Thornwood To Tackle Indiana's Top Team

The Hoosiers are coming.

Thornwood coach Gary Lagesse, who led the T-Birds to Class AAstate championships in 1990 and 1991, has added Indiana's top-ratedteam, Lake Central, to his schedule.

Lake Central won the Indiana girls basketball championship inFebruary and six players double in softball.

FALLING BEHIND: Illiana Christian pitching ace Nicole Terpstraadmits she is "far behind where I should be as far as pitching."

But she doesn't seem to mind too much.

Terpstra was one of five junior starters for the Vikings' firstElite Eight qualifier in basketball. Last June, she pitched her team to the state finals before bowing tostate champion Rock Island Alleman 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

OVERLOOKED: Rosary standout pitcher Adrienne LeFevre wasinadvertently omitted from the pre-season list of the area's top 100players.

WILD WEST: No league figures to be as competitive at the topthan the West Suburban Gold. Defending Class AA state championDowners Grove South, Morton and Hinsdale South figure to batlle itout all season.

Morton won its first four games and beat tough Maria.

Downers South, which lost only one game last season, sweptPalatine and split with Benet. Jeanette Parker two-hit Palatine andone-hit Benet. In the first game against Benet, preseason All -America catcher Amy Thompson, who signed with Drake, had two homersand six RBI.

Hinsdale South swept Benet 10-0, 2-1.

OUTLOOK: Maine South coach Don Kerr calls this a "rebuildingyear" for the Hawks after his team was hit hard by graduation,

A word of warning: When Kerr's outlook is bleak, look out. Kerris one of the best and most creative coaches in the state.

Over the years, we has used four or five outfielders at onceand he once used six infielders. Kerr has also guided four teams tothe state finals.

CASEY AT THE BAT: In her season debut, Downers Grove North's 6-5first baseman Casey Leonhardt was 3-for-3.

ONE OUT: Lake Park standout Kelly Miller, who signed abasketball letter-of-intent with Northern Illinois has elected not toplay softball this season. Miller will play basketball April 9, atthe Nike All - America game in Hampton, Va.

TWO OUT: Buffalo Grove will be without infielder Christina Jostwho is recovering from a knee operation. Jost was injured early inthe basketball season and underwent the surgery in last December.

THREE OUT: Hard-hitting Fuchsia Forrester of Evanston haselected to run track. She batted above .500 in each of her twoseasons as a softball player.