
An aspiring teacher, Katie Monroe helps Warren try to fulfill its potential. The senior catcher ‘inspires.'
Monroe has learned the importance of that quality off the field too. She said she wants to be a teacher like her mother, who works in special education at Woodland Elementary School. Monroe has assisted her mother in the classroom.
'It's taught me patience,' she said. 'It's a tough job. So just seeing any improvements, even if they're small or big, are important. It's fun to see the kids doing better academically and socially.'
Monroe played on the junior varsity team for two seasons while Ally Badgley was the Blue Devils' starting catcher.
'It was hard, but I know I had a great catcher in front of me,' Monroe said. 'I just did my time. I hit the weight room at home and in class and really put the time in to get better and be ready.
'I was pretty excited to get to start catching. I learned a lot and think I did well.'
Indeed, Monroe was an All-North Suburban Conference selection last season, her first as the varsity starter, and the Wisconsin-Stout recruit has continued to backstop the Blue Devils (17-8, 9-4) with grit in her senior season.
Monroe, who is batting .338 with a 1.044 OPS, three home runs and 22 RBIs, has thrown out five runners trying to steal and picked off four others. Not reflected in the scorebook, Monroe is also adept at blocking.
'Katie is such a good catcher because of the way she will sell out for everything behind the plate,' Warren junior outfielder Annalise Stich said. 'The way she will block anything in the dirt and throw a girl out at any base are things that make her stand out. She's a competitive and dedicated player.'
Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said Monroe does everything she can to help the pitcher succeed.
'Katie does a great job of being a partner for her pitcher,' Charbonneau said. 'She knows when she should go out and have a talk and manage the pace of the game. Katie has improved the most on receiving the ball. I know she has put a lot of time and effort in the offseason, and it really shows. She works really hard behind the plate for her pitchers.'
Warren junior pitcher Camryn Guldberg knows that well.
'What makes Katie such an amazing catcher is the way she talks to her pitchers,' Guldberg said. 'She competes every pitch that's thrown to her, takes charge of the field and keeps everything honest in any situation with feedback.
'Katie's work ethic inspires others on the team, and she shows true leadership by keeping people in the game mentally.'
Stich agreed that Monroe's impact is widespread.
'Katie is such a good teammate,' Stich said. 'She's there every time to help out a teammate.'
Monroe said she spent most of the offseason working on her defense but also wanted to improve as a leader.
'Being an older person on the team, I try to help out the younger teammates,' she said.
Monroe has helped Warren at the plate too. In April, she had three hits and three RBIs in a win against Antioch and three hits and five RBIs in a win against Mundelein, two teams that reached the state semifinals last year.
With the playoffs approaching, Monroe hit .643 with a 1.524 OPS and four RBIs during a recent stretch. The second-seeded Blue Devils will play either 15th-seeded Wheeling or 18th-seeded Waukegan in the Class 4A New Trier Regional semifinals on Tuesday.
'We have a lot of potential,' she said, 'and are still getting better and learning.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trey Hendrickson, Terry McLaurin and the biggest NFL training camp holdouts
The 2025 NFL preseason is officially underway. All 32 teams have reported for training camp, kicking off a six week march to the games that matter. A handful of notable stars, however, haven't yet fallen into formation. Contract disputes threaten to take recent All-Pros and a 2025 first round pick off the practice field this summer. These holdouts or hold-ins --which means attending camp but not participating -- are exercising some of the last vestiges of their leverage to hold one-man strikes and boost negotiations. It's a difficult line to walk. Missing camp practices can lead to costly fines, take away valuable reps and threaten to cost a player a year of his prime should things escalate to Le'Veon Bell levels. At the same time, it's a useful tool to highlight a situation in which a star player isn't getting the money he's worth in a league where careers can end in a moment. So far, only three players have made their intentions to hold out or in in 2025. However, as teams ramp up practices, more veterans like Elgton Jenkins or Jauan Jennings could join them. Let's take a look at who isn't participating so far. EDGE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals Hendrickson came into 2024 as a "prove it" year with zero guaranteed money left on his deal for 2025. Then he went out and led the league in sacks, notching one fewer (17.5) than the rest of the Bengals' roster had total (18.5). This did not earn him a new contract as Cincinnati continued to prioritize offense over defense, and now Hendrickson is unhappy. Like, leave the state entirely when training camp opens unhappy. Cincinnati is hesitant to hand a player who turns 31 in December another massive deal in a landscape where division rival T.J. Watt can get more than $40 million annually. But the Bengals ranked only 27th in defensive efficiency -- 16th against the pass with Hendrickson in the lineup -- and made few high level additions to that unit after firing once-lauded coordinator Lou Anarumo in the spring. A trade to a team willing to pay the All-Pro defensive end in exchange for inexpensive draft assets may be the easiest resolution for both parties. WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders McLaurin was vital to Jayden Daniels' rookie of the year campaign last season. His