After a third-place finish in the 2023 IHSA Class 4A state tournament, the Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity softball team has started this season very nicely with an 8-1 record. The Huskies’ only defeat came to visiting Lockport, April 6, 3-0.
OPRF senior catcher Tyler Brock, a three-year varsity starter, says the team’s tight chemistry is a major reason for the early success.
“That’s a big thing,” she said. “On our Spring Break trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, we had at least one dinner with all the players, coaches, parents and siblings at the cabin we stayed in. It was super fun.”
While the Huskies enjoyed bonding off the field, they appreciated it even more on the field in Pigeon Forge, going 6-0 in the tournament, held March 25-27. During those six games against high-quality competition, OPRF outscored opponents 68-11.
“This year, we played the top two teams from Ohio,” Brock said. “Our coach [J.P. Coughlin] specifically makes sure we don’t play any Illinois teams in the tournament because he wants to see us against different teams from different areas. It’ll give us a leg up on the competition here.”
Brock, who has played softball since she was 5 years old, was called up to the varsity toward the end of her freshman season. Following a losing record and early ouster from the Class 4A tournament her sophomore year, she felt the sense of urgency prevalent among the team during last year’s preseason.
“As OPRF softball, we know we’re traditionally supposed to be good,” Brock said. “Seeing we weren’t ranked in last year’s pre-season, that lit a fire in us. Even this year, people have doubts about us, saying last year was a hoax. All the negativity from outsiders we turn into positivity, and we combat that with our play.”
Next spring, Brock will play collegiately at Lake County College. She said the Lancers’ head coach, Dann Giesey, reminded her of Coughlin and her club coach [Laura Chambers] and felt comfortable.
“[Giesey] cared more about me as a person first rather than a player,” she said of her visit. “The coach-player relationship is something that’s really important to me, and Lake County provides me with everything I want in a college. It’s not too big, and it also provides me with flexibility. I still have two years to decide whether or not I want to play Division I softball.”
In the meantime, Brock is intent on helping OPRF have the best possible season. She wants to improve her game each day.
“I’m trying not to be too hard on myself,” she said. “I try to focus on one pitch at a time, one game at a time, and being the best behind the plate for my pitchers and in the box for my team. As a team, we’re taking it one day at a time, because it’s so easy to get caught up looking ahead to the state. We’re just trying to ignore the expectations set upon us and focus on what we need to do in practice.”
