UEC likely to be rough, tumble league yet again
The Upstate Eight Conference has enjoyed a decade of success at the highest level of high school baseball.
From St. Charles High School's run to the Class AA state title in the spring of 1999 through Neuqua Valley's Class AA state title in 2007 and third-place finish in 2008, the UEC has advanced six teams to the state finals in the last 10 seasons (St. Charles East in 2002 and 2004; Waubonsie Valley 2005).
The always competitive UEC should be no different this season with Neuqua Valley, St. Charles North and Waubonsie Valley among the favorites, while dark horses like Bartlett, St. Charles East, Streamwood, South Elgin and Lake Park are among the teams aiming to crack the upper echelon.
"Neuqua Valley is always tough," said first-year Larkin coach Matt Esterino. "St. Charles North has (Nebraska-bound senior pitcher Zach) Hirsch at the top of the rotation and Waubonsie Valley has a real good group of juniors coming in.
"And I think the teams at the lower end of the conference have gotten better, so it should be tough from top to bottom this year."
Neuqua Valley is led by senior left-hander Ian Krol, rated the top senior pitcher in Illinois by the Prep Baseball report. A professional prospect signed to play at the University of Arizona, Krol last season allowed 8 earned runs in 57 innings, struck out 111 and walked 21. He'll team with returning right-hander Mike McKinley (541/3 IP, 56 Ks) to form the heart of the Wildcats' rotation.
St. Charles North graduated three Division-I talents, but Hirsch returns along with inexperienced but promising senior pitchers Travis Misner and Matt Rasmussen and .400-hitting junior shortstop Ryan Richardson.
Not to be overlooked, Waubonsie Valley reached the Elite Eight in summer ball.
Here's a look at how the UEC teams from the northern Fox Valley shape up.
Bartlett: The Hawks will try to improve on last season's 18-10 finish under first-year head coach Chris Pemberton, who inherits a pitching staff led by left-handed Creighton signee Kyle King and No. 2 starter Devin Roland, both seniors. Speedy outfielder Alex VanNess, who has 9 hits in his last 9 at-bats for Bartlett (2-1), leads by example.
The Hawks's chances of challenging the top teams in the UEC will depend on their day-to-day performance on the mound. "I think we can be in the top quarter of the conference if we can pitch consistently and make plays defensively," Pemberton said. "It's only been 3 games, but I've been surprised by our bats so far."
After getting shut out in the opener against Elk Grove on Saturday, Bartlett scored 33 runs in its next 2 games against Elk Grove and Hoffman Estates.
Elgin: The Maroons hope to build a stronger team in 2009 around Tom Roth, who carried Elgin's offense in 2008 with a batting average of .315 (23-for-73), 2 doubles, 5 home runs, 19 RBI and 7 stolen bases. Third-year varsity performer Dan Schmerber gives third-year coach Dave Foerster speed in the outfield. Joining Roth in the rotation could be Casey Knaak, who Foerster said is much improved since last summer. Sophomores Lee Jackson and Javier Cárdenas are strong middle infield candidates and could be in the lineup for the April 2 opener against West Chicago as Elgin looks to improve upon its 5-23 finish of a year ago.
"We have more team speed this year, so we look to manufacture more runs with bunt plays and hit-and-runs," Foerster said. "We don't have a whole lot of power, but we run the bases well and most of these seniors gained experience last season."
Larkin: The senior class inherited by first-year coach Matt Esterino reached a supersectional in the summer before their junior season. Tough-luck pitcher Luc Geier tops the rotation along with junior Scott Harm and senior Brandon Anderson for a team that finished 13-16 overall and 11-13 in the Upstate Eight in 2008.
Juniors Ivan Bello and Jake McCleary will also see time on the hill for the Royals, who return speedy outfielder Justin Kalusa, catcher Zach Fluhler and infielder Jon Meidel.
Competing for a conference title would be nice, but the Royals will point to the postseason as their barometer for success. "It would be great to win conference," Esterino said, "but we would trade that any day for a run in the playoffs."
South Elgin: Coach Jim Kating's team is young but talented. The Storm roster features just six seniors but is infused by the arrival of a junior class that won the UEC sophomore title last year.
"We're getting to the point as a program where kids are coming to the varsity already understanding the concepts of what we want to do," Kating said. "They know bunt coverages, where to throw the ball, baserunning, playing defense and the pitchers have 2 pitches they can really control while working on a third."
Senior Drew Buddle anchors the rotation, but the Storm will miss the pitching of senior D.J. Kogut, who underwent labrum surgery in November. Key returnees include junior catcher/corner infielder Kyle Kinyon and corner outfielder Chris Ciccone. South Elgin finished 13-12 last season, when all 10 nonconference games were washed out due to bad weather.
Streamwood: The Sabres are hoping for a breakthrough season after two years of paying dues. Led by junior pitcher Mike Diebold and talented sophomore Josh Harris, who pitched in a regional game last spring, the Sabres have a solid top of the rotation to complement several returning position players.
Senior infielder Brian Brauer opened the season red hot for the Sabres (0-1-2). He already has a pair of 3-run home runs and added a grand slam against West Chicago in Wednesday's 5-5 tie through 7 innings.
Streamwood will get stronger when cleanup hitter Matt Korntved returns from a season-opening suspension to join veteran infielders Ryan Kiesel and Matt Cohen in the lineup.
"Our goal is to improve every year," said second-year coach Steve Diversey, whose team went 13-18 last season and 11-14 in the Upstate Eight. "I think we can gain a little more respect than last year, turn some heads, win the games we're supposed to and steal a couple we shouldn't.