Naperville Central not ready to break winning habit
It took 25 years for Naperville Central coach Bill Seiple to win his first sectional title.
Now it's becoming a habit.
The Redhawks (36-4) aim to add to the hardware this weekend beginning with a matchup against Stevenson (34-3) at 3 p.m. Friday in the Class 4A semifinals at Joliet's Silver Cross Field. A win advances Naperville Central into Saturday's title game.
"It's really something," Seiple said. "We've been on a nice run here. It's always special."
In 2006 the Redhawks won their first sectional championship since 1969 and went on to win the program's first state title. That moment sparked quite an era of success.
In the last five seasons Naperville Central has won four regional titles, three sectionals - including two straight - two supersectionals and the 2006 state title.
This season, however, has seen the peak of dominance from the Redhawks, who broke the program record for wins in a season with Monday's 3-2 win over O'Fallon in the Illinois Wesleyan supersectional.
They rolled through the DuPage Valley Conference with a 20-1 record and survived the toughest sectional in the state to get to this point.
"The whole team has played in big games, so I don't think anyone's going to be nervous," said Redhawks ace Shane Conlon, who improved to 11-0 with Monday's win and holds a 1.21 ERA. "As long as we go out and try to win each inning one at a time, we'll be in good shape."
The Redhawks graduated only two starters from last year, and Conlon's transfer from St. Rita became the perfect catalyst propelling the team this season. In addition to his pitching dominance, the Kansas State recruit also is batting .425 with 28 RBI.
Bobby Czarnowski is hitting .449 with 4 home runs and 48 RBI while center fielder Matt Cmiel, bound for the University of Illinois-Springfield, adds a .411 average with 28 RBI and 29 steals. Junior Dan Ludwig has been a co-ace with Conlon, boasting an 8-0 record with a 1.62 ERA.
A stacked returning lineup from a 25-win team features three third-year starters in third baseman Nick Linne, second baseman Matt Soria and designated hitter Marc Mantucca, who is also a key element of the pitching staff. After adding a player of Conlon's caliber, it's little wonder Naperville Central sat atop most preseason rankings.
The Redhawks have worn the target well.
"In the beginning of the season, when we were preseason No. 1, it was kind of different because everyone's gunning for us," outfielder Connor Philbin said. "We kind of liked it, but then towards the middle of the year we just played our own ball and we stopped thinking about that.
"And now we're playing the best baseball of the year," he said. "One game at a time. Next up's Stevenson and we're looking forward to it."
After an 8-0 start by the Redhawks, the Patriots handed them a 10-4 loss two days before DVC play started. Stevenson hasn't skipped a beat since, outscoring playoff opponents 44-3, including a pair of shutouts.
The Patriots lean on a pair of aces in Tyler Radtke, 9-0 with a 1.68 ERA, and Kyle Ruchim, who's 7-2 with a 1.19 ERA. Ruchim's also enjoyed a blistering year at the plate, batting .468 with 11 homers and 54 RBI.
"They pounded the ball against our young pitchers," Seiple said. "Stevenson's a terrific team, and if someone's going to beat them they're going to have to play very well. One thing about our guys, though, is they're not afraid of anything or anyone."
After beating five playoff opponents with a combined record of 125-60, including two 30-win teams, the Redhawks are battle-tested and ready for anything.
Big-game baseball - complete with even bigger wins - has become a tradition at Naperville Central.
"It's just an incredible environment playing there," said Conlon, who last season pitched St. Rita to a Class 4A semifinal win over O'Fallon at Silver Cross Field. "We're really looking forward to it, but we've got to treat it like any other game. That's what we've done all year, and it's worked pretty well for us."