season canceled as well.
In March 2021, Holloway landed a new job in Texas and moved to Houston. That happened during team tryouts.
ACC officials asked Pasqualini to take over. He agreed after getting the OK from his wife and daughter.
He would have been happy to have May join him but understood her decision to stay put.
“I’ll give her credit — she loves her school, teammates and the coaches,” Mark Pasqualini said. “And she knows what she gets out of me, playing for me during the summer.”
She wants to play in college too. Mark believes playing for another coach in high school will be good for her.
He has been able to attend four of her games this season. With the GameChanger app and live video streaming, he can track her play pretty well.
May remains loyal to Oswego East coach Sarah Davies and her assistant Brian Chandler.
“It’s definitely different,” May said. “It’s a good coaching opportunity for my dad and he gets a break from me.”
Davies is delighted.
May, a speedster who is a threat to steal every time she gets on base, is hitting over .400. She has settled into the No. 9 spot in the order.
She went 3-for-4 Tuesday in an 11-5 win at West Aurora.
“A second leadoff hitter is how we view that spot,” Davies said. “She’s been pretty successful there, restarting things or even driving in a run for us.
“She’s so flexible. She can slap, she can drag, she can bunt and she can hit for power. She gives us a lot of flexibility. We like using that nine spot for a key player.”
The Pasqualinis could still get their chance to go head-to-head. The game has been rescheduled for May 10.
Their house divided will still stand, however.
“My mom has been getting a kick out of it,” May said. “She’s pulling for both sides, although I think she’s pulling for us a little more.”