The updated 2025 Extra Elite 100 Rankings will begin on May 23, 2022 (look for more info on Monday!) and one player who looks to move up higher is right-handed pitcher Alaina Peetz out of Lockport, Illinois.
In last year’s profile on the current freshman, she was ranked at No. 55 and here’s what was written about her in her Extra Elite 100 profile:
T-55—Alaina Peetz, P/UT, ESP Elite – Page
Alaina is following in the athletic footsteps of her mother, Sylvia, who played basketball for DePaul in the Big East and her father, Michael, who ran track for the Blue Demons. Alaina, an Illinois-based eighth grader, is getting it done in hoops as well as volleyball and her wingspan and size at 5-foot-9 has coaches eager to see how high her ceiling will go. Alaina has hit 60-plug mph in games and with a multiple of pitches compiled 113 K’s in 87.1 innings last year (9.6 per game). She’s also dangerous at the plate as she hit .448 with a .582 on-base percentage for ESP Elite. “Every time Alaina takes the mound, we have a chance to win; it doesn’t matter the program (we’re facing),” her head coach says.
Today, Alaina is two inches taller and even more impressive in the circle at both the high school club softball levels. Just this week she and fellow pitcher Kelcie McGraw teamed for their Lockport Township (Illinois) High team to knock off Class 4A power Lincoln Way West.
The freshman recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Lockport Township High School, her ESP Elite 07 Club Team, adjusting to high school, and having put up monster numbers over the last year on the mound for her club team.
*****
EXTRA SPOTLIGHT
Name: ALAINA PETZ
Hometown: Lockport, Illinois
High School: Lockport Township
Club Team: ESP Elite 07 (@ESPElite07Page)
Graduation Year: 2025
Height: 5-foot-11
Position: RHP
Nickname: “Lanes” or “A.P.”
Twitter: @AlainaPeetz
Honors: Honors Math 1; Honors English ; Honors Biology; Honors AP History; AP Geography
Travel Ball Stats Pitching -31 wins, 216 IP, 326 Ks , 1.77 E.R.A., 13-1 K/BB %
High School Stats: Pitching -8G, 45 IP, 75Ks , 0.9333 E.R.A., 5+ Wins
How is high school ball and adjusting away from your club team for the first time?
It’s going well, I am adjusting quickly to my new teammates and also my new coaches. They had a lot of team-building activities for us to get to know each other better before we started playing games. It also helps that one of my ESP Elite club teammates, Kelci McGraw who is also a freshman, is with me on varsity in the rotation.
You play both basketball and softball at elite levels, how do you manage your busy athletic and school schedule?
My parents are an amazing support system for me and they are my foundation of why I am who I am. I always have to keep busy; I just can’t lie around. I have always had the ability to balance everything naturally. I go to school, go to softball practice or a game, then go to basketball practice, then have a lesson with my pitching/hitting instructor, come home and finish my homework, then repeat the process. That is a normal day for me during the school year. In the summer, we have club softball practice, travel all over the Midwest for big tournaments, and I squeeze in elite basketball camps as well. We keep very busy in the Peetz house with sports!
Do you enjoy basketball as much as softball being a two-sport athlete?
Of course, I love both almost equally. My mom (Sylvia) was a basketball player in the Big East when she was in college, so we all have a love for the game. I enjoy competing and pushing myself to my limits, so being in elite competition all year long in two sports excites me. My dream would be to play both sports in college.
What are some of your goals?
Over the next year I want to build even more strength to be faster on the mound and on the court. I also want to work on tightening my spins and rotations on my pitches.
What’s your most memorable softball story?
A couple stand out for me: I enjoyed going to Top Gun and making the Finals, surprising a lot of teams and making a name for our team. I also enjoyed going to Nashville to play in the Bandits Power 80 where I was able to see downtown Nashville and get in some line dancing… I am a country girl by heart! I really enjoy the travel and seeing new places.
What colleges are you interested in attending or visiting?
Northwestern, Stanford, Tennessee, Pitt, and Notre Dame are some colleges I am starting to look at and learn about going to their camps over the next couple years.
Any final thoughts?
I am excited to compete in the IHSA State series later next month with my High School teammates as well as traveling to Ohio, Kansas, and Colorado in the month of June with my club team, ESP Elite 07. We’re looking to continue our hot streak into the Summer!
