Northwest captains: John Coen, Clint Terry
John Coen and Clint Terry are glad they will soon be on the same side at UIC.
When they faced each other in the Class 4A regional baseball opener two weeks ago, the left-handed hitting Coen had 2 hits for Prospect off Fremd's left-handed ace.
"He was tough," Terry said of his future teammate.
So was Terry as he gave up only 2 other hits and led the Vikings to a 4-1 win.
Coen also had a close look when his future teammate threw a 3-hit shutout against hard-hitting Hersey in the Mid-Suburban League championship game.
"He's definitely tough," Coen said.
Both made life rough on opponents en route to winning Mid-Suburban League division player of the year honors - Coen in the East and Terry in the West.
That's why it wasn't tough to go with Coen and Terry as honorary co-captains of the 2010 Daily Herald All-Area Baseball Team in Cook County.
Coen got big hit after big hit all year to spark the Knights' powerful offense from the leadoff spot.
He finished at a school-record .552 with 14 doubles, 28 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
"When he has confidence on his side, look out," said Prospect coach Ross Giusti. "Offensively we set all kinds of team records and it was because of him. He sets the tone for the whole game."
Terry got big win after big win to lead Fremd to its first MSL title since 2001 and make it the only team in the league to reach a regional final.
He had a 9-4 record with a 1.86 ERA and 92 strikeouts and he allowed just 30 walks and 59 hits in 83 innings.
"When he was on the mound he was amazing," said Fremd coach Chris Piggott. "It was fun to watch him pitch. He competes. He's such a competitor."
Competitiveness helped Coen and Terry help their teams to 20-win seasons even in the areas that weren't their specialty. Coen wasn't too bad on the mound at 5-3 and Terry wasn't too bad with the bat with 4 homers and 19 RBI.
And they were rewarded for the seasons they had with Division I college scholarships that weren't in their possession back in March.
Coen was coming off shoulder surgery from an injury during his junior football season. He did return in time for baseball season but it didn't go as well as he hoped.
"It was easy to improve from last year and that kind of motivated me," Coen said.
Coen wasn't feeling any pressure since he had signed with Vernon College, a two-year school in Texas. Then UIC came in with an offer Coen couldn't refuse in late April.
"Sigining with a junior college kind of relaxed me a lot and benefitted me a lot," said Coen, who was hitting .618 and in the midst of a 23-game hitting streak when he signed with UIC. "I didn't expect the D-I thing so when it happened it was a bonus."
Terry's wait was more nerve-wracking since it didn't end until a couple of days before his spectacular MSL title-game outing. But it didn't have any adverse effect on his performance.
"There was so much stress not knowing where I was going and the season almost being over," Terry said. "But when I pitched I'd keep going as hard as I can and hopefully someone picked me up. UIC did."
Giusti and Piggott believe UIC picked up two players who will help a program continue its tradition of annually being at or near the top in the Horizon League.
The versatile Coen could play second base, third base or the outfield.
"He's a kid who loves to compete," Giusti said of one of the few players he's given the green light to on the basepaths. "He wants the ball in his hand, he wants the bat in his hand and he wants to be a difference-maker no matter what he does.
"When he has confidence on his side, look out. They have an absolute steal in him."
Terry hopes he could have a chance to pitch right away since the Flames were down to eight at the end of season. It's certainly possible if he continues the development from a thrower to a pitcher Piggott saw this year from the repeat all-area pick.
"He's such a competitor," Piggott said. "He grew up a lot for us and didn't let something bad bother him. His maturity and ability to handle adversity was a little better and he didn't let negative things affect him in a negative way."
Which is another positive sign with Coen and Terry joining a bunch of familiar MSL names and faces.
Before they get there, they could face off a few more times this summer with Terry pitching for defending state American Legion champion Palatine and Coen hitting for perennial power Arlington.
Who has the edge in that matchup is a tough call.
mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/cookbaseballfront10.pdf">Northwest suburban all-area team Page 1</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/cookbaseballteam110.pdf">Northwest suburban all-area team Page 2</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/cookbaseballteam110.pdf">Northwest suburban all-area team Page 3</a></li>
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