Softball sisterhood always a component of Bouck family
Sister act settles down softball infield
Jamie Smith
Sports Editor

    Sisters laugh together, sisters cry together, sisters grow up together and, in some rare cases, sisters go to the Women’s College World Series together.

    Tami and Liz Bouck are the quintessential example of sisters sticking together. From the days when they both played Little League softball to playing on one of the best teams in the nation, they have been side by side. The two sisters played on the same south suburban Thornwood High School team for a year when Tami was a senior and Liz was a freshman. And when one went to DePaul, the other followed her lead and went right behind her.

    Tami Bouck, who just completed her senior season at DePaul came here four years ago and since then has had many great experiences as a Blue Demon. It was head coach Eugene Lenti who made Tami feel right at home in Chicago.

    "Eug’s attitude really appealed to me," Tami said. "I also liked the city and the atmosphere on campus."

    Three years later, it was time for Tami’s little sister Liz to start looking at colleges and make the decision about where she would play in college. It was easy to fall under the influence of the big sister who had just had the experience of a lifetime in going to the Women’s College World Series and finishing third. So Liz decided to add another Bouck to the roster for the DePaul softball program, and the freshman was an addition to the team on both the offensive and defensive ends of the team.

    Athleticism is no exception in the Bouck family. Father Glenn Bouck has played baseball and football at the high school level, and Tami and Liz’s older brother, Mike, played baseball at Illinois Institute of Technology on a scholarship and came close to being drafted. The Boucks were encouraged from a young age to pursue athletics, and both girls began playing softball at 8 years old.

    This year proved to be another memory-filled one, and this time for more than one Bouck. After the Blue Demons’ second run to the WCWS, the Boucks would have a set of memories that most sisters never have the chance to obtain.

    "It took a while to set in [making it to the WCWS]," Liz said.

    For Tami it was different, she had been there before and knew that the experience was very real.

    "[The WCWS is] amazing," Tami said. "It makes you feel like a professional athlete; when you’re there, there is always a lot of interest focused on you."

    The end of the season was a high point for the Boucks and the rest of the softballers, but it was over the course of the season that the Boucks continued to share their bond as sisters on and off the field. They fed off of each other throughout the season, and Tami helped Liz to adapt to playing at another level.

    "At first I took the whole thing too seriously," Liz said. "I would get too uptight before games and Tami helped me to relax. She makes me laugh."

    Tami might have made Liz laugh at first, but it was evident at the midway point of the season that Liz’s play was no laughing matter. She was a defensive threat and her bunting ability earned her C-USA Hitter of the Week honors.

    "She’s come so far since the beginning of the year," Tami said. "I feel like she’s going to get a hit at every at-bat."

    Tami’s senior season was solid. She was second on the team with seven home runs and second on the team with a slugging percentage of .469. On senior weekend, Tami hit her fifth and sixth home runs of the year, and her father Glenn was able to catch both of them in left field.

    "I’ve been watching her play for 14 years and I’ve seen Tami hit home runs at each level," Glenn Bouck said. "I had never been in the position to catch one of her home runs before, and it was nice that it happened right at the end."

    The first time Glenn Bouck instinctively threw the ball back to the UAB outfielders but was thinking later that he should have kept that ball. Luckily he was given a second chance the next day.

    "I kept that second ball," Glenn Bouck said.

    The sister-sister connection is left aside when game time rolls around. At this point, Tami and Liz focus on the task at hand.

    "I don’t really notice it when we’re playing," Tami said. "She’s just the shortstop at that time. But I can tell when she’s going to do well and when things aren’t going to be so good."

    "I wish that she would let me know," Lenti said of Tami’s ability to predict the level of her sister’s play.

    Tami Bouck has seen two WCWS. In 1999 it was a monumental accomplishment, and in 2000 it was the start of a tradition. Tami introduced her sister to the tradition this season, and now leaves her sister with the legacy. Liz hopes to carry the Bouck name into more WCWSs in the future.