Palatine legion team set to open regional tourney

A couple of losses in the Cook County American Legion baseball tournament didn't finish the summer for Palatine.

The Blue Jays got a second chance since they received the host team berth in the state tournament. This time they finished off games they didn't a week earlier en route to their first state title since 1989.

Palatine (25-8) hopes those lessons continue to pay dividends when it opens play today in the eight-team Great Lakes Regional in Appleton, Wis. It will play the final game of the day at about 8 p.m. against host Appleton (23-12).

"During the County tournament we didn't put people away in the later innings," said state tourney MVP Matt Johnsen. "In the state tourney we did, and that ended up being huge. Everyone kept focused for a full 9 innings."

Now the focus is the double-elimination tourney, which runs through Monday. Palatine would play around 8 p.m. Friday if it wins its opener or at 1 p.m. if it loses against Pennsylvania runner-up Nor-Gwyn (25-15) or Minnesota runner-up Rochester (34-11).

They play the second game today. Michigan champion Midland (44-7) and Ohio champ Sandusky (27-12) play at 10 a.m. and Wisconsin champ Wausau (35-10) and Indiana champ Hammond (24-5) play at 5 p.m.

The championship team advances to the national tourney Aug. 14-18 in Fargo, N.D.

"The biggest thing for us will be pitching," said Palatine shortstop Ryan Shober. "That's what came up and did a great job of us in this (state) tournament.

"If we go up and stay hot with the bats and play defense and get good pitching, I think we've got a great chance."

The left-handed Johnsen, who won twice in the state tourney, is expected to start the opener. He had 13 strikeouts in the state opener against Mattoon and allowed only 5 earned runs in 152/3 innings.

Lefty Clint Terry would start Game 2 as he got a complete-game win and came back the next day to save the state-title clincher with 21/3 hitless innings. Illinois-Chicago recruit Mike Schoolcraft, who continues to rebound from arm trouble, didn't allow a run in the first 4 innings of a start against Belleville.

"We need our aces and with Schoolcraft getting back on track we've got a good 1-2-3," said Palatine coach Jeff Ryder.

Ryder also knows he'll need quality innings from Brett Chidester, lefty Sean Stutzman, Jake Llanas and lefty Mike Tauchman to succeed.

Everyone in the starting lineup plays or has played for Fremd. "We joke around and call ourselves the Fremd dream team," Terry said.

"It's unbelievable," joked center fielder and leadoff man Nick Addison, who redshirted as a freshman at UIC. "I've said it's like the Fremd all-star team with the best of Palatine.

"We have great character and great chemistry. That's what it's all about if you want to win a state championship."

Addison sets the table for lefties Zenon Kolakowski and the Bradley-bound Tauchman. Johnsen didn't get many chances to hit this spring at Fremd but has blossomed in the cleanup spot this summer.

Shober, who started half of the season at shortstop for Valparaiso and is transferring to UIC, and Terry are next. Third baseman Eric Paulson, second baseman Joey DePaolis and catcher Tyler Gregory round out a lineup where almost everyone can move a runner up with a bunt or get a runner in with a big hit.

"Joey D (DePaolis) is the best eight hitter in the state," Addison said of his 4 homers this summer.

Appleton hopes it won't be hurt by a two-week layoff.

"It gives our pitchers a rest," Appleton coach Dave Emmers told the Appleton Post-Crescent, "but we'd rather keep playing and stay at the top of our game."

The Blue Jays were also scheduled to listen to one of the best in the game's history - Hall of Famer Paul Molitor - speak at Wednesday's tournament banquet. They hope that's only the start of a memorable weekend in Appleton.

"It should be fun," Terry said.

Legion bits: Palatine finished 2-2 and made the final four in its other regional trip in 1989 in Danville. That team was coached by Frank Mariani and current pitching coach Bert Robins was part of the staff - Appleton reserve first baseman Jeremy Davis is the son of major-league umpire Gerry Davis, who is the tourney co-chairman - The American Legion is looking for regional hosts in 2011 and 2012 and looking for a permanent World Series host site.