Freshman’s opposite day gets New Trier softball going in right direction

When New Trier freshman Harper Glinn faces lower-velocity pitches, she swings late.

She knows that sounds backward, but it is by design.

“With slower pitchers, I start my swing a little later, which is kind of confusing,” Glinn said. “But I think it’s kind of helpful because it helps me see (the pitch) more and take it where they’re not expecting.”

Glinn’s tardy swings resulted in three opposite-field hits that plated two runs in the Trevians’ 5-2 victory over rival Evanston Tuesday, May 9, at Duke Childs Field in Winnetka.

The Wildkits struck first, tallying a run in the first inning, but Glinn’s looping, two-out, opposite-field single in the second inning scored senior Kyra Powell for the first run in a three-run rally.

Glinn shot another two-out single into right field in the third to knock in fellow freshman Campbell Bach, and for good measure in the fifth, Glinn added a third opposite-field hit.

Her 3-for-3 day helped New Trier avenge a 9-1 April loss to Evanston. Tuesday’s win was the Trevians’ second revenge victory in a week. They bested Glenbrook North 9-8 on May 4 to follow up on a 10-9 defeat to the Spartans on April 18.

“We knew we were the underdogs coming into this game and that drove us even more,” Glinn said. “We did the same thing against Glenbrook North. It feels really good to know we got better throughout the season.”

The recent results gave the Trevians (7-12, 2-8) their first two wins in the Central Suburban South but are evidence of improvement.

New Trier coach Rose Wysocki said the win total may not be there for the Trevians, but that’s not where the focus is.

“We’ve had our ups and our downs. We haven’t had as many as wins as we want, but we really focus on growth. That’s the biggest thing,” she said. “They look like a different team than what we had at the beginning of the year. A lot of that is mental — bouncing back from errors, coming through with hits at the right time. We seemed to do all of that today.”

The Trevians’ spirited effort was anchored by Annie Ieuter’s strong pitching performance. The senior struck out eight and allowed just one earned run in the complete-game win.

Ieuter is one of just four seniors (Luciana Orta, Emilia Orta, Powell and Ieuter) for a young New Trier that rosters three freshmen — all of whom started on Tuesday — to go with two sophomores and seven juniors.

In Tuesday’s victory, freshman Illana Styles tallied two hits, including a two-run single in the pivotal third inning. Bach, also a freshman, stole two bases to go with a single and run scored. Luciana Orta walked three times, and junior Avery Weinstein notched a run-scoring single.

The Trevians continue a busy week with games against Maine West Wednesday, May 10, at home; Maine South Thursday, May 11, on the road; and a doubleheader with Loyola Academy Saturday, May 13, at Loyola’s Munz Campus in Glenview.