Libertyville pays special tribute to Sternamann

The Libertyville High School baseball field, already one of the most nicely equipped in Lake County, got an upgrade last week.

But the addition of 18 large arborvitae evergreens just beyond the center-field fence is much more meaningful than just a physical improvement.

The 12- to 15-foot trees that will serve as a natural "batter's eye" will not only help the baseball team focus during at-bats, they'll also help an entire school community remember one of its biggest volunteers.

Gregg Sternamann, who was an assistant coach for the Wildcats' sophomore team last year and had held various other positions in the program on a volunteer basis, died last year after a short battle with cancer.

He was in his late 50s.

The trees, donated by Frank Mariani of Mariani Landscaping, were planted last weekend in Sternamann's honor.

"You know that movie 'Pay It Forward?' Well, Gregg Sternamann has been paying it forward for as long as I've known him," Libertyville baseball coach Jim Schurr said. "He lived in the community and he loved baseball and he was always volunteering at our camps, coaching travel teams, donating his time and efforts, helping out. Finally, I was able to also get him on our staff.

"He coached as much, if not more, than anyone else on our staff."

Schurr says that a plaque honoring Sternamann will sit out in center field next to the trees. That area will be unofficially referred to as "Sterny Way," which is also the name of a foundation set up in Sternamann's memory.

Before his death, Sternamann was working to create a charitable organization that provides baseball equipment to underprivileged youth. The Sterny Way Foundation raised more than $50,000 last summer.

"Gregg was just such a great guy and we really wanted to honor him in some way and he was in on our discussions about what to do for a batter's eye," Schurr said. "So we thought this would be a great thing to do for him."

Bruce Semersky, the father of a freshman baseball player (Alec), knew just how to get the ball rolling. He is friends with Frank Mariani and asked if Mariani would like to contribute in some way to the project.

Mariani donated all of the trees and labor.

"That is just such a great thing," Schurr said of the donation. "We are very grateful for it. It's a nice tribute to Gregg and it's really going to help our guys.

"The lay person might not know that when a batter looks past the pitcher, it helps to see a plain dark background that the ball contrasts off of. If you notice, in any major-league ballpark, there are no fans sitting directly out in center field. That's why.

"Before, we just had a street intersection and the glare of car windshields and white pavement out in centerfield. This is a really great addition to our field."

See ya: "So long, slump."

That's what the Carmel baseball team said this week, after rolling up 12 and 13 runs, respectively, in the Corsairs' last two games.

Before that, the Corsairs weren't quite so prolific, and it hurt them in the win-loss column. In the midst of their run to the East Suburban Catholic Conference title, they lost three straight games, all because they were struggling to hit the ball and score runs.

"We definitely hit a rough patch for a couple of weeks there," said Carmel coach Joe May. "We just weren't hitting the ball and it was a bit disconcerting, scary actually.

"But our objective the entire season was to heat up for the playoffs and it seems like we're on our way to doing that now. Our kids showed a lot of resiliency and they were able to get themselves out of that slump."

Carmel, which finished its conference title run with a 15-3 record and has won two of the last three ESCC championships, still boasts some pretty gaudy offensive numbers, in spite of the slump.

Chris Divarco is hitting around .500 and Alex May is at .420, while Paul Poirier, Jimmy Spagna and Derek Jordan are all between .340 and .390.

"Those five guys have been carrying us all through the season," May said. "And Nick Battalini and Mike Pudlo have also given us some good hitting. We have very good hitters. I think what happened is that we just went through your typical slump, all at the same time. But we're back to hitting the ball again and that's a good sign."

Who is it?: The IHSA state tournament is right around the corner, but Carmel coach Joe May is having a hard time filling in his lineup card for the first game.

He just can't decide who to start on the mound.

It's not that the Corsairs don't have a quality ace, it's that they have too many of them.

"We've really been pitching by committee this year," May said. "We don't necessarily have that one ace that is your go-to guy above everyone else. We have five of them. We've got a 1-A and a 1-B and a 1-C and a 1-D and a 1-E."

May says that Paul Poirier, Jimmy Spagna, Jonathan Huisel, Cale St. Clair and Daniel Mooney have been his top pitchers all year, and that Nick Battalini is also now forcing his way into the mix with some good outings down the stretch.

"What we've told the guys is that those top five guys, plus Nick, are really going to have to be ready every game," May said. "Because really, we could call on anyone at any time."

Vacation mode: Graduation at Grayslake Central was nearly two weeks ago.

Most seniors are now in full-blown summer mode: working fun jobs, hanging out at the mall or taking day trips to Great America.

That's what made the last week or two even harder for the Rams baseball team, which features 13 seniors.

Not only have they had to keep themselves available for practices and games while many of their friends are out and about, they've also had to maintain an intensity and a focus that is usually reserved for final exams.

Over the final stretch of the season, the Rams needed to win their last five games if they wanted to have any hope of taking the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title.

Heading into Thursday's game against Grayslake North, they were a perfect 4-for-4.

"I'm just really proud of our guys," Grayslake Central coach Troy Whalen said. "They've maintained a tremendous amount of discipline while all of their friends are out having fun. They've really proved to me that they like to win."

Rest period: Grayslake Central's drive for a division title required an "all-hands-on-deck" approach.

This weekend, the Rams will ease up.

"Because we knew that we had to win our last five games if we wanted to win a division title, we had some guys playing even though they weren't feeling their best," said Rams coach Troy Whalen. "We've just got some guys dinged up, typical of this point in the season. But they wanted to play through it because they knew how important every single game was to us."

Whalen says that Stefan Falbo is nursing shin splints, while both Josh DeAngelis and Mike Gentile had hand injuries. All three of them will get some much-needed rest this weekend when the Rams play back-to-back nonconference games against Mundelein and Wauconda to finish out the regular season.

Whalen is hoping that the time off will help rejuvenate the three stars for another long postseason run.

Last year, the Rams finished third in the state after going 20-15 during the regular season.

Grayslake Central entered Thursday's game at Grayslake North with a 25-7 record.

"It's going to be a lot of work again and it's going to be another tough road," Whalen said. "But I think it will help us that we've got a lot of guys on this team that went downstate with us last year and they know what it takes. It also helps that we're hosting a regional this year. We're tough to beat at home."

Grayslake Central was 15-1 at home this season.

Baby steps: With 5 wins so far this season, the Round Lake baseball team is already ahead of last year.

The Panthers won just three games in 2009, which was also coach Ed Adamson's first season.

Adamson says he's gotten some shining moments out of pitchers Josh Nicolai and Jordan Nicolai, who are twin brothers, as well as hitter Chris Rana, who has been the Panthers' most consistent offensive player in the No. 3 spot.

The one thing missing?

Consistency.

It's been a roller-coaster season for the Panthers.

"We have been playing so up and down," Adamson said. "It's like we haven't been able to put together a full game all year. We'll play a team tough for three or four innings and then give up a big inning, like we did with Lakes this year."

So what is Adamson to do?

Well, he's already making plans for a summer full of baseball and learning.

"We're going to really focus during summer ball on trying to raise our baseball IQ and trying to raise our skills," Adamson said. "We've got a lot of work to do. But we've got a lot of kids coming in who are excited about baseball."