D-C turns to Sawyer to take over baseball program

Dundee-Crown turned to one of its own in filling the job vacancy left by retiring baseball coach Fred Bencriscutto.

Jon Sawyer, a 2000 Dundee-Crown graduate who played for Bencriscutto, was named the new coach of the Chargers, the school announced via press release Tuesday.

"It's pretty special," Sawyer said of the appointment. "I have a great deal of pride in Dundee-Crown. I think it's a great place. Having played for Fred, having the chance to take over is pretty special to me. He's the reason I got into education in the first place, not just for the way he coached but the way he taught."

Sawyer was one of three candidates interviewed for the job, including D-C assistant coach Hank Faulkner, who also coached Sawyer in high school.

Sawyer played four seasons of college baseball at Millikin University, graduating in 2004.

He taught physical education and coached baseball in the Grayslake school district for three years, the last two at Grayslake North as an assistant varsity and underclass head coach.

Sawyer returned to his alma mater last fall as a physical education teacher and the head sophomore baseball coach.

He is also an assistant football coach at Dundee-Crown.

"I think Jon is going to be an outstanding head coach," Bencriscutto said. "I knew Jon when he was a kid and he played for us. He's always been a quality kid.

"He has all the tools necessary to be a successful head coach, not just as far as wins and losses, but as someone who can have an impact on kids and develop them as people as well as players."

Sawyer said if he has such qualities, he learned them from his former coach.

"Having my roots at D-C with Fred and Hank, there are a lot of things they ingrained in all their players that are still ingrained on me," Sawyer said. "There's a right way to do things -- play hard, treat your opponents with respect and treat the game with respect.

"The wins and losses will take care of themselves."