So far, so good for ECC baseball team

Longtime Elgin Community College baseball coach Bill Angelo has put together some impressive teams during his 17-year run on Spartan Drive.

So when he says he has one of his best teams ever this spring, that's worth taking notice.

"We're excited about how we've played so far," he said. "I think this could be one of the better teams we've ever had."

Through Wednesday, ECC was 16-6 overall and in first place in the Skyway Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 6-1 mark.

And there isn't one facet that Angelo can point to as the cause for the hot start. Instead, there are many.

ECC sported a .961 fielding percentage as a team through mid-week. The Spartans' starting infield of Blake Alexander (3B, Burlington Central), Josh Hauser (SS, Belivdere), Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle (2B, Streamwood) and Anthony Bragg (1B, Geneva) had committed only 10 combined errors through 22 contests.

"This is by far, as a group, the best infield I've had," said Angelo.

That stellar defense has aided a strong pitching staff that features many contributing parts. "Our pitching is very solid and deep," said Angelo. "We have a lot of quality arms that are doing what we anticipated they would do. We have a legit three, four or five guys who can go out there and give you a good, quality start. We also have a dominant back end of the bullpen. When we getahead we feel we are handing the ball off to capable hands."

Dundee-Crown product Mike Hazelhurst, who missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is 3-0 so far and hasn't allowed a run (13 strikeouts and 4 walks). South Elgin's David Palmer recently came out of the pen and earned a key win in an important conference game against Oakton. He has an 0.87 ERA in 10 innings.

Matt Starai (St. Charles East) is the team's No. 1 starter and is 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA. "Matt doesn't give up a lot of hits and he doesn't walk a lot of people," said Angelo. "It's a good combo."

Elgin product Ryan Sitter is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA, while Nick Blaha (Conant), a left-handed pitcher, has made 3 quality starts, has a 2.60 ERA and has walked only 4 batters in 17 innings. St. Charles East alum Troy Dykhuis recently fanned nine in 4 innings of work in his first start of the season.

The ECC pitching staff WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) is a rock-solid 1.16. Kevin Borst (St. Charles North) is the team's closer and has 4 saves in as many chances. He's surrendered only 2 hits in 6 innings and has 7 strikeouts.

"Kevin has been pretty effective," said Angelo.

At the plate, left-handed hitting West Aurora product D.J. Varney is hitting .450 with 4 doubles and 3 triples. Sean Dunne (St. Charles East) is hitting.385 with a pair of homers and 17 RBI, while Alexander is batting .362 with that same 2 HR/17 RBI line. Kurt Barbeau (St. Charles North) sets the table at the leadoff spot. He's hitting .338 with a .432 on-base percentage.

"These guys are focused on playing for each other," said Angelo. "They are playing selfless baseball - team baseball. We have a lot of quality kids here that are not only getting it done on the baseball field, but in the classroom."

Angelo noted this group registered a cumulative 3.02 grade-point average for the fall semester-which set a program record during Angelo's tenure.

"With 32 guys on the roster, that's not an easy thing to do," said Angelo. "I'm very proud of what they've accomplished."

ECC already has six players committed to four-year schools. That list includes Houser (Tennessee-Martin), Alexander (Dallas Baptist), Sawyer Chambers (St.Charles North, Grand Valley State), Troy Dykhuis (Grand Valley State), RyanThomas (St. Charles North, Tiffen University) and Josh Perkins (Huntley, Chicago State). Angelo said he anticipates several more commitments in the very near future.

Judson University update: ECC isn't the only college baseball team in town tearing it up this spring. Coach Rich Benjamin's Eagles squad was 24-11 through its first 35 contests.

And Judson figures to get even stronger in the near future with the return of its top two starting pitchers from injury. Ryan Perez (Westminster Christian), an ambedextrous junior pitcher, is due to return throwing from the left side April 18 (left-side triceps injury). He has been used exclusively as a right-handed closer.

"We're excited to get him back," said Benjamin. "That will give him time to build pitch count before we start the postseason."

Benjamin said Perez was clocked from the right side at 93 miles per hour in his last outing and is capable of putting up similar numbers from the left side. Perez was the MVP of the Cape Cod League All-Star Game this past summer andfinished third in the prestigious league in strikeouts. He's projected to be selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Draft in June.

"He's given himself a good opportunity," said Benjamin. "There's been talk he could go in the fourth or fifth rounds of the draft. If he's healthy and shows well here in the limited amount of innings he'll have left, he should be fine. His stock has really risen as a left-handed pitcher and he throws well from the right side. He has to be taken seriously from both sides."

Judson No. 2 starter Angel Sanchez (Waubonsee Community College) recently returned and made his first start of the season after being sidelined with a knee injury suffered last October.

"Angel was a junior college first-team all-American," said Benjamin. "He's going to help us as well. Right now we want to get our No. 1 and No. 2 the right amount of work they need heading into the postseason. Those two plus what we already have sets us up to be a good postseason team."

In Perez and Sanchez's absences, senior righty Andrew Bergmann (Glenbard North) has been a standout on the hill. He was 7-0 with a 1.12 ERA through mid-week and was averaging a strikeout an inning.

"Andrew has been tremendous," said Benjamin. "He's filled the role of being our No. 1 starter. With him, Perez and Sanchez, those three arms will match up very well in a postseason tournament."

The Eagles also are getting it done at the plate, ranking in the Top 10 in the conference in homers, doubles and slugging percentage. Judson's fielding has been top-notch as well, with the team fielding average hovering in the .965-.970 range.

"Our fielding has been pretty strong and we have a chance to be even better than that," said Benjamin.

Senior Tony Rallo (St. Charles East) belted his eighth homer of the season earlier this week for Judson, while junior Mark DeYoung (Plainfield Central) connected on his 20th double, setting a new program mark for the fastest player to get to 20 doubles. He went 3-for-3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Viterbo on Monday and had 2 hits, including a homer, in the nightcap.

St. Charles East alum Luke Rojas also has been a key cog for the Eagles at second base, as has senior catcher and California native Cameron Balough (NAIA all-American). Rojas was hitting .421 (48 hits, 19 RBI) while Balough was at .384 with 3 homers and a team-best 35 RBI.

"Luke swings the bat very well and Cameron has put up some good numbers as well," said Benjamin. "We have a lot of kids who have been very foundational for us offensively."

Judson remains in the hunt in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Eagles have 5 losses, while St. Francis and Robert Morris each have three.

"We all still have to play each other," said Benjamin. "Those top 3 or 4 teams have around 14 games left. We all control our own destinies."