Glenbard South sectional
LOCATION Glenbard South, 23W200 Butterfield Rd., Glen Ellyn
CLASS 3A
SECTIONAL GAMES Wednesday, June 3; Thursday, June 4; Saturday, June 6
AREA TEAMS Glenbard South, Montini, Nazareth, Riverside-Brookfield, St. Joseph, St. Francis, Wheaton Academy
TOP SEEDS St. Francis, Riverside-Brookfield, Montini, Glenbard South
REGIONAL OPENER Monday
OUTLOOK It was an inauspicious start to the season for Glenbard South, fresh off its third-place showing at the 2008 IHSA Class 3A state tournament. The Raiders started 1-8 overall and 0-2 in the Western Sun Conference.

As time has gone on, though, the Raiders have learned, gelled and become a more seasoned team on the field. Because of that, they are a team to watch out for again in the Class 3A postseason.

A 3-0 victory over Batavia on Monday was the eighth straight win for the Raiders in the WSC, and put them in sole possession of first place. It was also their eighth win in their last nine games, putting them at 15-12 overall.

The Raiders are the No. 4 seed in the sectional and play No. 13 Bowen at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at their own regional in Glen Ellyn. A win likely puts them against No. 5 Nazareth in the regional championship at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. The Raiders also beat top-seeded St. Francis 6-1 at the beginning of May.

St. Francis has had an outstanding 2009 campaign, compiling a record of 22-4, which includes a perfect mark in the Suburban Catholic Conference.

That success has afforded the Spartans the top-seed in this sectional and sets up a first-round matchup against either Harlan or Gage Park on May 26 at their own regional. With a win, the squad will face either St. Joseph or Little Village on Saturday, May 30 in the regional title game.

Brianna Pasquale, Emily Karpinski and Jenny Eldridge lead a potent offense while Taylor Ronchetto has been nearly unbeatable inside the pitching circle. Therese Kerr has also helped out pitching-wise.

Wheaton Academy has a current record of 11-13 on the spring, including a mark of 8-6 in the Private School League. The squad was picked as the No. 6 seed in the sectional and will play No. 11 ACE Tech Charter on Wednesday at the Montini regional. The Warriors could then see the host Lady Broncos in the regional title game.

Lake Park sectional
LOCATION Lake Park East Campus, 600 S Medinah Road
CLASS 4A
SECTIONAL GAMES Wednesday, June 3; Thursday, June 4; Saturday, June 6
AREA TEAMS Bartlett, Batavia, Geneva, Glenbard East, Glenbard West, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, West Chicago, Wheaton North, Willowbrook, York
TOP SEEDS Elk Grove, West Chicago, St. Charles East, Lake Park
REGIONAL OPENER Monday
OUTLOOK Glenbard West has won regional titles in three of the past five seasons, but it will be a tough road to get its fourth.

The Hilltoppers, the No. 9 seed in the sectional, face No. 8 Wheaton North in a regional semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Addison Trail.

Wheaton North improved to 20-8 overall by beating Wheaton Warrenville South on Monday.
Glenbard West has also played strong this season and was edged by West Suburban Silver conference leader Oak Park-River Forest 6-5 on Monday. The Hilltoppers trailed 6-0, but made a valiant comeback with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the seventh. Jayme Hefler went 3-for-4 with a double.

The loss dropped the Hilltoppers to 15-14 overall and 7-3 in the WSS. Two of those losses are to OPRF, while another was a 2-1 setback to Lyons Township.

If the Hilltoppers get past Wheaton North, top-seeded Elk Grove will be the likely opponent in the regional final. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 30.

Elk Grove only has two losses this season (27-2 as of Monday), one of which came from York early in the season. The Hilltoppers beat York in the conference 11-5 earlier this month.

West Chicago has the main ingredient for postseason success, an overpowering pitcher in sophomore Mary Connolly that will keep the Wildcats in every game. Manufacturing a few runs for the strikeout queen will likely be all it takes to get the Wildcats off and running on a long postseason run.

West Chicago faces either Hoffman Estates or Rolling Meadows at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Schaumburg regional semifinals. Bartlett or Schaumburg would await in the regional final at 10 a.m. next Saturday.

Despite having just two seniors on the roster this spring, Wheaton North has put together an outstanding campaign. The Falcons are led by sophomore shortstop Paige Wilson in the field and at the plate while fellow sophomore Kahla Nolan has been a workhorse within the pitching circle.

The squad is currently 20-8 on the spring which includes a mark of 8-4 in a conference that is one of the toughest in the state.

Neuqua Valley sectional
LOCATION Frontier Park (Naperville Park District)
CLASS 4A
SECTIONAL GAMES Wednesday, June 3; Thursday, June 4; Saturday, June 6
AREA TEAMS Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South, Wheaton Warrenville South
TOP SEEDS Lockport, Naperville Central, Benet, Downers Grove South
REGIONAL OPENER Monday
OUTLOOK After a strong start to the 2009 campaign, Wheaton Warrenville South ran into the loaded DuPage Valley Conference, which helped lower the team’s overall record to under .500.
But the Tigers, who are led by Butler-recruit Meaghan Sullivan, could make some noise in the postseason.

The squad received the No. 11 seed in the sectional and will kick off the playoffs on Wednesday at the West Aurora regional against the host school. A victory in that contest would push the Tigers into a rematch against Naperville Central and ace pitcher Natalie Wunderlich in the regional title contest on May 30.