College commitment: Keystone's Lily Cassell to play softball at Northern Illinois

Keystone junior Lily Cassell missed her sophomore season of softball but she didn't let that stop her dreams from come true. Cassell announced on Twitter last week that she has orally committed to continue her athletic and academic careers at Division I Northern Illinois University. "It feels unbelievable and it's a dream come true," Cassell said of her commitment. "I'm really blessed and thankful for my amazing family that has always supported me, and my coaches and teammates. I'm really happy to say I found my next home." Cassell, a pitcher and first basemen, played 20 games for the Wildcats her freshman year, batting .281 with three RBIs. She made her pitching debut April 4, 2019, and struck out eight in three innings in a 24-0 win over Brooklyn. "As a freshman she provided pitching depth but her bat was a big key to her being able to getting playing time," Keystone coach Jim Piazza said. "Not only can she pitch, she can also hit and play the field. I think that was one of the things that really attracted the college coaches to her." When the 2020 high school season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cassell turned that disappointment into an opportunity to work on her skills and virtually present herself to college coaches. "Not being able to pitch for Keystone in the spring really took a toll on me but we still got to put a lot of work in," Cassell said. "I worked on my own and in small groups with my teammates and I was making videos I could email out to college coaches." Piazza has coached dozens of girls who went on to play Division I softball so he knows what it takes to succeed at the next level and he believes Cassell has what it takes. "Lily is an extremely hard worker," he said. "She's really dedicated to the sport and puts in the extra time she needs to to make herself a better player. The combination of her work ethic and her ability is what really catches the eyes of coaches. "She had a list of things she needed to improve upon and she did those things." Cassell, who plays travel ball for the Ohio Hawks, has been in contact with the Northern Illinois coaching staff via Zoom meetings and took a virtual tour of the school before visiting the campus in DeKalb, 55 miles west of Chicago, with her family. "After I got to in contact with Northern Illinois I fell in love and then when I got to walk around the campus and I saw how beautiful it was my mind was made up," Cassell said. "The coaches are super nice and they really match my personality." Cassell didn't know if she'd be ready to make her college commitment prior to her junior year but the more she found out about Northern Illinois she knew it was the perfect fit. "The pieces fell together," she said. "After talking to the coaches and going to see the school and walking around the campus with my family, I knew it was the right time. I loved it." With her college plans settled, Cassell, whose softball career started as 4-year-old in T-ball, is free to continue working on her game and get ready for the Wildcats' 2021 season. "It was very upsetting to not be able to play but I think it was motivation for us to work even harder for what we want this year which is a state championship," Cassell said. "If we put the work in and do what we are supposed to do we could and we will win a state championship." Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.