North’s Ciran a true Star

Amanda Ciran is rarely one to stay still.

“She’s a great teammate,” St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin said. “She brings everybody together and puts a smile on everybody’s face.”

She was the glue that yoked together the different personalities and talented parts of a team that features seven seniors set to play softball in college. She has a will to always get better. “I’ve always believed that you can never stay the same and you always have to try to get better,” the St. Charles North senior pitcher and first baseman said.

Ciran’s 23-1 record and 1.11 earned run average underlines her credentials as the Sun-Times Player of the Year. So does the most impressive head-to-head differential with Elk Grove junior star Dani Goranson, who also assembled an impressive personal record with 17 shutouts and two no-hitters.

Last Saturday in Schaumburg, Ciran’s North Stars defeated Goranson’s Elk Grove team 3-1 and catapulted the team to its first ever Downstate appearance. “Knowing how great Elk Grove and Dani were, it was a signature win,” she said.

Ciran credits her breakthrough season to her offseason work and the support and camaraderie with her teammates. “They make me better,” she says.

“She has an incredible work ethic, one of the most impressive I’ve seen from an athlete at the high school level,” Poulin said. “She does a lot of self-analysis. She doesn’t just put the time in. She makes it worthwhile.”

After being part of a talented pitching ensemble the last three years, Ciran has elevated her game by establishing herself the No. 1. Now she relishes being the team leader. “That’s something I’ve always dreamed about,” she said, “of being the No. 1.”

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