Headlines
Subscribe to our NewsletterBENET'S PANKO PICKS NORTHWESTERN
By Joshua Welge, Daily Herald
Marissa Panko always could pick it at shortstop like few other gloves her age.
In two years at Benet, she’s developed a lethal lefty bat to boot.
Numerous colleges noticed, and the Benet junior made her decision this past week by committing to Northwestern.
“They’re well-known for their academics and softball. Both combined, it was a perfect fit,” said Panko, who chose the Wildcats over Notre Dame, Drake and Illinois-Chicago, among others. “It will challenge me to play at the next level. That’s all I could ask for.”
Panko enjoyed a solid freshman year, hitting .330. She became one of Benet’s most clutch bats in the 2011 playoffs, delivering the eventual game-winning hit off Richards star Brianne LeBeau to send the school to its first state softball appearance.
She was only scratching the surface.
Last spring Panko hit an area-best .587 with 50 runs scored, 15 doubles and 35 runs batted in for a Benet lineup that scored nearly 10 runs a game. She again showed a knack for the big hit, delivering a walk-off single to beat Marist and a game-winner days later off Downers Grove North ace Elaine Heflin.
“Think about where she was two years ago,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. “She was just learning to hit left-handed.”
Indeed Panko hit right-handed up until freshman year. She switched to the Illinois Chill summer travel team and to a new hitting coach Mark Doran, who Panko credited with her development.
“I thought I would just be a slapper,” Panko said. “He helped me find my power and ability to drive the ball. I feel more confident in the box now.”
Panko is the fourth player at Benet to commit to a Division I program, joining Maeve McGuire (Georgia), Julianne Rurka (Providence) and Rowan McGuire (Georgia Southern). Rowan McGuire transferred from Downers Grove North this school year; Benet is appealing to the IHSA to make McGuire eligibile this spring.
Panko will join a Northwestern program that made back-to-back Women’s College World Series semifinal appearances in 2006-07. Last spring the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Austin Regional championship round.
“They’re a national presence,” Schilf said. “For her to be recruited there, that’s pretty big.”