The NIU softball team hasn’t had to look far to find some homegrown talent.

Freshman June Jacobs, red-shirt freshman Lacey Gones and senior Annie Johnson all grew up a combined 55 miles away from the Huskies softball field.

“Our preference is someone who fits our program, but it’s a big benefit when the player is familiar with the area,” NIU coach Donna Martin said. “The player is just that much more comfortable.”

Gones grew up in Sycamore and said she has followed NIU softball since she was a child.

“I grew up here and when I was little, I always used to come watch all the softball games,” Gones said. “I used to come and talk to Donna [Martin] when I was 10 years old and participated in the softball camps here.”

Gones said she always was the youngest at the camps and loved how NIU players treated her and helped her along. After getting to know coach Martin, Gones said, she set her goal for wanting to play as a Huskie.

Johnson grew up in what she described as the “one-store town” of Kirkland, about 17 miles from DeKalb.

She said she never expected to come to NIU to play softball because she came from such a small town.

“Coming from a small town, you don’t really get looked at ever,” Johnson said. “I always knew I wanted to play college ball, but I never thought at some place like this.”

But after playing for Grand Rapids Community College for two seasons, Johnson decided to try to walk on at NIU.

“She really wanted to try and go to a Division I school,” Martin said. “The problem was that she broke her hand and could not try out, but we gave her a chance and we have been so happy we did.”

Jacobs, like Gones, also attended NIU camps as a kid, she said.

“I came here for an eighth-grade softball camp and ever since I wanted to come here,” Jacobs said. “It’s just so close to home, and I like the atmosphere.”

However, coach Martin will have to wait until next season to see what Jacobs can do. On the first day of practice, Jacobs tore her ACL during a drill and had to have surgery.

Martin said the girls have made a definite impression on the field.

“We pride ourselves on our work ethic,” Martin said. “These girls have grown up with a foundation for hard work, and they always seem to find a way to get things done. They never take things for granted, and that hard work just adds another aspect to the team.”

Though the girls said they do not think they work any harder, they also said they know they made the right choice in staying close to home and their families. But most of all, they said, they have found a place where they are comfortable.

“Its just nice to know that you can come from such a small town to a much bigger school like this and still fit in,” Gones said.