Riverside Brookfield High School senior Zoe Levine’s love of softball produces good results. Whenever Levine plays catcher, she becomes a confident athlete with her glove and bat — a statistical and emotional leader who wants to be vocal with teammates.
“Definitely I talk a lot on the field. I’m really shy. Softball kind of takes it out of me,” Levine said. “As I learned the position, I kind of realized it’s something I need to do. Also, I feel really comfortable playing softball. It’s much easier to be loud because it’s where I want to be.”
Levine’s accomplishments speak loudly. The four-year varsity starter and three-time All-Metro Suburban Conference selection will be playing next for Division I DePaul University.
Senior shortstop Emily Organ (Bradley) and junior third baseman Ellie Megall [Oakland commit] also are Division I recruits and varsity starters since freshman year. They and junior Ella Jurgens were All-MSC in 2023.
The Bulldogs (6-2) have scored double-digit runs in five victories. Levine has a .536 batting average with three home runs, 11 runs batted in and a 1.634 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) along with Organ (.533, 3 HR, 12 RBIs, 5 doubles, 1.639 OPS), Megall (.296, 6 RBIs), Jurgens (.350, HR, 7 RBIs) and senior Julia Madera (.414, 4 RBIs).
“Zoe’s confidence has grown the most during her four years of being our primary catcher. I also think her confidence rubs off on her teammates,” RBHS coach Doug Schultz said.
“Her biggest contribution to the team is how she has complete control of the flow and emotions of the game and knows when to pause, take a timeout and reset the team’s mindset.”
Levine tried other sports but never felt comfortable. She began playing softball in grade school and enjoyed watched numerous college games with her father, in person or on television.
After a brief stint at pitcher, Levine soon found herself behind the plate, and liked it.
“I think it’s so cool because you’re the only person who can see the whole field. The best catchers are the ones you don’t really notice all of the hard work in the background,” Levine said.
“It’s really taught me to be a leader because you can be loud and in control. I like that I’m in every pitch. You can control the tempo and the pace and that’s not something really any [other] position can do.”
Playing for Riverside Little League, she remembers winning districts with back-to-back victories over rival La Grange, which her team had previously “never beaten once.”
“That’s one of my core softball memories and one of the best nights of my life,” Levine said.
“I love that [softball] really taught me hard work. I’m not the most outgoing person, but I find myself on the field and it’s where I feel most at home. It’s just been a great sport for me.”
Levine takes pride in the persistence that eventually made her a feared hitter. From fifth through eighth grade, her hitting coach was Abby Ramirez, now a DePaul assistant for head coach Tracie Adix-Zins.
On Oct. 6, Levine verbally committed to the Blue Demons (7-23) and signed her letter of intent Nov. 8. She plays traveling softball for Extreme Elite.
“I started looking at schools all over, further away. I kind of realized so much of my support system was here and my parents and I want to stay close to them,” said Levine, who also has a special bond with her cousin. Sammy has her considering special education as a major. Levine has been involved with local charity All In For Ethan, which helps children with Giant Axonal Neuropathy (GAN).
“[Sammy] has autism and I’ve really watched him strive. It took a lot of hard work and watching him grow is really cool,” she said. “I really want to give other kids the opportunities Sammy has.”
