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Opponents had best beware and not judge this book by its cover.
South Elgin’s appropriately named Hannah Harms doesn’t look the part of a prototypical contact hitter as she leads off each game, but that’s not exactly the case.
The NCAA Division II St. Cloud State recruit is equal parts slugger with plenty of home run power as well as the ability to make contact.
“People don’t expect it when I go up to bat,” Harms said being able to inflict some serious hurt on the ball. “I focus a lot on hitting, having seen and worked with a couple of hitting coaches here and there through my travel organization.”
She was at it again Monday, hitting a two-run homer down the left field line in the bottom of the fourth inning. It broke a 4-4 tie with visiting Bartlett that gave the Storm the lead for good in a 10-5 Upstate Eight Conference victory.
Harms, a speedy senior center fielder, added a walk and an infield single and scored three runs for South Elgin (6-2, 2-0).
Last season, Harms hit .489 with a team-high nine homers while batting second behind current Northern Illinois freshman Cara Cruthers.
“Hannah’s average has been a little bit down,” South Elgin coach Brad Reynard said. “She may be pressing, being in the No. 1 slot trying to live up to Cara, but Hannah has still been outstanding.”
Indeed she has, hitting .348 with a team-high four homers for the Storm, who are aiming for a third straight conference title after tying last season with West Chicago.
Bartlett (4-2, 1-1) was coming off a 21-15 win over West Chicago.
“I didn’t know what to expect after seeing that score,” Harms said. “We expected Bartlett to come out strong because of that and because it’s always been a big rivalry game for us.
“It was fun going back and forth.”
Harms’ effort backed winning pitcher CeCe Bell.
A senior right-hander and Division II Davenport recruit, Bell (4-1) gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.
She helped her own cause with a double and a solo home run, her first of the season. She boosted her batting average on the season to .579.
“CeCe’s been outstanding,” Reynard said. “I probably should have hit her a little more last year. She’s been a rock in both spots and is doing a great job of leading us.”
When it comes to that improvement, Bell credited offseason work on her hitting and also increasing her effort in the weight room to get stronger.
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Still rolling along: Junior catcher Olivia Liguori hit a solo home run for Bartlett, her fifth of the season, to lead off the second inning against Bell.
In the high-scoring affair with West Chicago, Liguori went 4-for-4 with three doubles and a home run while driving in seven runs. Earlier in the season, she hit three homers in a wild win over Metea Valley.
Senior first baseman Addison Koth, a Maryville recruit, had a single and a double and drove in a run Monday for the Hawks.
“I just try to attack the zone, get ahead and stay ahead and trust my spin,” Bell said. “(Koth) is a very smart hitter. I think she knew what I was trying to do. She can rake.”
Rising star: Sophomore shortstop/catcher Bria Riebel led Hampshire (4-3) to three wins in four games last week while hitting four home runs. She ended up hitting .706 in that span.
On top of that?
“Her defense was phenomenal,” Whip-Purs coach Jeremy Bauer said.