All-Pro 2024 saw him lead all wide receivers in red zone touchdowns (10) and his 2.39 yards per route run ranked 20th among wideouts and stood as a personal record. However, he's slated for free agency in 2026 and has only $2.8 million in guarantees this fall. While he'll turn 30 in September -- a dicey age for a wideout whose athleticism creates the separation that makes big plays possible -- McLaurin has shown few signs of slowing down. He's finally got an upper crust quarterback to throw him passes and averaged nearly 10 yards per target and a touchdown per game in last winter's playoffs. With Daniels' rookie contract leaving plenty of salary cap space for the near future, re-signing McLaurin to a top-of-market three-year deal seems like a logical decision. The Commanders and McLaurin's advisors, however, haven't gotten there yet. EDGE Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals Remarkably, Cincinnati has managed to antagonize its star veteran pass rusher AND the first round pick it drafted to succeed him all in one offseason. Stewart is the only Day 1 selection left unsigned, in part because of imaginary legal issues and what to do in the hypothetical situation the rookie, who has no criminal record to date, gets arrested. This is damaging in multiple directions, as it extends the Bengals' reputation as a franchise willing to drag its feet through negotiations in a vastly player-unfriendly way. It's also keeping Stewart, a mountain of untapped potential who had just 4.5 career sacks in three seasons at Texas A&M, from practicing and turning that potential into production. Bengals owner Mike Brown would like to create a precedent that allows NFL teams to void guarantees in rookie contracts. Stewart, rightfully, does not want to be his guinea pig. Thus, the drama in Cincinnati continues to swirl toward a funnel cloud.


USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
Eagles' All-Pro sits out opening training camp practice with a shoulder injury
Philadelphia's All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter sat out the Eagles first training camp practice of the summer with a shoulder injury The Eagles are kicking off training camp at the NovaCare Complex, and All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a non-participant due to a shoulder injury. Carter had a light load during OTAs and mini-camp, and it's unknown when and how he suffered the injury. The former Georgia star defensive tackle earned a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod in his second NFL season. Philadelphia had a full 90-man roster to start training camp, but just placed Nakobe Dean on the PUP list. During the 2024 regular season, Carter was 4th among interior defensive linemen with an 81.5 PFF pass-rush grade, behind Chris Jones (91.0), Cameron Heyward (87.2), and Jeffery Simmons (81.6) in that category. A star, and one of the best players, Philadelphia will likely take a careful approach with Carter leading into the Week 1 matchup against Dallas.


Newsweek
22 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Caitlin Clark Is Recruiting Sabrina Ionescu to the Indiana Fever
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Indiana Fever entered the 2025 WNBA season with championship hopes. They received a lot of hype as a potential contender, but no one saw the injury issues that Caitlin Clark has been dealing with coming. On multiple occasions, Clark has been forced to miss time due to injury. Coming out of the All-Star break, she has missed time as well. Despite not being on the court, Clark is trying to make an impact. Even past cheering her team on from the sideline, she is openly trying to recruit another WNBA star to Indiana. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty talk during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 6, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty talk during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 6, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo byOn a post from New York Liberty star sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu about the All-Star game being her fourth appearance, Clark commented with a clear recruiting pitch. Read more: WNBA Legend Gets Honest About Caitlin Clark's Concerning Injury In a comment on the post, Clark made a point to note that Ionescu looked good in the All-Star game locker room. Why is that a recruiting pitch? The All-Star game was held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Fever. "looking real natural in that lockerroom," Clark wrote in the comment. Ionescu coming to Indiana to play alongside Clark would be a league-altering move for the WNBA. Just because Clark is recruiting her doesn't mean that there is any chance of the move happening, but it's interesting to note. During the 2025 WNBA season thus far, Ionescu has had another big year. She has played in 21 games, averaging 18.4 points per game to go along with 5.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. Ionescu has also shot 37.7 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from three-point range. Clark, on the other hand, has played in just 13 games so far this year. She has averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, five rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 36.7 percent from the floor and 27.9 percent from the three-point line. Read more: Angel Reese Bracing for WNBA Suspension After Sky-Lynx While this is just in the recruiting stage, Clark's interest in playing alongside Ionescu is clear. Indiana might try to accommodate that interest if the opportunity presents itself. At the very least, this is a situation worth keeping an eye on for the future. Ionescu and Clark would make for a very fun WNBA duo to watch. Make sure to follow Newsweek Sports for all Indiana Fever and WNBA news and updates.