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Hard-working Warren chugs toward impressive finish

Warren has been steaming toward a 20-win season, and had 19 wins as of Wednesday.

The Blue Devils have gotten the job done in all ways, with some solid pitching from Bradley-bound Andrew Hill, some tough defense and, as of late, explosive offense.

Over a recent three-game stretch, Warren 10-runned each opponent, including Grayslake Central and Fremd.

"Our pitching has been a strength all year and our defense has been solid, and it's been nice to see our offense really come along," Warren coach Clint Smothers said. "I attribute it to the kind of kids we have, kids who really want to get better and they're willing to put the work in to do that.

"We have kids who come early and stay late and put in extra work, and they do it when you're not looking, which is always nice. It shows in our games."

Smothers says that two of his better hitters have set the tone for the team's work ethic.

Lead-off hitter Brad Zahn and Ben Perner, who keeps moving his way up the lineup and is coming off a 5-for-6 performance in the Libertyville series, are relentless workers.

"Brad is always the first guy out to the field and he sets up for us and he's one kid you never have to worry about," Smothers said of Zahn, who went 4-for-4 in a recent game against Lake Forest and has been consistent at getting on base. "Brad gives 100 percent and he never takes the day off. He's had a great season and has been a big part of our offense."

Perner started on the bench for the Blue Devils.

He got an opportunity to start and was given the No. 9 slot in the lineup. He has since moved to No. 8 and No. 7 and hit No. 6 on Wednesday.

"He's one of those guys who just kept working to get an opportunity," Smothers said. "For the first eight to 10 games, he wasn't even starting. But he got a chance and he's been in the lineup for the last 12 to 14 games and he's been great."

Manager needed:

The Vernon Hills baseball team could probably use a new manager.

The old one moved on to bigger and better thingsā€¦like a spot on the team.

Robby Nardini, known best in Lake County as a three-point shooting basketball star, wanted to be around his old baseball buddies for his senior year.

He had played baseball when he was younger, but suffered an injury during his sophomore year and elected to stop playing so that he could heal and also spend more time on his basketball career.

Nardini wanted one more go-around with the baseball team, but knew that playing probably wasn't a great idea since he had been away from the game for so long.

"So he asked if he could be a manager and I said OK, and he was doing a really good job keeping score and doing all kinds of other stuff," Vernon Hills coach Jay Czarnecki said. "Then, one of the strangest things probably in my entire career happened."

Vernon Hills was down in numbers in its game against Antioch back in mid-April. Czarnecki was scrapping for base-runners and it occurred to him that he had one of the best athletes in the school just sitting there in his dugoutā€¦keeping score.

After the game, Czarnecki asked Nardini if he wanted to try out for a spot on the team so that he could be on call for special situations, such as pinch running.

"Robby joined the team as a runner," Czarnecki said. "But we still had him doing everything the rest of the guys were doing at practice and all of a sudden, we're doing hitting drills and Robby is looking like one of the best hitters on our team. Then we're working on catching fly balls in the outfield and he's running down everything."

Fast forward in time a bit and Vernon Hills is again short players because a few were out of town. Czarnecki decides to start Nardini, at first base. He also puts Nardini fourth in the lineup.

Nardini has been an everyday starter ever since. He plays in the outfield and at first base. He is hitting around .435 and has 4 doubles in 25 plate appearances.

"To go from a manager to this is unbelievable," Czarnecki said. "Robby just wanted to be around the team. He hadn't picked up a bat in two years.

"I think it's been nice for him. There are so many expectations on him in basketball. There's probably a lot of pressure and in baseball, there's none of that. Everyone is just so excited by anything he does because we weren't expecting it. I think he's having a lot of fun with that."

Czarnecki says the entire experience with Nardini has opened his eyes.

"Ten years ago when I was a young coach, I probably wouldn't have been open to giving an opportunity to a kid like this," Czarnecki said. "But this makes you realize that just because a kid hasn't played in a while, if he comes back, you can't really count him out."

Sophomore step-up:

After a couple of early North Suburban Prairie Division losses in which fielding errors played a big role, Vernon Hills coach Jay Czarnecki decided that a shake-up was needed.

Matt Gramins was playing well at second base on the sophomore team, so he got a shot at second base with the varsity.

That was in early April, and Gramins has been starting at second base ever since.

"He's not perfect yet, of course," Czarnecki said of Gramins with a laugh. "But he's really helped us have a more consistent infield. Matt has been a really nice addition. He's had quality at-bats and he's also turning double plays."

Since Gramins arrived, the Cougars' errors in the infield have decreased dramatically.

"Matt is smart and fast and he's just working out," Czarnecki said. "Sometimes there are hiccups but we are so much better defensively."

One-run wonders:

They have been heartbreaking in the short term.

But the multiple one-run losses that have stacked up on the Wauconda baseball team this season could be helpful in the long term.

Head coach Bill Sliker is hoping that come the state tournament, his team will be thoroughly battle-tested.

"Whenever you are competitive in games and you give yourself a chance to win, you always feel good," Sliker said. "We've been right there in a lot of games."

Sliker says his team has been involved in at least six or seven one-run games. The Bulldogs have won a couple, but even the losses have been beneficial. Several have come to some of the better teams in the area.

On Wednesday, Wauconda lost a 5-4 game to surging Lakes in the bottom of the seventh. The day before, the Bulldogs beat Lakes, 1-0.

"When you're playing like that, it just gives you the feeling that you're always in it," Sliker said. "We feel that we are very competitive and that we will be (dangerous) in the tournament."

Double-figure Ks:

In a 1-0 pitching duel win over Lakes on Tuesday, Wauconda pitcher Kevin Malisheski was able to get the upper hand.

He rolled up 11 strikeouts, which is familiar territory for him. Malisheski has had several games of double-digit strikeouts this season, with a high of 13 strikeouts.

"Kevin pitched very well in that (Lakes) game," Wauconda coach Bill Sliker said. "He's pitching great in all the big games. Against Lakes, his fastball was moving, he had good velocity and he was getting his off-speed stuff over."

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