Star softball pitcher dies in accident on Twombly

By Andy McMurray

A one-vehicle accident on Twombly Road Wednesday evening left a DeKalb woman dead.

Desiree Lundin, 19, was traveling west on Twombly Road in her 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix when it left the road and rolled over, said Danny Lee, DeKalb County deputy coroner.

The vehicle came to rest, on its top, in a field, Lee said. Lee pronounced Lundin dead at the scene at 6:46 p.m.

The accident is under investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the county coroner’s office, Lee said.

The section of Twombly Road where the accident occurred is paved with gravel, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.

“It appears she was just driving too fast for road conditions,” Scott said.

Investigators do not think alcohol or Wednesday’s light snow contributed to the crash, Lee said.

Lundin attended Kishwaukee College in Malta, where she was a star pitcher for the school’s softball team.

She was remembered fondly by her coach, Bill Becker.

“She was a terrific person and the type of player that every coach wants to coach,” Becker said.

This is obviously a great loss to the team and a great loss to her family, he said.

Lundin graduated from Hampshire High School last year, Becker said.

Lundin shined on and off the field, as a person and as a student-athlete.

“She was friendly, easy-going, goal-oriented, the ultimate team player,” Becker said.

Lundin earned the designation of National Fastpitch Coach’s Association All-American Scholar Athlete last year, Becker said.

“Last year, when she came into our program, we were a very young team and she stepped into a leadership position without being asked,” Becker said of the student he remembered as “top flight.”

A visitation will be held in Hampshire at Frederick’s Funeral Home in Hampshire from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, a funeral home spokesman said.