'Fun' Is at the Heart of Richards' 28-0 Softball Season

Richards began its softball season in the middle of March, and now, after having to end its conference season, the Bulldogs still haven’t lost a game.

To put the team’s 28-game winning streak in perspective, when it began, the Cubs and the White Sox hadn’t begun the 2011 season, and the Bulls were still in the heart of their regular season.

Just how do the Bulldogs not let this massive streak distract them?

“I would say it’s our heart,” said Richards senior pitcher Kailie Tobin, who earned the win on Thursday. “We’re so close together and we always take it one step at a time and have fun and stay loose.”

On Friday, chants rang out from the Richards dugout, encouraging teammates at the plate. From the outside looking in, one wouldn’t notice any pressure building from expectations that a long winning streak and a South Suburban Conference championship might bring.

“It’s a unique bunch of kids that, I think, have their blinders on pretty well right now,” Bulldog coach Julie Folliard said. “We’re just trying to play good softball. And there’s so much room for improvement all the time and we’re having fun, and so we’re just not thinking about the record.”

Having two star pitchers on the mound helps to ease the pressure. Junior Brianna LeBeau and Tobin provide a dynamic one-two punch for the Bulldogs.

“I’ll tell you what—you can’t find two more competitive athletes, which is the bottom line,” Folliard said. “They complement each other well, and they support each other so well.”

Oak Lawn Gets Ready for Simeon

The Oak Lawn Lady Spartans must now prepare for its first playoff game on Monday, a quarterfinal date with Simeon. Assistant coach Brian Frangella said aggressive running on the basepaths will be key.

“If we play the game that we know how to play, we should be all right,” Frangella said. “We have to put the ball in play, be aggressive on the bases and play good defense. We’ll see what happens.”