As one of the cornerstones of the most successful four-year run in the history of the North Central College softball program, Amanda Talley '01 was a standout player for the Cardinals soon after arriving in Naperville. The family atmosphere, which first drew her to campus, has continued to figure prominently in her life, long after her final game uniform.
Looking for a collegiate experience close to her hometown of Aurora, Talley reviewed several local institutions in her search process and ultimately chose North Central for its prominence in softball and connection she developed with head coach
Jim Kulawiak.
"Really, softball was the driving force that led me to choose North Central," Talley says. "I already knew it was a good school academically, and the first time I met with Coach K we seemed to share a lot of the same old-school values.
"He was refreshingly blunt. I like a no-nonsense type of atmosphere so we really clicked, and the rest is history, I guess."
A starter in the Cardinals' middle infield from the very beginning, Talley became the third North Central player to earn All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) honors each of her four years on the team and remains the only player in the program's history to earn All-Region accolades from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Talley was voted the CCIW's Player of the Year as a sophomore in 1999 after she led the conference in hits (26), doubles (9), runs batted in (21) and batting average (.510) in CCIW play. She set the current North Central single-season record for runs batted in (48) the same year and established the current records for hits (66) and games played (56) as a senior in 2001.
Though she was one of the team's leading performers from the outset, Talley still found herself driven to improve as she was exposed to a whole new mentality for approaching the game.
"Before I came to North Central, I wouldn't have considered myself a super disciplined person," she says. "Athletics always came naturally to me and I didn't really have to work at it. Coach K really stressed the discipline of the small things and how a combination of little things, like backing up a throw, knowing the signs, or putting down a bunt can make the difference between success and failure. I had never looked at the game that way. He stresses being a student of the game, and I think that's one of the reasons why his teams are so successful."
The Cardinals' career leader in hits (209), runs batted in (138) and at-bats (568), Talley was instrumental in a period of unparalleled success for the Cardinals' program. The team compiled 136 victories, three CCIW Championships, and North Central's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III National Championships where the Cardinals posted a fifth-place team finish in 2001.
"(Going to) Nationals was awesome," Talley recalls. "It was exciting to get there, and it was just the perfect ending to a career. It was the most successful team I ever played on, and to do it with such a great group of teammates, many of whom had been with me through freshman year, it was just a great feeling."
Talley and her teammates have remained connected with the program and each other. They continue to attend games together in support of a program that continues to reap the benefits of their efforts.
"We still go back every year," she says. "It's like a family that grows from year to year. Even though I might not know all the current players, it still feels like they're a part of us and we're a part of them. It's special to know I have played a little part in building that program."
