Baseball: Tri-Cities all-area team
Wes Benjamin
St. Charles East
New Saints coach Dave Haskins knew he had something special in this junior left-hander, so a 13-2 season with a sparkling 1.26 ERA didn't come as much of a surprise. "I told him I thought he'd win 10 games," Haskins said. "He's got great stuff. I know I'm biased but I think he's the best pitcher in the area." Benjamin shut out Barrington and Neuqua Valley and beat Waubonsie Valley and South Elgin. Entered in relief and beat Glenbard West in regionals, then also defeated Geneva and St. Charles North in the postseason. Fanned 112 batters and walked just 25 in 83 innings.
Johnny Erickson
St. Charles East
Setting records at tradition-rich St. Charles East takes something special, and this senior second baseman had it. Erickson smacked 21 doubles to break Mike Hoscheit's record. They key bat on 27-12 sectional finalists. He hit .500 with 3 home runs and 41 RBI. Also made the All-Area team as a junior. "He hasn't moved from the middle of lineup from Game 1 to Game 39," Saints coach Dave Haskins said. "He hits to both sides of the field." Among the memorable moments for Erickson was a walk-off home run to beat South Elgin. Going to Illinois Wesleyan.
Chris Hipchen
Geneva
The junior made an immediate impact with the Vikings, leading them in nearly every major offensive category including batting average (.412), home runs (13), runs (40) and RBI (39). Both the home run total and runs set Geneva records. Smashed three of those home runs in one game against Kaneland. "I think his ability was summed up in one at-bat when Kaneland intentionally walked him with two outs and the bases empty," Geneva coach Matt Hahn said. "A nice talent to have back to build our lineup around for next year."
Ryan O'Dell
St. Charles East
O'Dell was a force in the cleanup spot all season for the Saints, batting .443 with 19 doubles, 7 home runs and 30 RBI. Not just a slugger, O'Dell showed his all-around ability with the glove and on the bases with 14 stolen bases. Saved some of his best games for the biggest stages, including a game-winning 2-run single to win a regional championship against Geneva and a 4-for-4 game in the sectionals against St. Charles North. "He got big hits when teams pitched around (Johnny) Erickson," Saints coach Dave Haskins said. Will play at Edgewood.
Riley Perry
Geneva
Went 9-2 with a 2.53 ERA in his senior season at Geneva. Fanned 83 hitters in his 72 innings and tossed 4 shutouts. One of those shutouts came in a 1-0 regional victory against West Chicago. The Oakton-bound Perry picked up another win with 5 innings of scoreless relief against DeKalb. Leaves Geneva with the school record for career wins with 20. Two-time All-Area selection. "There are not enough words to describe the impact that Riley had," Geneva coach Matt Hahn said. "How many big wins did he come up with in his career? Always wanted the ball."
Ryan Richardson
St. Charles North
The All-Area captain and Nebraska-bound shortstop led the area with 62 hits while batting .484 with 48 runs, 15 steals, 32 RBI and 13 doubles. That's fitting since Richardson raked pretty much every day since stepping on the field as a sophomore. The two-time All-Area selection ended his three years on varsity hitting .465 with 160 hits. "He will be missed on and off the field," St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said. "Nebraska is lucky to have him."
Tim Schofield
Batavia
The only returning starter from Batavia's school-record 30-win team last year, there wasn't a more important player to this team. Flirted with Batavia's school record before ending at .500 with 59 hits in 118 at-bats. Scored 33 runs and had 16 steals. When the team needed him on the mound he won several key games to lead Batavia's charge to a repeat Western Sun title. "He's our true leader on this squad," Batavia coach Matt Holm said. "You can't get him out unless you decide you are not going to pitch to him. He hits everything hard. With his speed if you don't get the ball right away he's on first base." Will play golf in college at Waubonsee.
Jared Shurtleff
St. Charles North
The perfect pitcher - just look at his record. The senior finished 9-0, leading the North Stars in wins. Those included a clutch 3-2 complete game victory over St. Charles East when Shurtleff outdueled Saints ace Wes Benjamin. The senior also picked up the win in the North Stars' regional championship victory against York. In his 52 innings of work, Shurtleff fanned 53 hitters, allowed just 32 hits, walked 27 and finished with a 1.34 ERA.
