Sports
Lily Strand Gets Her 400th Strikeout In EP's Senior Night Win Over LT
The Saint Louis University-bound Evergreen Park Community High School softball star also scored the game-winning run on Senior Night.
EVERGREEN PARK, IL - On a night in which she shared the stage with eight of her senior teammates, Evergreen Park Community High School star softball pitcher Lily Strand added another notch to her already stellar softball resume. Strand recorded her 400th career high school strikeout on May 11 during the Mustangs' 6-5 win over visiting Lyons Township High School on Senior Night.
Teammates mobbed Strand to mark the accomplishment when EPCHS Softball Head Coach Michelle Vucsko made the announcement that Strand had hit the 400-strikeout mark in the second inning earlier that game.
4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ strikeouts and counting!! Your teammates and coaches—past and present—are so incredibly proud of you, Lily 🥎🐎💚 pic.twitter.com/266qW7u9zG
— EPCHS Softball (@epchssb) May 12, 2023
Later on, Strand would score the walk-off, game-winning, run in the eighth inning off a base hit from senior Nicole Reynolds. In addition to Strand and Reynolds, senior softball players Maggie Tracy, Taylor Evans, Dora Cihocki, Grace Ward, Charley Burns, Riley Hayes and Jackie Jones were recognized before the game.
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The game also featured the return of another big EPCHS softball name of the past decade. Megan Pyles, a 2017 EPCHS alum, returned to her alma mater as the head coach of the visiting Lyons Township Lions.
For Strand, the next few weeks will mark the final days of her softball career in Evergreen Park. But it's a career that will soon continue on a much larger stage. Earlier this year, Strand signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and softball careers at Saint Louis University.
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"I picked Saint Louis University because of the amazing education it offers, and its beautiful campus," Strand said. "But mainly is is the home field it brings. I really fell in love with the coaches and the staff there. It just really felt like home."
But Evergreen Park will remain a forever home for one of its all-time softball greats.
"EP Softball has taught me the value of continuous improvement," Strand said before the Senior Night game. "I have learned to never become satisfied with myself or my work, which I will not only carry into the rest of my softball career, but every other aspect of my life."
