Last February, DePaul University softball utility player Sandy Vojik’s cell phone rang to reveal life-altering news.

On the other end of the call was the Blue Demons’ assistant coach Cat Osterman, who recently wrapped up the Olympic Games after pitching for Team USA, and is a member of the National Pro Fastpitch’s Rockford Thunder.

Osterman delivered news that she had gone from instructing Vojik to becoming her teammate after the Thunder made the Riverside Brookfield High School alum the No. 19 overall selection in the 2008 NPF Senior Draft.

Vojik capped off a senior year at DePaul this spring that included a .311 batting average, 61 hits, 33 runs and 10 home runs. She then became the first female from R-B to be on a professional sports team in the United States.

“It shows if you work hard enough, you can play at the next level,” said Vojik, who is now in the company of R-B alum Donna Zalig. Zalig played basketball at Loyola University and later went on to play professionally in Belgium. “I never even thought I would play in college. Once I got to De Paul, I thought I would ride the bench.”

And four years later, Vojik has gone from hoping to play softball at the Division I level to landing playing time as a professional. In her rookie season with Rockford, the 22-year-old Riverside native played in seven games where she hit .211 in nine at-bats with one double, one home run, three RBIs and two walks.

“She always had it in her,” said former DePaul teammate and roommate Marcy Wilus, who played against Vojik while at Morton High School. “She was a great leader for the seniors and the younger players. Once we both got to DePaul, we knew we would make the team better.”

When Vojik first arrived to Rockford this past season, the coaching staff evaluated her as an aggressive hitter who racked up base hits in important situations. If the timely hitting can continue, then the franchise envisions Vojik as a possible starter in the near future.

“She is a breath of fresh air,” said the Thunder’s four-year head coach Jav Vela. “The enthusiasm was one of the most important factors about her. She is definitely going to be a member of the ball club for as long as she wants to play.”

With Rockford’s year coming to a close after a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Bandits on Aug. 17, Vojik has kept busy this offseason. The Chicago resident, who majored in sport and fitness management, is interning at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Life Start, and plans to begin graduate school for physical therapy this January.

After her curriculum is completed in the spring, it’s back to entertaining the Thunder’s fans in late May. And considering that year No. 1 was highlighted with a handful of in-game reps, Vojik is all for the idea of receiving more playing time.

“Now that I’m established as a player, I could see myself in the starting lineup,” she said. “I feel fine out there.”