Copyright Chicago Tribune
Junior Mary Fortner already has two varsity seasons under her belt as both a hitter and utility infielder for Marist. But before the Northwestern recruit ever drove in a run or fielded a ball for the RedHawks, she made a big impact on the softball program. It happened in seventh grade when Fortner met Lexi Kyros. The two played travel sports together in both basketball and softball and became fast friends. Fortner’s father, P. Jay, is a teacher at Marist. Her brothers, Joey and Michael, were student/athletes there. But Mary made a pretty convincing high school recruiter. “I really wanted Lexi to come here,” Fortner said. “I started talking up Marist. I told her about how I had seen firsthand how amazing the community was. How top notch the softball program was. “She was in between coming here or Sandburg, and I just knew it would be a great place for her.” Both enrolled in 2023 at Marist. Kyros has been the starting catcher for two seasons, with Fortner shining as a utility infielder. Both committed to college this fall — Fortner to Northwestern and Kyros to Michigan. “I was looking at a few others schools, but Northwestern was really just the best place for my athletic and academic career,” Fortner said. “They are a top-seven university in the country, and their academics and athletics are top notch.” In two seasons for Marist, Fortner’s batting average has climbed steadily toward the .300 mark. She has 36 runs, 10 homers and 38 RBIs. One of her strong points? Senior teammate Ellie Holmstrom confirmed it’s her softball smarts. “If a pitcher has a weird spin, she will react to it and do well,” Holmstrom said of Fortner. “Sometimes, that is really hard for players — to change whatever you can to improve a situation. “But Mary is able to be successful in any situation she’s put in.” Marist coach Colleen Phelan appreciates the effort. “Mary is among the no-doubt hardest workers that have come through this school,” Phelan said. “I have known Mary since she was in second, third and fourth grade, coming to all of the camps. It has been really, really fun to watch her grow into the player she is today. “She’s getting stronger, getting faster. She has worked for this and is earning every opportunity she’s getting. She’s really come into her own over the last year or two. I’m excited for her.” Fortner also comes from a family steeped in sports tradition. Her brothers both played football at Marist. Joey currently is a junior long snapper at Yale and Michael is a student at Alabama. Her father, who grew up in New York, played football in college at the University of Chicago. Her mom, Jenny Costello Fortner, played basketball at Mother McAuley, which won a state title in her freshman year of 1991 and finished fourth in the state in 1994. She went on to play at University of Chicago and was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame in 2018. Mary went her own way with softball. “I played softball, basketball and soccer in grammar school,” Fortner said. “Soccer was a fun sport for me, but it was really between softball and basketball. “For a while, basketball was always kind of my first sport. But when it came down to it, I really loved softball so much. It became my first love.” Fortner is following in some pretty impressive footsteps at Northwestern in Marist alums Angela Zedak and Isabel Cunnea, both former Daily Southtown Softball Players of the Year. Zedak hit 36 home runs from 2020-24 and ranks 11th on Northwestern’s all-time list. Cunnea, a junior, led the Wildcats last season with a .360 batting average. Zedak is now a softball instructor, and Fortner is one of her students. “Angela has really helped me with my power and my consistency as well,” Fortner said. “She has given a great, new perspective to me on hitting. She also works on infield with me, too. I really appreciate her.” For Zedak, it has been easy-peasy working with Fortner. “Mary’s a quick learner,” Zedak said. “The biggest thing she brings to the table is a mindset to work hard. It’s something that’s very hard to find sometimes. But she just has a strong love that’s only going to get better. “I’m excited to see her grow. It’s cool that we have all of this local talent on the South Side, and getting to go play for one of the premier programs in the Big Ten is just awesome.” Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
