Kodi Rizzo may be an animal lover, but Newark’s opponents had best beware.
Turn the fourth-year starter loose on a softball field and she shifts into beast mode, whether she’s pitching in the circle, playing second base or taking a spot in the outfield.
“She’s a tenacious athlete,” first-year Norsemen coach Jon Wood said of Rizzo, who’s hitting .493. “When she’s on that mound, she’s all about the game. She’s a fierce competitor who has no quit.
“She’s coming at you. She’s positioned well defensively, obviously swings the bat very well, leads by example and comes out ready to go.”
Rizzo was at it again Friday afternoon, even on a one-hit day. She started and threw two strong innings in a 16-0 nonconference win at Plano, recording four of her six outs on strikeouts.
A Wisconsin-Stevens Point recruit who wants to become a veterinarian, Rizzo (12-2) has struck out 148 in 69 innings with 11 walks in posting a miniscule 0.31 ERA.
Fellow four-year starters in shortstop Ryan Williams and third baseman Danica Peshia hit homers and drove in two runs apiece for Newark (20-3).
Third baseman Lindsey Cocks had the lone hit for Plano (3-20).
Newark’s Danica Peshia (17) celebrates her home run against Plano during a nonconference game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
Like Rizzo, Williams (Lincoln Memorial) and Peshia (Wisconsin-Whitewater) will play at the next level. Rizzo and Williams each have seven homers this spring, while Peshia has six.
“I think if we faced us, seeing what we do and knowing what we’ve done in the past, I personally would be scared,” Rizzo said. “Not trying to toot our own horn, but just knowing the people we had and the pressure situations we’ve been in, I’d be a bit nervous to pitch to my own lineup.”
Newark finished fourth in Class 1A during Rizzo’s sophomore year and reached a sectional final last season as Norsemen won 31 and 30 games, respectively.
The home-run race within the team stays hush-hush, however.
“We’re all neck and neck,” Rizzo said. “I think it’s fun. But we’ve never really discussed how many we have. ‘Dani’ is not a stats person — she won’t look at her stats through the whole season.
“She doesn’t like it if I tell her, so I let it stay a secret.”
Newark’s Ryan Williams (2) bats against Plano during a nonconference game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
Rizzo probably couldn’t help but be competitive but she has chosen her own path athletically speaking. Her father, Anthony, is the head boys and girls cross country coach at West Aurora.
He was an 11-time All-American in cross country and track who captained two NCAA champion teams at North Central College.
“I’ve been out to his cross country camps at West, and when I was younger, had to go watch his team run,” Kodi said. “I did track in junior high. He is, to this day, still mad I picked softball.
“He wanted me to be an 800 runner, and I’m sorry, I’m not running two laps around the track.”
The family has two dogs and a cat, and Kodi said she’s in it for the long haul in becoming a vet, which takes eight years with four years of school after completing undergraduate studies.
“I’ve wanted to do it since I was little,” she said. “I’m thinking of working with large and small animals. I may want to do exotic animals, too. I’m not sure yet.”
Newark’s Kodi Rizzo (20) takes up her position in center field against Plano during a nonconference game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
An aunt, her dad’s sister, works at Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Indiana. She has been a big influence.
“They have a new clinic there, which does surgeries on bigger, exotic animals,” Rizzo said. “I just want to be her when I grown up.”
Wood said Rizzo is certainly driven.
“At the plate, when she sees that the ball got down, she’s tearing for two bases,” Wood said. “She watches her diet, works out. We had practice on a Saturday after prom, and I had one upperclassman there. It was Kodi Rizzo.
“That’s the kind of dedication she has.”
