In baseball, too, Stevenson's Henry Marchese is a hit

Triple off the fence and single against Brendan Murphy, and professional baseball scouts will take notice.

Never mind that speedy Stevenson senior Henry Marchese has signed a letter of intent with the University of Iowa, where he will be a wide receiver.

What was even more impressive about Marchese's offensive performance against Mundelein on Wednesday was that the left-handed batter hit a hard-throwing lefty in the Arizona State-bound Murphy.

"I had to take school off this morning because I had eight pro teams call me about (Marchese)," Stevenson coach Pat Block said Thursday after Mundelein beat his Patriots for the second day in a row. "I couldn't get to school."

The 6-foot-4 Marchese went 2-for-3 Thursday with a pair of RBI singles. He also had 3 stolen bases in as many attempts, showing he runs crisp routes not only on the football field but on the basepaths, as well. He swiped 2 bases in Wednesday's game.

"He's better at baseball than he is at football," Block said with a smile. "Not only is he fast, but his hands through the zone are just remarkable. And his brother (identical twin Michael) is just as good (at baseball)."

So what happens if in the June draft a major league team spends a pick on Henry Marchese and tempts him with an offer to play professional baseball out of high school?

"It's sort of surreal," said Henry, who's a right-handed-throwing outfielder. "If that happens, it's great. But I got to make decisions at the right time and do whatever's best for me and my family. I'm committed to Iowa. I'm fully committed to Iowa."

Henry said his fastest 40-yard dash time is 4.48 seconds. Which Mundelein's baseball team would probably believe.

Is Henry faster than his twin brother?

"Oh yeah," Henry said. "He knows that too.

"Make sure you put that in there," he added, smiling.