‘Very special, unique group’ of Eagles
Talent. Determination. Chemistry. Eagles had it all during historic run to 4A state title in 2010
Sandburg’s team had perfect storm during historic 2010 run to 4A state title.
Before triumph, sometimes there are tears.
Such was the case a decade ago for Sandburg's greatest softball team.
The memories of 2009 and 2010 still burn — and bring delight — in the mind of Class 4A state championship pitcher Brittany Gardner.
Gardner was a junior when the Eagles lost 4-3 to Edwardsville in a 2009 supersectional game.
“I didn't pitch as well as I should have,” Gardner said. “They actually took me out in the last inning.
“My dad was like, ‘Well, we didn't go as hard as we need to. You'd better use this your senior year.' My dad and I would go pitch extra on my own to make sure I'd be at my best.”
And she was. Gardner was 19-2 as a senior with 217 strikeouts as Sandburg (40-2) won the 2010 state title.
At the conclusion of the final game, a 2-1 victory over Fremd, Gardner and junior catcher Lexi Bryant met in a midair hug.
“I just remember looking at Brittany and running straight to her thinking, ‘We did it,'” Bryant said. “That's a moment I'll remember the rest of my life.'”
Bryant had a career season in 2010, batting .521 with 17 doubles, 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. She went 4-for-7 in the two games at state.
“It was the energy with the team that helped me,” Bryant said. “To be honest, I think that we all had this fire and this passion to win, and it carried over to everybody.
“I had a goal in my mind. We wanted to win state and be the first Sandburg team in history to do it. All of the work paid off.”
The Eagles were an offensive powerhouse. Seven of their nine regulars hit better than .300. Junior third baseman Jess
Perkins did it with power, with nine doubles and five home runs.
“To this day, I can honestly say that it was chemistry that truly brought home the championship,” Perkins said. “We used to do all of the team-building activities. Regardless of our talent it was the chemistry that we were able to build from.
“What was very important was that the seniors and the upperclassmen made sure it was their responsibility to gather everybody up.”
Outfielder Morgan Biel was one of the five seniors. She was a gap-finder with nine doubles, batting fifth behind the power-hitting duo of Bryant and Perkins.
Being a senior leader, she recalled, was fairly easy.
“We had a very special, unique group,” Biel said. “We were all extremely close. We hung out all the time on weekends and after practice.
“The camaraderie was unbelievable, and I think that's what really led us to where we ended up.”
It gave Sandburg coach Jim Fabianski, a firm believer in character-building activities, options galore.
“They came to our first winter workout the day after Thanksgiving with a purpose,” Fabianski said. “That group wasn't going to take no for an answer. They were as good as any group I've had working together.”
Gardner had a Hall of Fame career at Loyola. She gives pitching lessons and works with children with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Biel played at Eastern Illinois and is a science teacher at Orland Junior High. Perkins played at Illinois and is a commercial casualty underwriter. Bryant, who played in college at Kansas, works as an administrator for Meade and is the softball coach at Peotone.
The Eagles celebrated the 10th anniversary of their title with a December gathering.
“We still talk to each other, we still see each other,” Gardner said. “It's a special group.”
With a chemistry that endures.