Clarendon Hills 12U softball team plays on ESPN during regionals

By Jeff Vorva | Photos courtesy of the Clarendon Hills Little League

People from all over the nation got a chance to see what Clarendon Hills Little League softball is all about.
The CHLL 12-under team became the first team in the organization’s history to qualify for the Little League’s Central Regional tournament after winning the state tournament July 6-10 and competing in the regional tournament in Whitestown, Indiana, two weeks later.

The regionals were broadcast on ESPN-Plus, and people had a chance to watch the team as it went 2-2 for the tournament.

“My mom’s in New Jersey, and she watched, and a lot of other grandparents were watching across the country,” manager Rob Goeckel said. “A lot of people were watching it, and we were getting a lot of texts. It was very cool.”

He added that the players had a chance to gather around a computer and watch one of their previous games that was broadcast by ESPN.

This is the first time in the seven-year history of the CHLL softball program that a team advanced to the regionals.
Helping to make history on this team was Hinsdale’s Kate Sunderson, Charlotte Goeckel, Abby Przyzycki, Sloane Breton, Payton Kunitz, Emmy Havens and Anna Makstenieks, Oak Brook’s Sawyer Hilding, Clarendon Hills’ Olivia McEwen, Emme Campos, Gia Sikorski and Meghan Wierzbicki, Burr Ridge’s Grayson Contreras and Willowbrook’s Despina Patos. Rob Goeckel was assisted by Jason Havens and Michelle Speziale.

To get to be TV stars, CHLL needed a furious rally to win the state tournament after losing its first game to Beardstown. The team went on to win five straight games, including a 10-0 revenge win over Beardstown in the semifinals and a 6-1 win over Brookfield in the championship battle.

Last year, this team won the 11U state title over Brookfield, but that age group did not feature regional or national play.

So, this year’s state championship had more on the line.

“Winning state was always the goal,” Goeckel said. “Since we won it last year, we wanted to win it at the more competitive 12U level. And we wanted to experience going to the regionals. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The fields were immaculate. They treated us like royalty. The opening ceremonies…being on ESPN…it was a really great experience top to bottom.”