Women's College World Series: 8 players from Illinois part of NCAA softball championships
Eight players from Illinois will be among the NCAA softball teams playing in the Women's College World Series starting Thursday in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Six of the eight programs have players from Illinois despite the lack of midwestern schools in the field. The field includes: No. 1 Oklahoma (56-1), No. 3 Florida State (55-9), No. 4 Tennessee (49-8), No. 5 Alabama (45-20), No. 6 Oklahoma State (46-14), No. 7 Washington (43-13), No. 9 Stanford (45-13) and No. 15 Utah (42-14).
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Led by a pair of recent draftees into Women's Professional Fastpitch, here are the eight players from Illinois who are part of programs in the WCWS:
Alex Storako, Oklahoma
What to know: The 5-foot-11 right-handed pitcher is a transfer from Michigan, where she played four seasons and was one of the top pitchers in the nation. The redshirt senior played at Frankfort Lincoln-Way East, where she was a high school all-America pick.
Stats and accolades: She is 16-0 and has a 1.13 ERA in 99 innings over 27 appearances for OU this season. In April, she was picked first overall in the Women's Professional Fastpitch draft.
Rachel Becker, Oklahoma State
What to know: The 5-foot-5 infielder is a graduate student transfer from Purdue, where she played four seasons. She is from Lindenhurst, Illinois, and played her high school ball at Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa, Illinois.
Stats and accolades: She is hitting .449 with 79 hits in 176 at-bats, including 22 doubles. She is a USA Softball Player of the Year top 25 finalist and first-team all-Big 12. In April, she was picked fifth overall in the Women's Professional Fastpitch draft.
Emily Schultz, Stanford
What to know: The 6-foot lefty senior first baseman and outfielder is from Aurora, Illinois, and was an all-stater at Oswego East.
Stats and accolades: She has been a mainstay in the Cardinal lineup for five seasons, playing in 245 games in her career. This season, she is batting .305 in 148 at-bats with 14 doubles and 29 RBIs.
Bailey Dowling, Alabama
What to know: The 5-foot-10 junior infielder played is from St. Joseph, Illinois, and played at St. Joseph-Ogden, where she was an all-American and two-time Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year.
Stats and accolades: She is batting .291 with eight home runs, 11 doubles and 49 RBIs in 62 games, mostly as a designated player. She was a second-team all-SEC pick last season.
Mack Leonard, Florida State
What to know: The 5-foot-11 pitcher and infielder is a graduate student transfer from Illinois State, where she played her first three years of college ball. She played in high school at Normal Community.
Stats and accolades: She is 2-1 in 11 starts for FSU, with a 2.85 ERA, with 33 strikeouts and 16 walks in 34.1 innings. She is all-ACC third team and started the year on the top 50 watch list for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Regan Krause, Stanford
What to know: The 5-foot-10 junior right-handed pitcher played high school softball at Pontiac, where she was an all-stater and three-sport athlete.
Stats and accolades: She is 9-4 with a 2.21 ERA, with 74 strikeouts and 24 walks over 82.1 innings in 20 appearances. She pitched a no-hitter last season against Mount St. Mary's.
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Angelina Craig, Oklahoma State
What to know: The 5-foot-3 outfielder is a freshman all-stater from Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Stats and accolades: She has six runs in 18 appearances this season for OSU.
Taylor Pannell, Tennessee
What to know: The 5-foot-8 freshman infielder is from Milan, Illinois, and played her high school ball at Rock Island, where she was an all-stater and all-America pick.
Stats and accolades: She had five hits in 14 at-bats over seven games. She is injured and has not played since February.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Women's College World Series: Players from Illinois in Oklahoma City
