ECC baseball looks loaded again
The Elgin Community College baseball team has established a recent history of excellence.
The Spartans are the only team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) to have qualified for the World Series in each of the last 4 years.
And for the fourth year in a row, the Spartans will start the season ranked as one of the top 5 teams in the nation.
ECC, coming off a 45-11 run and a seventh-place national finish in 2007, was ranked No. 4 in this year's Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason poll.
"We definitely want to get back there (World Series)," said 11th-year ECC coach Bill Angelo, who starts the season with 338 career wins. "And we would like to win the World Series -- that would be good. That's what these guys are shooting for."
The Spartans return 10 players from last year's squad that led the nation in batting average.
Angelo welcomes back sophomore starters Trevor Rutkowsi (RF-LF-3B, Prairie Ridge), Matt Wietlispach (1B-DH, Niles Notre Dame), Bryan Mason (SS, Madison Heights, Mich.) and Josh Axelsen (1B-DH, St. Charles East).
Mason hit .400 in 90 at-bats last year. Wietlispach hit .353 with 48 RBI. Rutkowki hit .338 and had 40 RBI. Axelsen hit .383 in 47 at-bats.
South Elgin native Kyle Standridge (CF, Glenbard North) also saw time last year (.295). Jacobs product Matt Revelle sat out last year, but will battle for a starting corner infield spot.
Angelo is especially excited about his pitching staff.
Right-hander Jim Van Syckle (Shepard High School) returns. Parkland transfer Andrew Burkett (Prairie Ridge) and Rockford Boylan product Josh Downing will headline the front of the staff.
"We feel the top three guys on the mound will be very solid," said Angelo, who graduated much of his 2007 staff (which included the likes of Josh Bierman, Dave Carbonell, Rob Currie, Chris Schultz and Bryan Stanley).
"We're a lot deeper with our pitching staff than we were last year. "Our top three arms are very good. They all could be number ones. All three have a chance to get drafted. Burkett touches 92 (miles per hour) at times and pitches in that 87-90 range. Van Syckle throws in the 86-90 range and both throw real good sliders. Downing throws 84 to 86 and touches 87 and has great movement and a great breaking ball and has a good mound presence."
Burlington Central product Brad Porto, Elgin High's Rob Quick and Streamwood alum Bob Diebold will also figure into the pitching plans, as will St. Charles North grad Greg Stolzenburg and Millikin transfer Matt Nissen (LHP, Geneva).
"Our 4 through 10 guys all throw in the low-to mid 80s and pump strikes. I'm excited about our pitching staff. It's probably one of the deepest staffs we've had," Angelo said.
Catching is another area where the Spartans have an abundance of talent. Freshmen Austin Licon (Rockford Boylan), Josh Creely (Niles Notre Dame) and Larkin product Ben Vincent give Angelo many options behind the plate.
"Our catching core is very strong," said Angelo. "We've got three freshmen who all swing the bat real well. It's going to be tough to keep them all playing. They all three do a good job behind the plate and all three of them will be key guys for us."
Angelo feels ECC will also more than hold its own on the offensive end.
"I think we'll be OK offensively," said Angelo. "Last year was exceptional. I don't think we'll be that good to where we're leading the country in hitting at .371. I think we can hit somewhere in the .330 to .340 range, which is still probably one of the top 3 or 4 offensive teams that we've had. We'll take it."
Rockford Guilford alum Jordan Bigger will start at second base. Angelo is also impressed with Porto's bat. He'll play in the outfield when he's not on the mound.
Other area products include Burlington Central's Scott Holmer (P) and Josh Ehlers (IF), Larkin's Dan Shower (OF), Jacobs' Scott Swanson (P) and Crystal Lake South's Kyle Kukulski (P).
ECC has won the last three ISCC league titles (5 in the last 6 years).
"There has been a lot of turnover in the conference this year," said Angelo, whose teams have won 40 or more games in each of the last 4 years (including 54 in 2005). "Half the coaches are brand new. Oakton is solid. They will be a good team and probably will be a team we need to look out for. Oakton will be solid and we'll be solid and we'll see what everybody else brings. We've got a lot of good coaches coming into the conference."
And that conference season is part of the overall picture for the Spartans.
"We want to get better each and every day and be playing our best baseball down the stretch," said Angelo. "That's kind of cliché-ish. If we do that, we'll have a good shot at meeting expectations and getting what we want accomplished done. We'll work hard and try to make that happen."
ECC had 2 games in St. Louis cancelled earlier this month due to weather. The Spartans open play in Mesa, Ariz., March 20 against Madison Area Technical. The Spartans are slated to play 8 games in Arizona.
ECC's first home contest is slated for April 4 at 2 p.m. at Spartan Field against that same Madison Area Technical College (two 7-inning games). ECC's opens conference play 2 days earlier at Morton College in Cicero (two 7-inning games).