Harper starting to get sweeter results

The Harper College baseball team isn't going bananas about three consecutive doubleheader splits.

But the last week has been much sweeter for the Hawks and first-year coach Steve Marchi after they started the season 2-14. They just missed a sweep of Waubonsee and had a 2-2 weekend against Triton, the No. 1 ranked Division I team in NJCAA Region IV.

"We're starting to play pretty good baseball," said Marchi, an all-conference pitcher at Palatine in 1985 who also pitched at Oakton College. "Splitting with Triton was a pretty big deal for us."

Freshman left-hander Andy Brandt (Schaumburg) threw a 5-hitter with 2 strikeouts and no walks to beat Triton.

"He had been kind of struggling up until that game," Marchi said. "We knew he had good stuff and he was lights out that game.

"It was typical Andy Brandt. He had a great changeup and had guys lunging all over the place."

The other win over Triton was 7-6 as Chris Hayworth (Elk Grove) took a shutout into the sixth and had 8 strikeouts. Harper held on with the tying run thrown out at third from right fielder Kyle Henning (Rolling Meadows), who is one of five returnees from last year and has committed to Robert Morris College.

Will Prorok (Buffalo Grove) needed only 63 pitches to throw a 1-hitter with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk in a 10-0 win in 5 innings over Waubonsee. The opener saw Harper lose a 10-3 lead going into the sixth inning and the game 11-10.

"We need to learn how to win," Marchi said of one of Harper's four losses with a lead going into the final inning. "We have to play all 21 outs. We're getting close so when the tournament starts we're where we need to be playing."

Marchi is also looking for freshman Tom Moran (Buffalo Grove) to help that push on the mound. Henning and Prorok have played key roles with their versatility on the field and in the lineup.

Center fielder Billy Smith (Prospect) has been solid in the No. 3 spot and is hitting .328 and leading the team in on-base percentage (. 468).

"He's an all-around great kid and I wish we had a team full of Billy Smiths," Marchi said. "There isn't anybody who can get a fastball by him."

Outfielder Chris Wagner (Buffalo Grove), who transferred from Western Illinois and is planning to go to Illinois State to play hockey, has also been solid defensively and is hitting .322.

But one of the biggest surprises has been a player Marchi wasn't even counting on less than three weeks before the season started.

Jake Kane (Larkin) came to Harper to play football but has filled a need at catcher because of ineligibility and injury to hit a team-high .400 with 4 homers, 3 triples and 22 RBI.

"He heard me talking to the trainer that we needed a catcher and he said, 'Coach, I played in high school,'" Marchi said. "It's crazy how things work out."

Marchi wants to bring some continuity to a program that has had a revolving door of coaches in recent years. He wants to build success from the local talent base and has a simple philosophy.

"Play the game hard," Marchi said. "It's kind of a running joke but my favorite player was (former Cubs shortstop) Shawon Dunston.

"They'll say, 'Who was Shawon Dunston,' but he played hard no matter what. I'm trying to instill that in them, too."

Staying on track: The Harper men's track team is continuing its drive toward its third straight NJCAA Division III national title.

The Hawks finished fourth out of 20 teams at the Chicagoland Outdoor Championships on Saturday. Ryan Asta (Barrington) had a big meet with wins in the hammer (179-2), discus (157-5) and shot put (53-3).

They also got third-place finishes from Michal Karwowski in the 100 meters (10.92), Fernando Castillo in the 400 (50.02) and Darius Voss in the triple jump (45-93/4). Karwowski became a national qualifier with Travis Pruitt (100), Chris Brown (200), Anthony Bavaro (400) and Chris Hoffman (10 K).

The men also won the nine-team Elmhurst College Invitational on April 4 as Asta won the shot, discus and hammer and was second in the javelin. Also finishing first were Karwowski in the 200 (22.73), Castillo in the 400 (49.77) and Voss in the triple jump (45-93/4).

For the women, Vanessa Mensie was first in the discus and hammer at Elmhurst and third in the discus Saturday. Betsy Bailey won the shot put (36-4).

Still looking for No. 1: The Harper softball team dropped to 0-14 overall and 0-6 in the N4C with two 7-0 losses at Rock Valley on Tuesday.