Sophomore second baseman Elena Kvasnicka is dating the son of Beecher softball coach Kevin Hayhurst.
Jack Hayhurst was a starter at guard for the Bobcats’ boys basketball team that won 34 straight games and advanced to the Class 2A supersectional.
Kvasnicka said she doesn’t tell him how to play basketball and he doesn’t tell her how to play softball.
“Well, sometimes he tries to,” she said, laughing.
Kvasnicka did give him credit for one of her hits Monday in Beecher’s 7-0 victory over host Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort.
“He’s teaching me how to golf,” Kvasnicka said, laughing. “Did you see my nice golf swing on one of my hits? Right up the middle.”
Kvasnicka went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI for Beecher (17-1). Liliana Irwin drove in two runs, while sophomore ace Ava Lorenzatti struck out 13 and contributed two hits.
Averi Vander Woude, Mackenzie Bacha, Lea Herkel and Maddie Henry had one hit apiece for Lincoln-Way East (13-8).
Beecher’s Ava Lorenzatti (4) winds up for a pitch against Lincoln Way-East during a nonconference game in Frankfort on Monday, April 22, 2024. (Trent Sprague / Daily Southtown)
Lorenzatti (9-1), meanwhile, is off to a fast start in her sophomore season. She already has 132 strikeouts in 62 innings. She’s also the second-leading hitter on the team with a .534 average.
Last season, she was one of the state’s top freshmen, posting a 21-4 record with 308 strikeouts and an 0.76 ERA in leading the Bobcats to a second-place finish in Class 2A.
“I know since we played a lot of these teams last season that they’ll be taking a different approach since they’ve seen me before,” Lorenzatti said. “I just focus on sequencing my pitches well and just go after the hitters. It’s working pretty well.”
Speaking of working out pretty well, Kvasnicka isn’t starting at second base and batting third because she’s dating the coach’s son.
Just ask senior catcher Emma Tiltges.
“She’s honestly like a brick wall at second,” Tiltges said. “Nothing ever gets past her. If the ball gets hit to her, I know she’s going to get it.
“I’ve known Elena for a long time, so I’ve seen her grow up as a player and as a friend. It’s great that she has evolved the way she has. It’s a really cool thing to see.”
Beecher’s Taylor Norkus (22) tags out Lincoln-Way East’s Averi Vander Woude (2) on an attempted steal during a nonconference game in Frankfort on Monday, April 22, 2024. (Trent Sprague / Daily Southtown)
She’s certainly proving her worth on the stat sheet.
Kvasnicka is hitting a robust .667 with eight doubles, two triples and 19 RBIs for the Bobcats.
Her approach? Eliminate the pressure. She sees her college future, at least for now, in volleyball.
“I just try to think, ‘This isn’t going to affect me that much if I don’t do the greatest,’” Kvasnicka said of softball. “I just go up there trying.”
With no fear, even when it’s a Class 4A opponent like Lincoln-Way East.
“The way I look at it, these (bigger) schools are just a bunch of other girls who are all the same age as us,” Kvasnicka said. “They just have a bigger selection to choose from than we do.
“We happen to be lucky with the group we have.”
Beecher’s Elena Kvasnicka (8) fields a ground ball at second base against Lincoln Way-East during a nonconference game in Frankfort on Monday, April 22, 2024. (Trent Sprague / Daily Southtown)
Lorenzatti loves her “nothing to lose” approach.
“Elena has a really good mindset,” Lorenzatti said. “She goes up and gives it 100% all the time and comes out with a lot of energy. She never seems afraid of what could happen because she plays mostly for fun.
“Even last season (as a freshman), she didn’t really seem nervous. We both played travel for pretty much our whole lives, so we’re both used to playing under pressure. This season, she has developed as a hitter. She has a lot more power. Her exit velocity has gotten higher. She attacks all the time.”
Brick wall at second? Kvasnicka does more than knock the ball down.
“She’s sure-handed,” Hayhurst said. “She’s just really good at reading hops and has really soft hands. We know that when the ball is hit to her, it’s going to be an out.
“Elena played first base last year. This year, she’s playing second. And she could really play short or third as well. It’s really nice.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
