Stone City Sharks
The program was started by Bob Martin and Ed Serdar to help HS girls prepare for softball in HS and college in 1978. The original tam was all HS girls and we played in Women’s Open competition. We never heard of youth softball. In 1983 we palyes our first youth ASA tournament and finished 2nd in the Chicago Metro, and third in the Midwest regional. After several years we started the 16U team, then the 14U, and then the 12U and 10U.
We practiced and played our games at Plainfield HS, Joliet St. Francis (now Joliet Catholic), Lockport HS, Providence HS, Lewis University, and in the late 80′s we found Stone City. We played there until 2005 when we temporarily moved to Joliet Catholic for teh 2006 season. Then our new field was built in Minooka, we started there in the 2007 season.
Our list of coaches is like a who’s who of the area:
- Tod Bell
- Scott Bertram
- Gill Blackmore
- Dave Cain
- Marissa Chovanec
- Dave Glasscock
- Joe Findlay
- Todd Fisher
- Chick Harley
- Ron Havelka
- Don Hinck
- Larry Lane
- Bob Martin
- Bill Mikuska
- Frank Minnito
- Rick Nelson
- Sarah O’Malley
- Chuck Petersen
- Perry Peterson
- Bryan Phelan
- Jack Podlesny
- Leigh Podlesny
- Linda Roy
- Dick Smith
- Karen Speaker
- Scott Sutherland
- Ron Tallman
- Jen Tyrell
Our teams have had success in competition, winning several national championships, local championships, and playing abroad, and nation wide. Our players advanced to play at many universities, and some according All-American status, and graduating with high honors. We even had one Olympian, Dani Tyler. The players are to numerous to list, but are shown on the web site.Most of our student athletes are excellent student who attend schools such as:
- Harvard
- Colgate
- Illinois Wesleyan
- Bradley
- Eastern Illinois
- Brown
- Yale
- Illinois
- Northwestern
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Notre Dame
- Northwestern
- University of Chicago
- University of Illinois – Chicago
- Florida
- Stanford
- South Florida
- Missouri
- Drake
- Ohio University
- Ball State
- Middle Tenn
- Syracuse
- Southern Colorado
- Southwest Missouri State
- LSU
- Northern Iowa
- Southeast Louisiana
- Illinois State
- Southern – Carbondale
- Southern – Edwardsville
- Loyola
- DePaul
- Indiana
- Northern Illinois
- Wisconsin
- Butler
- St. Francis
- St. Xavier
- Grand Valley State
- Bethel
- Olivet
- Delta State
- Lawrence
- Lake Forest
- Winona State
- Lewis University
- Wisconsin Parkside
- Evangel
- St. Joseph’s
- Aurora University
- Benedictine
- St. Xavier
Many are now high school teachers and coaches.
We have conducted the High School Jamboree for over 22 years, and the Pitcher Catcher Exposure Camp similarly.
We do not have tryouts for existing players, and do not cut players because of ability. Players leave on their own volition, or we ask players to leave if they have problematic parents.
More information is shown throughout this web site.