Scouting Cook County baseball sectionals
Class 3A
Johnsburg sectional
Where: Tiger Field, 2315 Church St., Johnsburg
Today's game: St. Viator (18-18) vs. Marian Central (24-9), 4:30 p.m.
Thursday's game: Montini (17-17) vs. Grayslake Central (29-7), 4:30 p.m.
Championship: 10 a.m. Saturday.
St. Viator-Marian outlook: St. Viator proved momentum doesn't matter as it lost 10 of its last 13 heading into the postseason. But coach Mike Manno saw some positive signs in a doubleheader loss to Moline to end the regular season. "I thought our hitting finally came along and we played good defense all day," Manno said of an errorless pair of games. "The last week or so we've started to play like I thought we should be all year." Manno said senior right-hander Julian Sipiora (3-2, 2.21 ERA, 44 strikeouts in 502/3 innings) will start today as his arm feels better after some discomfort kept him off the mound last week. But the Lions also have senior lefty Brendan King (4-5, 3.62) and junior Robert Romano (8-2, 3.05, 66 Ks in 55 IP) ready against a Marian lineup led recently in the middle by Eli McGuire and Dave Parr. "We're going to pitch," Manno said. "If we pick up the ball and swing the bats we're going to be OK." Sophomore OF Jack Czeszewski (.417, 5 HR, 18 RBI), Sipiora (.415, 8 HR, 30 RBI), junior C Cory Kay (.415, 8 HR, 47 RBI) and Kevin Gannon (.318, 26 RBI) have led the Lions all year atop the lineup. David Alameda (.354), Rick Perotti (.325, 3 HR) and King (21 RBI) have been part of a fluid bottom of the order and senior Jake Mastrangeli has been hot the last two weeks. "We know we've got our hands full with the (East Suburban Catholic Conference) schedule they play," said Marian coach Gregg Wikierak, whose team won its 10th regional title, "and they're usually very talented athletes at that school." Marian also had a challenging schedule where it beat Carmel, Prairie Ridge and Rockford Boylan behind its Elmhurst College-bound duo of the right-handed Parr (10-2), who Wikierak said would start today, and lefty Dave Luczak (8-1). "They were our two pitchers at the end of last year and that made things easier (this year)," Wikierak said.
Montini-Grayslake Central outlook: Grayslake Central is back after finishing third in the state last year. The Rams graduated their top two pitchers but Southern Illinois-bound righty Matt Murphy (9-0) and senior Kevin DeRue have kept things rolling. Power-hitting first baseman and Hofstra recruit Angelo Gargano leads the offense. Veteran Montini coach Bill Leeberg has tinkered with his personnel, which includes going with pitching by committee as three combined on a 4-hitter in the regional final. Marian swept two Suburban Christian Conference games from Montini.
Advancement: The champion advances to Monday's supersectional at North Central College in Naperville against the Nazareth sectional champion.
Class 4A
Barrington sectional
Where: Kirby Smith Field
Today's game: No. 1 Stevenson (31-3) vs. No. 4 Mundelein (25-10), 4:15 p.m.
Thursday's game: No. 3 Carmel (27-8) vs. No. 2 Warren (28-9), 4:15 p.m.
Championship: 11 a.m. Saturday
Outlook: The seeds held as Lake County's big four made it through to Barrington. And Stevenson hopes this is the year it breaks through with its first state trip after falling in last year's sectional final to Barrington. "Everyone comes to play," said Stevenson senior outfielder Alex Daar. "Everyone is ready and nice and relaxed every game. We have one goal and we're there to make it happen." Stevenson lost its big trio of Division I arms from last year in Scott Firth, Brad Sorkin and Matt Robin and then lost junior lefty Jeremy Scheck to injury before the season. But Northwestern-bound SS Kyle Ruchim and junior righty Tyler Radtke (8-0) are among the pitchers who have come through for a fundamentally-sound team. "This year's team had to field the ball a third more," Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said of the strikeout drop-off from last year. "We knew going in we didn't have the strikeout guys and we'd have to be committed to the routine and we have. I wasn't sure what we were going to get from our pitching staff but I knew offensively we'd be fairly sound and defensively we'd be decent." North Suburban Lake rival Mundelein had its share of obstacles to a sixth regional title in seven years under Todd Parola but ace Ben Mahar has anchored the pitching staff. Carmel won the East Suburban Catholic Conference under first-year coach Joe May and has big power in the middle of the lineup in Northern Illinois-bound Chris DiVarco and Paul Poirier. Warren recovered after struggling late in the season as senior lefty Zach Schneider (10-2) got both regional wins and Virginia Tech-bound C Scott Heelan is a force offensively and defensively.
Advancement: The champion advances to Monday's supersectional at Rockford RiverHawks' Road Ranger Stadium against the Niles West sectional champion.