By Mike Monahan, Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com

CASEY -- Not even a year had gone since the students and staff of Casey-Westfield dealt with the death of 16-year-old Brandon Brewer, who died after playing in a pick-up basketball game in a Casey park in June. Now the students, staff and communities were dealt another tragedy as 15-year-old Adrianne Denney died Thursday afternoon due to medical complications.

“I found out during the day that she was in critical condition,” said Casey softball and girls’ basketball coach Katie O’Connell. “I work with Adrianne’s cousin-in law at the junior high and she got an email about her condition. I still can’t fathom it. It is unbelievable.”

Denney was a first team all-state pitcher for the Class A runner-up Lady Warriors of Casey-Westfield-Kansas last year. She helped Casey finish 26-5 under O’Connell, who was in her first year at the helm. Denney had 220 strikeouts and 56 walks in 203 1/3 innings and allowed just 24 earned runs and 88 hits with an earned run average of 0.826.

“You don’t find too many kids like her, especially at this level,” said O’Connell. “She loved going to practice and working on pitching and hitting. She had a great work ethic and I was very fortunate to have her. She loved competition. She wanted the ball in her hands and/or wanted to be at the plate with the game on the line. She was a total softball guru and she loved everything about it.”

A candle light vigil is set to take place outside of Casey-Westfield High School at 7 p.m. tonight. The girls’ basketball game originally scheduled for Thursday at Lawrenceville was postponed as was tonight’s boys’ game at Hutsonvillle against Hutsonville-Palestine was also postponed.

“I’m devastated,” said Lake Land athletics director, softball coach and Denney’s pitching coach at his camps. “I don’t know what else to say. It goes way beyond softball. She was a great softball player, no doubt about that. But she was a great young lady with great work ethic. She enjoyed what she was doing.”

St. Joseph-Ogden, the Class A state champions, had sent a card to Denney when she was in the hospital in October undergoing surgery.

“I watched her grow up and she looked so good when she was younger pitching-wise,” said Randy Wolken, coach of the Spartans, who worked with Denney at Throneburg pitching camps. “She was outstanding. I feel terrible. A young person, even any kind of young person that dies, it’s just terrible—especially when someone has a great future ahead of her it’s double tough.”

Denney also played volleyball for coach Jen Propst and was involved in many activities including choir, and was involved in musicals as well.“She was a well-rounded kid,” said O’Connell. “She was in plays, was a great singer and a very nice girl. She was friends with everyone and was huge believer. It was a pleasure to coach her.”

Denney was the first person from Casey to be named to the first team Illinois Coaches Association since Lora Fisher in 2002.

“I feel sorry for the kids,” said O’Connell. “They have been through a lot. We shouldn’t have to deal with this and the kids shouldn’t have to deal with it either.”

O’Connell said the girls were gathering at teammate’s house.

“The biggest thing is hat they need each other and talk about Adrianne and remember the good times,” said O’Connell.

Published on Thursday, November 30, 2006 10:50 PM CST
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