Seven starters back for Redhawks

Updated: March 24, 2011 2:56PM

Andy Nussbaum has coached the Naperville Central softball team for 28 years. He is just 20 wins from getting to 500. If all goes well this year, he will eclipse the milestone.

The Redhawks certainly have the talent this year to get to 20-plus wins, a great shot at winning the DuPage Valley Conference and potential to go far in the postseason. Only two seniors graduated (Megan Silke and Jori Gonzalez), seven starters returned and three players from this year's team - Alyssa Wunderlich, Kelsey Gonzalez and Kristina Vizza - will play Division I softball next year.

"With so many players back, the expectations are pretty high," Nussbaum said. "The kids need to have high expectations already. A lot of people expect a lot of things from us, but they expect a lot from themselves."

Wunderlich, the No. 1 pitcher for the Redhawks (she went 16-10 last year) and Gonzalez, a standout shortstop, are both heading to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Lefty Kristina Vizza, the No. 2 pitcher, will be playing at Loyola University in Chicago.

"The colleges have confirmed (our talent), but this is a team game," Nussbaum said. "Our particular combination of kids have good experience and good leadership."

Just like rival Naperville North, Naperville Central also has three Division-I-bound players and potentially more on the way. The same goes for the final standings in the DVC last year - both went 8-6 in the league.

"The kids on our team love to play softball," Nussbaum said. "Softball is their No. 1 deal as far as everyone on the team. They are softball junkies."

In addition to Wunderlich, Gonzalez and Vizza, the rest of the so-called "softball junkies" with the Redhawks include Nicole Kappelman, who is moving from center field to second base; outfielders Abbey Anaya and Meghan Griffin, catcher Juliet Tassi, along with Erica Conway, Kayla and Rachel Skinner, Nina Rzeszutko, Jill Andreoni, Laura Dierking and Katie Walker. Freshmen who will get playing time are Maddie Doane in center field and Keegan Hayes, who will see time at pitcher, third base and outfield.

The Redhawks went 21-16 overall last year and fell just short of a regional title to Downers Grove North. The Redhawks' opener against Bolingbrook was rained out on Tuesday, but they are scheduled to host Waubonsie Valley on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.