Another chance for St. Francis
Two years ago St. Francis fell just short of winning its first state championship in baseball.
The Spartans return to Joliet's Silver Cross Field this weekend to make amends.
The Spartans (26-9) - after rolling through regional, sectional and supersectional games by a combined score of 56-2 - continue their quest for the Class 3A title with a 10 a.m. Friday semifinal game against Nazareth (31-8).
The winner advances to Saturday's final to face Friday's winner between Morgan Park and Highland as both St. Francis and the Roadrunners vie for their first title.
"Our motivation since March 1 has been to win a state title," said Spartans coach Nick Hall. "They're fired up to do it."
The schools have some memorable history with each other. Nazareth knocked out St. Francis in the 2011 supersectional, and last football season the Roadrunners beat St. Francis 56-28 in the semifinals en route to winning the Class 6A championship.
The main motivation for St. Francis, though, comes from the runner-up finish two years ago after a 5-0 loss to Joliet Catholic in the title game. Seniors Jason Sullivan, Jake Radel and Nick Dama were all starters on that historic team as sophomores.
Together, they aim to take history to another level.
"I think it helps a lot that some of us have been there before," Radel said. "We play so loose and free. It starts with our pitching and defense, and it makes our offense more confident."
At the plate, in the field and on the mound, Sullivan is the Spartans' clear leader. In addition to batting .432 with 4 homers and 32 RBI, he's 11-1 with a 0.80 ERA and 93 strikeouts.
"We're going to go in more experienced and not as nervous," Sullivan said. "We just need to communicate to the other guys how to handle the pressure."
After pitching in the Spartans' sectional final and supersectional victories, Sullivan's expected to take the mound again against Nazareth. Carson Bartels pitched for the Roadrunners in Monday's 7-2 win over Wauconda, but they also have Donald Kelly ready to go.
The Roadrunners have a potent lineup to match their 1-2 pitching punch. Shane Gipson, Ryan Kramer and Matt Flach have combined for 13 home runs, while Bartels, Brandon Bossard, Kyle Kane and Joe Muscolino join that trio with at least 20 RBI.
Coming from the fiercely competitive East Suburban Catholic Conference, Nazareth will present the toughest test of the season for St. Francis. The Spartans, however, have won eight straight games and 20 of their last 22.
Averaging more than 10 runs a game in the playoffs, St. Francis is as hot as any team still alive.
"They've just worked so hard," Hall said. "They're starting to realize how good they are."
While Nazareth's lineup is potent, St. Francis boasts similar power. Catcher Brett Whelton is batting .438 with 4 home runs and a DuPage County-leading 44 RBI. Radel and Mike Beach also have 30-plus RBI on a team with an impressive .353 cumulative batting average.
Just as important, the Spartans have committed only 1 error in the playoffs behind Sullivan and fellow starting pitcher Theo Lamperis, who was the winning pitcher against Plano and Rock Falls and takes a 1.59 ERA into the weekend.
It's a powerhouse matchup, and the winner will be heavily favored to win Saturday's title game regardless of who comes out of the other semifinal. To a player, everyone on St. Francis' roster will be ready to do whatever it takes to take home that first-place trophy.
"There's something special about this group," Dama said. "We got a taste of it two years ago, and this time we're going to take care of business."
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