Outside, the temperature was in the teens, but it was warm inside the Dome in Rosemont as 11 women’s collegiate softball teams opened their 2022 season. The four-day DePaul Dome Tournament is a yearly, mid-February event.

Alisa Goler

While my allegiance is with my alma mater, DePaul, it was fun seeing teams I don’t usually get to see, like Seattle University and St. Thomas University. In addition to catching up with my DePaul team, I talked to Murray State coach Kara Amundson; Butler coach Scott Hall; Ball State coach Lacy Schurr; Bowling Green coach Sarah Willis; and Western Illinois coach Alisa Goler, an old friend from the Chicago Bandits.

Scott Hall

Of course, I also caught up with DePaul head coach Tracie Adix-Zins and assistant coach Abby Ramirez, along with players Tori Meyer, Brooke Johnson and Maranda Gutierrez.

Tracie Adix-Zins

The 140,000-square-foot Dome at Parkway Bank Sports Complex features two full-sized softball fields. While batted balls hitting the ceiling require judgment calls by the umpires, the rest of the game is the same as outdoors. Throughout the tourney early-bird fans filled the few grandstands, with the rest of the large crowd lining the outfield fences. I don’t have attendance figures, but I know it was the largest crowd ever for the tournament.

Last season, DePaul was 25–11 and this year looks to be even better. The Blue Demons went 4–0, outscoring opponents 23–8 in the tourney.

Abby Ramirez

During the weekend, a few trips were added to my travel calendar. I’m going to Notre Dame to see DePaul take on the Fighting Irish. I’m also going to see Western Illinois in Macomb and the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison.

The Chicago-area teams now head to warmer areas for games until mid-March. This softball weekend helped me get through the winter, but I am ready for the full return in a few weeks.

— John Wroblewski, online writer

Maranda Gutierrez

Tori Meyer

Brooke Johnson

Kara Amundson

Lacy Schurr

Sarah Willis