ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Lady Hub softball team fielded an extremely young varsity lineup last season, with a large chunk of the starters playing as freshmen. Armed with a full year of varsity experience, head coach Deanna Jacobs has optimism for the upcoming 2025 season.

Rochelle will look to build on a 5-19 overall record and an 0-10 record in the Interstate 8 last season. The Lady Hubs, who will face Belvidere North at home on March 25 to start the 2025 campaign, welcome back two key upperclassmen in senior Lauren Dyer and junior Madigan Williams, who Jacobs said will be counted on for leadership this season. Dyer returns as the team’s No. 1 pitcher in the circle, while Williams is expected to take over catching duties.

“Lauren and Madigan are going to be two huge leaders for us,” Jacobs said. “They were really impressed with how our practices have been going and I think our group is more driven and more focused. They’ve done a really good job of staying focused and knowing the purpose behind what we’re doing. Our sophomores don’t act like sophomores… They’ve seen what Interstate 8 varsity softball looks like and I think they’ll be better prepared for what to expect.”

Pitching depth could be a strength for the Lady Hubs, who will field multiple arms including Dyer, who’s entering her fourth varsity season this spring. Sophomore Emma Heller returns for her second varsity season, while freshman Mya Martinez could also earn work in the circle this season. Williams, who has played third base and shortstop over the last two years, returns for her third varsity season and will replace four-year varsity starter Ella Alfano behind the dish.

“Madigan has been thrown around everywhere, but catcher is one of her favorite positions to play and she plays the position during the summer,” Jacobs said. “She’s vocal and her softball IQ is pretty high, which will help us around the field. Having Lauren back in the circle will be phenomenal because she’s committed and she wants to play ball. Emma has been working really hard over the offseason and I think she’ll be able to play some other positions now.”

Freshmen Audrina Rodriguez and Cheyenne Somers are two newcomers who could see key roles on the infield for the Lady Hubs, who also welcome back sophomore Jaclynn Lira for her second varsity season. Sophomore Briel Metzger, another second-year varsity player, is among the returning athletes who could see time at first base this season. The Lady Hubs will travel south to Jacksonville, Illinois and compete in their annual spring tournament from March 28-29.

“Jaclynn has been working hard over the offseason and having her up the middle is going to be huge,” Jacobs said. “Audrina is really athletic all the way around and whether we throw her on the infield or in the outfield, I think she’ll have a huge role this year. Cheyenne is athletic and she knows the game of softball… We could play Emma, Briel or Lauren at first base.”

Sophomores Phelisity Lopez and Camryn Metzger, who both started games as freshmen, are two names to watch in the outfield. The Lady Hubs will play 10 conference games, with games split into home-and-home sets against Sycamore, Kaneland, Morris, LaSalle-Peru and Ottawa. 

“I’m excited to see Phelisity run the outfield a little bit more,” Jacobs said. “She’s really fast and she gets to the ball quickly… If we stick Cam in the outfield, she’s a golden retriever and she loves to chase the ball no matter where it’s hit. I think we’ll have more speed in the outfield and we’ll have more in-game knowledge of where the ball is supposed to go when we have it.”

Among the nonconference opponents on Rochelle’s schedule are Belvidere North, Rockford Guilford, Stillman Valley, Mendota, Belvidere, Freeport, DeKalb, Rockford Boylan, Indian Creek, Somonauk, South Beloit, Rockford Lutheran, Oregon, Harvest Christian, Genoa-Kingston, Forreston, Ashton-Franklin Center, Dixon and Plano. Rochelle and Plano’s matchup on Thursday, May 22 will be a fundraiser event for the Organization for Autism Research.