Angela Horejs leads Benet with nine home runs and plays shortstop, notable enough for a sophomore.
So consider this: Horejs missed all of her freshman season recovering from a broken back.
“I was overusing it or using it the wrong way, and I first felt it during training last year,” she said.
It’s safe to say Horejs has returned to full strength after a six-month rehabilitation, and she continued her breakout season in the Class 3A St. Ignatius Sectional championship game on Friday.
Horejs drove in three runs and cleanly handled six chances at short during top-seeded Benet’s 10-0 win in five innings against third-seeded St. Ignatius at UIC’s Flames Field in Chicago.
Horejs hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning and a two-run single in the third as the Redwings (24-11) won their first sectional title since the 2011 team finished third in Class 4A. They will play Richards (17-10) in the Benedictine Supersectional in Lisle at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Junior infielder Bridget Chapman had four RBIs, hitting a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, and Horejs’ older sister Gianna, a junior second baseman, reached base three times and scored a run. Meanwhile, junior pitcher Alexandra O’Rourke threw a one-hitter, allowing just two balls to reach the outfield, while striking out three and walking none.
Benet, which has outscored its four postseason opponents 60-1, continued to make it look easy against the Wolfpack (21-16).
“When you get ahead early in the game the way we have, it’s really fun. You start picking up everybody,” Gianna Horejs said. “Everybody is piling on and doing what everyone else is doing. It’s just contagious.”
That includes Angela Horejs, who is hitting .350 with 37 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
Gianna Horejs, who said she had some concerns about her sister coming back after her injury, is impressed.
“I am definitely proud of her,” Gianna Horejs said.
Angela Horejs appreciates the opportunity to share the field with her older sister.
“Playing with her is really fun, being on varsity at such a young age, especially because I know there is so much more improvement I can make,” Angela Horejs said.
Benet coach Jerry Schilf pointed out that Angela Horejs is her harshest critic.
“She gets down on herself sometimes, but then she comes out and plays great in the field,” Schilf said.
Indeed, Angela and Gianna Horejs make a dynamic duo in the middle infield. Schilf estimated they’ve turned 10 double plays this season.
Gianna Horejs figures their relationship is a factor.
“I love being out there with her,” Gianna Horejs said. “It’s really easy for us to communicate out there, being sisters and the fact we are always hanging out together.”
They’ll get to play at least one more game together this season.
“It is really exciting how far we can go,” Angela Horejs said. “In the future, we are going to face tougher teams, and we have to be ready for it.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.