Junior pitcher Bella Dimitrijevic hasn’t been able to rely on the element of surprise this spring for Lincoln-Way Central.
Everybody saw it all last season.
“I kind of go out there knowing that they know mostly what I’m throwing,” Dimitrijevic said. “I just trust my pitches and they do what they need to do to be successful.”
Indeed, the Florida State recruit is still getting most opposing batters out. And guess what? It’s not over when this season is over.
“Haha … yeah,” Knights coach Jeff Tarala said. “People ask me all the time, ‘Is she a senior this year?’ And I’m like, ‘No, she’s a junior.’
“To everyone, she’s like that player in college where you say to yourself, ‘It seems like they’ve been there seven years.’ That’s what it feels like with her. She’s pretty amazing. She’s great.”
On this day, however, Dimitrijevic couldn’t beat Mother Nature. Tuesday’s Class 4A sectional doubleheader at Lincoln-Way Central was postponed due to lightning and rain.
The host Knights (31-4) will play Lincoln-Way East (23-11) at 5 p.m. Wednesday, followed by the other semifinal game between Andrew (27-5-1) and Lockport (27-8).
The right-handed Dimitrijevic is once again at the top among the Southland’s best pitchers.
She has a 24-2 record with 342 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings and a sparkling 0.47 ERA. She recently surpassed the 700 mark in career strikeouts.
Bella Dimitrijevic (13) and Lucy Cameron (4) form a pitcher-catcher combo for the host Knights heading into a Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central Sectional semifinal against Lincoln-Way East in New Lenox on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Mark Black / Daily Southtown)
Among her season highlights was an 18-strikeout perfect game May 17 against Huntley, which is the top seed of the Barrington Sectional.
She can also hit a little bit.
Dimitrijevic’s .417 batting average is second among Lincoln-Way Central’s regulars behind Josephine Jager. Dimitrijevic also leads the team with eight home runs and 42 RBIs.
She doesn’t bat during travel ball. Seriously?
“I don’t know,” Dimitrijevic said, smiling. “I just kind of go up to the plate without a lot of expectations. If I get a hit, I get a hit. If I don’t, it’s not the end of the world.”
Strikeouts? She takes them seriously.
A majority of them have been on pitches called by senior catcher Lucy Cameron. During the past two seasons, they have developed into a formidable battery that operates solely within itself.
“If she wants a pitch she’ll call it, or she’ll call me off if she doesn’t like the pitch I call,” Cameron said. “We work very well together. For (Tuesday against Lincoln-Way East), we had a chart from the last time we played East. So we looked at that together and talked about it.
“I definitely feel very comfortable catching for Bella. For the past two or three years, we’ve gotten to be a better battery as people say.”
Lincoln-Way Central’s Bella Dimitrijevic delivers a pitch against Providence during a nonconference game in New Lenox on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)
Dimitrijevic describes it as a psychic connection.
“I really like Lucy behind the plate,” Dimitrijevic said. “It’s like she reads my mind most of the time with pitch calls. When I was starting here, she made me more confident knowing she was back there getting me more strikes with framing and stuff.”
The connection isn’t just between the pitching rubber and home plate, according to senior shortstop Alexis Youngren.
“She stays involved with us,” Youngren said. “Every time we get an out, she looks back at us. We do a little high-five handshake. She’s always laughing when she turns around.
“She just has a positive attitude when she pitches.”
And what a sight it is from short.
“Yeah, it amazes me every time,” Youngren said, beaming. “She really is one of the best pitchers I’ve ever played with. I’m in awe every time I see her pitch. It’s a great privilege to play behind her.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
