By Dominic Scianna
Head coach Germaine Padilla had a young nucleus of talent heading into the 2023 spring Taft High School softball season. Despite their youth and sometimes inexperience, they found a way to play their best in the big games.
First, they took home a Chicago Public League (CPL) city championship with a 1-0 win over Lane Tech on May 9, then rode that way of excitement a few weeks later to best Niles West 5-1 in the Illinois High School Association regional title game on the Wolves’ home field on May 27.
“We only lose three seniors and most of the infield and outfield starters are back so we’re already set up for next year,” said Padilla. “I’m very proud of this young team and what we’ve achieved this year. We played 38 games and traveled to Wisconsin and Tennessee (to play against top competition). We’ll continue to raise the bar and develop our players and our program.”
It all started in the CPL regular season.
An up-and-down campaign saw the team peak at the right time heading into the CPL city finals and a date with rival opponent Lane Tech and standout pitcher Kailey Hancock in the CPL championship game.
Taft (22-15-1) played great defensively behind winning pitcher Olivia Saldana and won a thrilling 1-0 battle in a wild finish that saw Eagles sophomore Elena Gonzalez steal home for the winning run at the University of Illinois Chicago’s home field.
Gonzalez admitted it was an instinctive play as she ran towards home for the only tally of the game on a wild play. The plate umpire, whom Lane’s pitcher and catcher both believed had verbalized a strike three call to end the inning, actually ruled the pitch a ball and in the confusion the run crossed the plate.
The CPL city champions then went on to the regionals, where Taft dominated in a 5-1 win on the road at Niles West against the home Wolves. Now on a roll, the team moved on to the IHSA sectional bracket on May 30 at Whitney Young pitted against the Oak Park-River Forest Huskies.
“We had some hard times and some tough losses but we were able to pull through this season and that’s what was most important,” said Taft senior pitcher Dehne Schoen, who started in the circle for the Eagles’ final game. “We lost to a top team in the state but what I’ll remember most is our wins, especially the big ones, and how fun they were during my time at Taft.”
The end came hard for the Eagles in a 6-0 loss to Oak Park but the reality on the field after the tough defeat, especially for the seniors (Schoen, Carley Creeth, and Katherine Gonzalez), was more about overcoming adversity, a young squad, and a togetherness that paved the way for a season Taft and its players, coaches, and fans won’t soon forget.
“I tore my ACL last year and didn’t get a chance to play last year,” said Creeth, Taft’s senior catcher, who had two of the four Eagles hits off of Oak Park ace pitcher Bella Morales.
“So this season has meant everything to me and has been the biggest blessing. It was the best season ever and we were so young this year. It just shows where we’re going to be in the future and just how much better we’re going to get. It’s only up from here.”
