Stevenson's college-bound pitching trio will frustrate many
When my kids were younger, they often watched a cartoon called "Dora the Explorer." If you have a TV, you've probably heard of it.
As Dora and her pet monkey Boots travel the world on various adventures, they are often hounded by a sneaky fox named Swiper, who is out to foil their plans.
Of course, it is Swiper who ends up being foiled over and over again by Dora and Boots. And in frustration, Swiper always cries out, "Ohhhhh, man."
I was reminded of my days of watching Swiper while listening to a story that Stevenson pitcher Scott Firth told me on Monday. It's perhaps the first piece of evidence that plenty of teams will have "Swiper Moments" this season when they face off against the Patriots.
"We were about to play Waukegan last week and this kid from Waukegan came up to me and was like, 'Are you pitching today?'" Firth said. "I said, 'No, (Brad) Sorkin is.' And he was like, 'Oh, man. We're still in trouble.'"
Yep, as in foiled again.
But that's just the half of it. Literally.
When it comes to the Patriots, opponents could be foiled again and again and again and again.
That's what happens when there are four Division I pitchers on your roster.
A break from the hard-throwing Firth, the consensus ace on the team and a Clemson signee, is really no break at all. Then comes the 6-foot-3 Sorkin, a tall, heady pitcher who inked a scholarship with Illinois State.
Next up is deceptive lefty Matt Robin, who's already signed on with Division I Ohio University.
And if that weren't enough, the Patriots' lethal rotation also includes junior Kyle Ruchim for good measure. He recently committed to Northwestern.
Ohhhhh, man!
"Every team we play is going to come in knowing that they're going to face a top-level pitcher every single game," said Firth, whose hardest fastball has been clocked at 93 mph. He throws between 88 and 91 consistently.
"No one is going to face us on an 'off-day,'" Firth said. "It's a rare thing to have that. That's why I think we have the chance to have a special year."
Of course, Stevenson, a gold standard in Lake County high school baseball, has had many special years. But even by Stevenson standards, four Division I players is a load.
The Patriots have never had this many at the same time.
The fact that they're all on the pitching staff just adds to team's aura and has many other coaches in the area pegging Stevenson as the team to beat in the North Suburban Conference, if not in all of Lake County. After all, good pitching will win out almost every time in high school baseball.
"It's a pretty unique situation," Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said. "Something like this doesn't happen very often. It's got us pretty excited around here."
Prior to this week's Spring Break schedule, the Patriots jumped out to a 2-0 start thanks to Sorkin's win over Waukegan and a Firth victory over Cary-Grove in which he struck out 10 batters.
It's exactly the kind of start the Patriots were expecting in a season that will, well, be full of plenty of expectations.
"Our mentality is just being focused," Robin said. "The expectations are there and it would be easy to look ahead. But we're going game by game. We're really not getting caught up in looking too far into the future."
Fair enough. But how about looking back at the past?
Interestingly, the three seniors at the top of Stevenson's pitching heap go way back.
All Buffalo Grove residents, Firth, Sorkin and Robin have been friends, teammates and sometimes even rivals since they were 5 years old and playing in their in-house T-ball leagues.
They moved up the ranks together and they say their dads all coached, too.
"I'm still skinny, but I look back at some of those old (youth baseball) pictures and man, I was really skinny," Sorkin laughed. "We had a lot of fun back then."
None of them could have ever imagined that more than a decade later each would be Division I bound, living out what was certainly one of their wildest dreams - even at that age.
"It's weird how far we've come," Robin said.
And they're still going, too.
As if wrapping up college scholarships wasn't enough, now the three pitchers have pro scouts coming to see them at just about every game. At Firth's start against Cary-Grove, there were at least 10 scouts on hand.
"There aren't many people who have pro scouts at their games," Firth said. "We're so lucky to have this opportunity."
"It's really cool," Sorkin added. "It's everyone's dream to play pro ball."
For now, though, Firth, Sorkin and Robin are committed to working on some more immediate dreams: winning a conference title, advancing downstate, winning a state title.
They feel they've got a shot if they and their teammates stay grounded.
"Every team we face is going to want to beat us this year. There's pressure there and we're not immune to it," Firth said. "But if we take it one step at a time, I think we'll be fine.
"We definitely have the talent on this team. Our offense is coming along great. We even have some really good pitchers coming out of the bullpen."
More good pitchers?
Ohhhhh, man!
pbabcock@dailyherald.com