It was bases loaded, nobody out. The table was set for the biggest at-bat of her high school career.
But would Shepard junior Juliann Radz be ready for it? Before Wednesday, she hadn’t walked up to the plate in a game since May 15. Her last hit was on April 16.
You certainly couldn’t blame her if she was nervous. But she would have none of that.
“I was actually pretty calm,” Radz said. “My other teammates had done all that work to be where they were. With the bases loaded and with zero outs, I just knew I had to do what I can do.”
Two pitches after stepping into the batter’s box, she walked off the host Astros for a thrilling 1-0 victory over Sandburg in a Class 4A Shepard Regional semifinal game.
Radz dropped a single into left field to score freshman Carly Edmiston with the winning run for Shepard (28-6). Edmiston and Emrie Peterson each singled earlier in the inning.
DePaul recruit Kailey Selvage tossed a three-hit shutout for the Astros, who advanced to play Lockport (27-9) at 4 p.m. Friday for the regional title.
Olivia Trunk reached all three times for Sandburg (10-24). Grace Torgerson added a hit.
Radz is in her second season on the varsity for Shepard and her third year in softball. Before high school, she played Little League baseball against mostly boys as a pitcher/outfielder.
A memorable highlight? Sure.
“We had this one dude on my team, he was one of our best hitters,” Radz said, smiling. “He never struck out. But then he switched to another team and I struck him out.”
Walking off against Sandburg probably topped that exciting moment. But her philosophy about it afterward was as cool as she was at the plate.
“It could have been a lot of peoples’ last game on my team, all the seniors,” Radz said. “It just felt like all the power was in my hands. I had the bat, not the pitcher.”
Shepard coach Bridget McDermott has primarily used Radz on defense this season. Radz and Peterson switch off at the flex position.
“I come ready to do whatever is needed,” Radz said. “I don’t really expect to bat or expect to play the field. I just contribute as much as I can.
“When I’m in the outfield, I try not to let a lot of balls drop. I know that I can catch them.”
McDermott gave Radz the bat against Sandburg because there was some history.
“Her last hit actually was against Sandburg,” McDermott said of a 4-2 loss. “She (drove) in one of the two runs we scored. We were keeping an eye on her the last couple of practices, and she was really hitting the ball well. We just had the feeling, ‘Let’s get Juliann the bat today.’
“It’s a really special thing to be able to come in with bases loaded when we need a run, having only played defense for several games. She did the job.”
Selvage, who broke program pitching records this season and was the South Suburban Red’s player of the year for the second straight spring, had a great view.
She was on first base when Radz won the game, having reached on a Sandburg miscue that loaded the bases.
“I was just watching and feeling super confident,” Selvage said. “If she was a little nervous, I knew that she wouldn’t let it affect her. I’m super happy that she got the walk-off hit. She deserves it.
“Juliann is an awesome person. A silent, but ‘go get ‘em’ kind of kid. She’s very fierce and always gives 110%. She will dive for a ball and go after everything.
“She’s quiet, but she’ll get it done. And she continues to prove it every day to us.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
