Softball: Michela Barbanente, DuPage County All-Area Captain
Over the years, Lake Park has produced an abundance of high-level softball players, many of whom have produced high school highlight reels for the ages.
Add Michela Barbanente to that list.
A shortstop committed to Penn State, Barbanente could have easily just "phoned in" her senior year at Lake Park. She plays for the Beverly Bandits travel team, one of the best in the country, and it would have been oh so easy for her to take a mulligan on the high school season.
But that's not in her DNA.
It's difficult for a player of her stature to stay focused on the high school season, so how was she able to do that?
"My teammates and genuine love for the game," she said. "As much as I am looking forward to travel ball with my best friends from all around the Midwest and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to play Division I softball, nothing beats playing within your community with players you sit in a classroom or a lunch table with. With that being said, I am a part of a phenomenal program at Lake Park with great coaches and supporting staff. As the matter of fact, in each sport I played (4-year varsity in volleyball, basketball and softball and even a season in tennis when volleyball was postponed due to COVID), I have been so blessed to have people who have a strong passion, know how to coach the sport and carry strong desires to win across the board."
And win Lake Park did again in softball this season. With Barbanente leading the way, the Lancers finished off a 26-12 season by advancing to a supersectional for the first time since 2008.
For her efforts, Barbanente has been selected the captain of the Daily Herald's DuPage County All-Area Team for the second straight year.
The numbers speak for themselves - .508 batting average, .588 OBP and her OPS is a mutant 1.541. She scored 67 runs, hit 14 homers and stole 42 bases.
"To have the speed and power that she has is so rare," said Lancers coach Tom Mazzie. "The most absurd stat is that she scored 67 runs in 136 plate appearances. That means when she goes up to the plate 49% of the time she scores a run. As a team we averaged 8.5 runs a game this season and she is the catalyst."
To reach the supersectional, Lake Park knew it would likely have to beat its nemesis - defending state champ St. Charles North.
"As a team, we had goals to win a regional, compete in each and every game and fight for a top finish in our conference (the DuKane), which is loaded with talent," Barbanente said. "Our 'undercover' goal was to take down St. Charles North, who we struggled against for years (across all sports). Finally in the sectional championship, we did it. Could not have scripted a better story to defeat the highly competitive North Stars, in a playoff manner. Our team has exceeded all expectations and honestly, shocked our community. Player for player, we may not have always been the most talented team, but our bond is top tier, the way we love each other and played each game for something bigger than ourselves is how we performed and exceeded goals."
A team like that needs a leader, and Lake Park could not have had a better one than Barbanente.
"My favorite attribute about Michela is her leadership," Mazzie said. "She is the most coachable superstar I have ever seen. She is a great teammate that is always supportive of her fellow players. I have never seen her talk down to another player or a coach in three years. She is a cerebral player that never stops talking the entire game. After the game I constantly have coaches coming up to me complimenting how vocal she is from first pitch to the last."
Barbanente is quite clear about her softball mission.
"Individually, I like to call it a blessed burden that I carry during high school season," she said. "My coaches, teammates, opposing teams, and fans who have shown me nothing but support usually have a vision of me that makes me feel I need to be perfect every day I put on my cleats. In a game of failure, it takes someone elite to surpass all the outside expectations. I felt it most my junior year, but there were definitely phases of it this year as well, and I'm sure many high school players who will play at the next level can testify to this same feeling."
Maintaining a healthy balance can be a challenge for athletes like Barbanente, but she mastered that as well.
"As tough as it is, I would not trade the grind for the world," said Barbanente, who calls her mom, Jackie, her "rock" in her life. "Not everyone gets to play high school softball and see great pitching and a chance to truly compete every game. Something that has been a huge factor in my success both on and off the field, is separation and truly being wherever my feet are. Taking each pitch, each at-bat, each out and each game, one at a time. Every game matters in high school and brings a new opportunity to improve individually and as a team. Taking advantage of each opportunity is important to growth mentally and physically as a player. A bad day at the plate should not affect how you treat people, perform in the classroom or do daily manners. Although I fall short, this is what I live by and undeniably try to practice what I preach.
"Softball is a huge part of my life that has taught me lessons I never even knew I needed, but with that being said, softball is what I do, not who I am. Therefore, neither an 0-3 day or a day where I'm 3-3 with 2 home runs and a make a diving play to save the game should ever define who I am off the field. Great or not so great, it's staying rooted in who I am that keeps me performing at a high level each day on the field, in the classroom and keeping quality relationships outside of softball. People matter - compete for them, against them and undoubtedly be good to them; they motivate me to be where I am each day and keep me performing in each area of my life."
Performances that, so far, have paid off in big ways.