Beacon News’ three things to know

1. She’s got the power. The walkoff home run Waubonsie Valley’s Melaina Koulos hit last week to beat Naperville North was her fourth of the season. She jumped on a first pitch, even though in three previous trips, the first pitch she saw was in the dirt. She noticed the pitcher had been trying to get ahead later in the game. “She is Miss Softball,” coach Valerie Wood said of Koulos. “She just watches every little thing and has gotten very good at analyzing everything.

2. The Fab Four? Despite early offensive struggles, Kaneland last week had four players hitting over .400 in Paige Kuefler (.545), Meg Cohrs (.439), Hayley Controno (.407) and Lanie Callaghan (.400), with Cohrs leading the team at 18 RBI.

3. On the way. Seeds for Class 1A and 2A playoffs will be released Wednesday by the IHSA. Newark and Somonauk figure to get the top nods at Newark’s Regional in a four-team race that includes first-year varsity program Hinckley-Big Rock and Aurora Christian, which is again playing varsity after a one-year hiatus. Indian Creek is in the five-team field at the Serena Regional, and there are no local teams playing in 2A this season.