State champion 2000 Joliet Township softball team honored

JOLIET — It was a different world in 2000. PlayStation 2 was released, as was the Game Boy Advance. The internet, for the most part, was still being accessed with a home telephone line and, yes, pretty much everyone still had a home telephone line.

It was also the era of a combined Joliet Township athletic program.

That spring, the softball team had a magical season, going 35-2 and winning the Class AA state championship.

The Steelmen beat Providence Catholic 1-0 in eight innings to win the regional title, then beat West Aurora 4-0 in the sectional semifinal and Downers Grove South 3-1 in the sectional championship. In the state quarterfinals, they beat Normal West 7-0, topped Fremd 9-2 in the semifinals and blanked Moline 4-0 in the title game.

Monday afternoon, before the teams from Joliet Central and Joliet West played each other at West, the championship team reunited and was honored.

The players who were in attendance were announced and they went out to the positions they played during that season. Pitcher Mary Jaszczak threw out the first pitch to catcher Kelly Brumund. They then gathered in the pitcher’s circle for a photo both alone and with the two current teams.

Those that were in attendance were Serena Cruz and Elene Planinsek, who graduated from Joliet Central, and Joliet West graduates Malissa Babecki (Conant), Brumund (Daly), Parise Hosey, Jaszczak (Bedinger), Jennifer Kerwin, Katie O’Connell, Maribel Olivas (Smith), Melissa Porter (Hartwig), Kristine Saxon (Worjciechowski), Colleen Schuster (Lawless) and Carissa Schwartz (Garland), along with head coach Dale O’Connell and assistant coach Mac McLaughlin.

“We were called the Steelmen for Central, but we played and practiced at West,” said Jaszczak, who played softball at Lewis University and is currently teaching at Troy and coaching softball at the University of St. Francis. ”It was a big sense of community with the two schools playing together. We played our volleyball matches at Central.

“It really was a sisterhood for us. We grew up with most of us playing on the same travel team, the Joliet Jays, and a lot of our dads coached at some point. We got very close and we still stay in touch. The championship game is the one I remember the most. It’s on YouTube now and we get together and watch it again sometimes.

“I think it’s awesome what they did to honor us. The entire starting lineup was here, and we fell right into where we left off. It’s great that [West head coach] Heather [Suca] and [assistant coach] Serena are part of the program.”

Suca, who has been the Tigers’ head coach since 2011, was not a member of the state title team as she graduated the previous year. Still, she played with them and was a key figure in putting the ceremony together.

“We all played travel ball together,” Suca said. “Even now, everyone is pretty close and stays in touch. It was great that Maribel Smith and her family came in from Arizona for this, and there are a lot still living in or around Joliet.”

The family feeling among the team was a strong one, especially the father-daughter tandem of Dale O’Connell and Katie O’Connell.

“We played together since we were 8-9 years old,” said Katie O’Connell, who teaches and coaches flag football and girls wrestling at Romeoville and was the Spartans’ softball coach for several seasons. “I grew up with my dad coaching when there were two programs, but they had merged by the time I got into high school. We got some players from the Joliet Central program and we all got along very well.

“What I remember the most is the camaraderie we had. I was hurt for a little while that season and my teammates stepped in and did the job while I was out. We had a lot of good times and we were very competitive on the field. And, it was great to play for my dad and win a state title. Kelly Brumund got to do that, too, and Mary Jaszczak’s dad coached our pitchers a lot. I really want to thank Coach Suca and [West athletic director] Steve Millsaps for putting this together for us.”

Dale O’Connell taught and coached at Joliet Central and was involved in several sports, including football and wrestling, before taking over the softball job.

“What I remember most is just how good these girls were,” he said. “There was so much talent on this team. There’s a lot of talent in the surrounding area, and just to get through the regional was tough. You had teams like Providence, Joliet Catholic, Lockport, Lincoln-Way, Morris. It was, and still is, a very good softball area.

“Another thing is that I think all but one of the girls played multiple sports, and three of them were three-sport athletes. They just liked to go out and compete. It was very fun to be a part of a state championship with my daughter. They had all been playing together with the Joliet Jays since 8 or 9 years old, so they were very close. That made our jobs as coaches a lot easier.”

The 2000 team’s full roster included Toni Hermann, Carissa Schwartz, Serena Cruz, Kelly Brumund, Elene Planinsek, Parise Hosey, Kayci Allen, Melissa Babecki, Mary Jasczak, Katie O’Connell, Colleen Schuster, Maribel Olivas, Kristina Saxon, Jenny Kerwin, Casey Holmquist, Melissa Porter, head coach Dale O’Connell and assistants Jim Brumund, Mac McLaughlin and Ralph Wiley.