Matt Stevens
St. Charles North
Before continuing his baseball career at Central Michigan, Stevens wrapped up his three-year North Star career by hitting .363 with 11 doubles, 3 home runs, 32 RBI and 29 runs. Threw out more than his share of runners who got a little too far off first base with his snap throws from behind the plate. "I believe he's the best catcher in the area," North Stars coach Todd Genke said.
Bobby Thorson
Kaneland
The junior third baseman emerged as a force in the middle of the Knights' lineup. He tied for the team lead with a .394 batting average. Led Kaneland with 11 doubles and 5 triples and was second with 3 home runs for a team-best .683 slugging percentage. Also walked 24 times for a .504 on-base percentage. Thorson had a fine year on the mound, going 3-2 with a 2.73 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 48 innings including a win over the sixth-ranked team in Kentucky. "Bobby established himself as leader on the team based on his actions," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said.
Jake Tickle
Kaneland
The senior delivered on the mound and at the plate for the Western Sun Conference co-champs. A 19-game hitting streak highlighted his .394 average. Tickle had 7 doubles and 3 home runs, scoring 29 times and driving home 24. He was unbeatable on the mound, going 7-0 with 1 save, that one coming in a must-win season finale at DeKalb. He finished with a 2.97 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 37 innings. "Jake had a great season this year and made a huge impact as a senior both on the mound and at the plate," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said.
Chris Tydd
Marmion
This leadoff hitter and shortstop was a catalyst on a Marmion team that won conference and regional championships in the same season for the first time. Led the area with 25 steals and 5 triples while batting .366 with 32 runs. Also made the transition from three years in center field to shortstop. "We tried it (short) and he looked real good," Marmion coach Dave Rakow said. "He did a great job as a leadoff hitter. He is probably one of the most athletic kids in the state. He has all the tools, a great arm, he can hit, a 5-tool player."
Special mention
Jake Bergren (St. Charles North, CF, jr.); Joe Camiliere (Kaneland, CF, jr.,); Jay Clark (Batavia, C, jr.); Josh Haugen (Aurora Christian, INF, so.); Mike Monaghan (Geneva, LF/P, jr.); Mark Peters (Marmion, P, sr.); Chris Richter (West Aurora, P, sr.); Luke Rojas (St. Charles East, SS, jr.); Alex Sroka (Geneva, 3B/P, sr.,); Phil Warner (St. Charles North, P, jr.); Joe Wulff (Marmion, OF, sr.).
Honorable mention
Nick Beltrano (Batavia, 3B, jr.); John Brodner (St. Charles North, 2B, so.); Steve Colombe (Kaneland, P, sr.); Brian Cornick (Geneva, 2B, sr.); Kyle Davidson (Kaneland, SS, jr.); Jack Delabar (Geneva, 1B, sr.); Andrew Elliot (St. Charles North, OF, jr.); Tyler Friel (Marmion, P, jr.); Braden Hrack (Batavia, 2B, jr.); Eddie Kane (West Aurora, P, sr.); Tommy Konrad (St. Charles East, P/OF, sr.); Bobby Kuntzendorf (Aurora Christian, P, so); Nick Leonard (Batavia, 1B, sr.); Eric Renner (Geneva, C, sr.,); Ryan Sotern (St. Charles East, SS/OF, sr.); Tim Tarter (Marmion, P, jr.)
The kids can play
Top underclassmen
John Brodner, so., St. Charles North; Mitch Holtz, so., Aurora Christian; Jake Johansmeier, so., St. Charles North; Danny Seiton, so., Batavia; Matt Williams, so., Geneva.
The winners
Conference champions
St. Charles North, Marmion, Batavia, Kaneland
Regional champions
Marmion, St. Charles East, St. Charles North
The future
Teams to watch in 2011
St. Charles North, Batavia
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<h2>Related documents</h2>
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<li><a href="/pdf/tribaseballfront10.pdf">Tri-Cities all-area team Page 1</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/tribaseballteam110.pdf">Tri-Cities all-area team Page 2</a></li>
<li><a href="/pdf/tribaseballteam210.pdf">Tri-Cities all-area team Page 3</a></li>
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