‘Better and better': Oswego's Jaelynn Anthony is the 2025 Beacon-News/Courier-News Softball Player of the Year.
Junior pitcher Jaelynn Anthony has come a long way and so has Oswego in softball, with players getting measured this week for state championship rings.
It's no coincidence.
The first time coach Paul Netzel saw Anthony three years ago at tryouts, he thought he had found a pretty good varsity candidate in the freshman right-hander.
What he didn't see right away, however, was the complete player the outgoing youngster with the strong arm and ever-present smile would become.
'We were split on whether to bring her up,' Netzel said of his coaching staff. 'We knew we needed another pitcher we could use in the rotation to back up (sophomore) Aubriella Garza.'
Netzel, a retired teacher who had coached a number of sports at various levels in high schools and colleges since 1967, felt confident Anthony could handle that role and made the call.
Anthony also played in the infield.
'Then, all of a sudden, she started hitting,' Netzel said. 'I remember a home run at Geneva, a real blast, and all the kids were doing that 'she's a freshman' chant in the dugout.
'We were amazed as anyone about her hitting.'
Indeed, her .483 batting average this season pushed her career mark to .409.
Still, the Panthers primarily relied on stellar work in the circle by the Purdue-bound Anthony — the 2025 Beacon-News/Courier-News Softball Player of the Year — to win the Class 4A state title.
Anthony set the program record for wins in a season, going 22-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 139 2/3 innings as Oswego (38-2) won its first state title after taking third last spring.
Unfinished business has been completed, led by Anthony in the team's 7-0 run to the title.
'She just keeps getting better and better,' said Annie Scaramuzzi, an Oswego alum who came aboard last season as pitching coach and then became the program's co-coach with Netzel. 'Jaelynn plays better in big games.'
None were bigger than Oswego's seven postseason games.
Anthony pitched all 48 innings and gave up just 23 hits and 16 walks for an excellent .812 WHIP, which is walks and hits per inning. She struck out 70 and allowed just five runs for a 0.70 ERA.
She relied on a fastball that one radar gun had her topping out at a personal-best 72 mph in the state championship game against Barrington, along with a change-up, curve and rise.
'Last year she was dominant — this year even more so,' Scaramuzzi said 'This year, she really gained confidence after having done it last year. She wanted to go out and have fun.'
Anthony, who also holds the program's career record for wins with 47, was especially impressive in three wins during the final week.
It started Monday when she carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a 5-1 win over Marist, finishing with a one-hitter. She followed with a 13-2 rout in six innings over Oak Park-River Forest in Friday's semifinal and a four-hitter in a 4-1 win over Barrington in Saturday's final, both complete games.
Anthony, who had two doubles and three RBIs in the semifinals, knows it's not just her, though.
'Jaelynn's quick to acknowledge she has a great offense backing her up along with a standout defense doing the same,' Scaramuzzi said. 'That stage in Peoria, there's a lot of pressure.
'It's why we emphasized so much work on our middle infield defense this season.'
Anthony has taken pitching lessons from St. Charles-based Jill Waldron since she was 12.
'She's always positive and has a strong work ethic,' Waldron said. 'She's never not focused but always giddy. She laughs at her mistakes but instantly flips a switch and goes to work to fix them.'
And here's a scary proposition for opponents. Anthony believes there's room for improvement.
'I've been trying to learn a drop ball and a drop curve,' she said.
Even though Oswego has to replace six seniors from 10 starters, including the designated player, Anthony likes the Panthers' chances again.
'We will be back,' she said. 'It will definitely be tough, but we're gonna come back and win.'
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