American Legion preview capsules

Arlington

Coach: Lloyd Meyer (56th year)

Last year: 27-11, Cook County runner-up

Players: Phil Kerber (P), John Coen (2B-P), Brendan King (P-1B-OF), Matt Hendricks (SS-P), Jack Mullenix (P), Kurt Donner (P), Jeremy Salzman (P-OF), Kyle Kapka (C), Steve Pollakov (C), Ed Gerdes (IF-OF-C), Jake Knauss (3B), Andrew Van Wazer (1B), Ryan Nisbet (OF), Thomas Kelly (SS), Mike Toljanic (OF), Kyle Krzeski (IF), Chris Varilek (OF), Pat McGinn (C)

Outlook: Arlington has pitching depth and some solid additions from Buffalo Grove as a result of boundary changes to make its traditional postseason impact. "I think we're pretty deep in pitching but I don't know if we have any real aces to shut people out," Meyer said. "We're young but we have some pretty good players." Coen, who is going to UIC as a position player, King and Mullenix are back. The big additions are the Illinois Wesleyan-bound Kerber, a lefty who won nine games to lead Notre Dame to a regional title, and the Carthage-bound Salzman, who was BG's best pitcher. "They've all beaten good teams and pitched well," Meyer said. "They're the kind of pitchers where we need to play good defense and if we do that we should be all right." Meyer has been impressed with the early impact from Hendricks, who will be a junior at Rolling Meadows. The Stetson-bound Kelly and Knauss should be solid on the left side, the Lewis-bound Kapka has improved at catcher, Gerdes is versatile with a solid bat and Toljanic returns after not playing last summer. And even though Miles Osei and Peter Bonahoom are not playing and focusing on football, the BG additions of Pollakov, Salzman, Nisbet and Van Wazer will help offensively. "Hopefully by the end of the summer we'll be all right," Meyer said. "It all gets down to pitching and how good those kids can be."

Barrington

Coach: Pat Wire (second year)

Last year: 18-11, 10th District and Second Division champion

Players: Brendon Schumacher (P-1B), David Alameda (2B), Paul Rathman (C), Jim Cook (SS-2B), Derek Foderaro (OF), Greg Gerrard (P), Sean Buchholz (P), Jackson Lundmark (P), Chris Rogers (P), Tyler Tureck (P), Anthony Brignola (OF), Max Redpath (C), Logan Kissack (P-DH-1B), John O'Connell (OF), Chris Coco (IF-OF)

Outlook: Wire knows the traditional target is back on Barrington after it ended 12-year district and division title droughts to make the state tourney. "We have a solid foundation that hopefully we can build on from last year," Wire said. "We all know how magical it was last year for us. We got there with hard work and ultimately our million-dollar word will be hustle." Pitching also figures to be a strength again with the returns of Schumacher, who redshirted this spring at Augustana, Lundmark, Tureck and Rogers, who saved Barrington's first 2 wins but could also start. Wire hopes Buchholz could return by the end of the month from late-season arm trouble this spring. "If he gets healthy we'll probably be really dangerous," Wire said. "We know what he can do." But there is plenty of depth with Gerard, who was on the roster last year and didn't pitch but had an impressive start with 9 strikeouts in 52/3 innings against Waukegan. The addition of Kissack is also a big boost. He hit .440 with 5 homers as a Dundee-Crown junior but didn't play as a senior or as an Elmhurst College freshman to focus on football. Brignola is also out after not playing last summer and has a solid bat and glove to help make up for losing the middle of the order of Chris Holke, Johnny Day and Bryan Grabowski. "I like our lineup," Wire said. "If it comes down to pitching and defense I do think we'll be OK and we'll stay in games if we get timely hitting." Alameda, Cook and Coco add to Barrington's strength up the middle for a beefed-up schedule in what figures to be a rugged 10th District schedule. "It's an absolute dogfight," Wire said. "In my first year I realized how competitive it is. When we went on to the division (tournament) it helped us to play those teams."

Elk Grove

Coach: Brian Mucha (fifth year)

Last year: 26-13, Cook County champion

Players: Andy Keehn (P), Julian Sipiora (P-C), Adam Lenoci (P), Donny Duschinsky (3B-P), Tim Massat (1B-P), Andrew Bertagna (SS-P), Ben Wertel (P), Tyler Ford (P-1B), Ryan Hayes (P), Ryan Daubenspeck (C), Ryan Martinski (SS), Dave Geller (2B), Connor McHugh (OF), Joe Dombek (OF), Kevin Gannon (OF), Blake Cavins (OF-IF)

Outlook: Mucha wasn't kidding when he said "this team is completely different" from the program's first County championship. The Southern Illinois-bound Duschinsky and Massat are the main returnees but Mucha saw some good signs on the mound in the first two games with a complete-game shutout in the opener from Keehn and strong efforts from Sipiora and submariner Lenoci in a 2-1 loss to Wilmette. "We have six to eight guys who say they can throw and we'll have to use them all," Mucha said. "Defensively we made the plays and that's why the games have been low-scoring." Dombek brings speed at the top of the lineup and McHugh had 2 hits in each of the first two games. Sipiora, Duschinsky, Massat and Gannon should provide pop in the middle of the order with Daubenspeck and Martinski making an impact when they aren't playing for the high school summer team. "We'll have to manufacture (runs) for sure," Mucha said. "We don't have the guys who could just put up 5-6 runs in an inning on doubles and homers."

Mount Prospect

Coach: Tom Krumsee (second year)

Players: Steve Danielak (P-OF), Mike Danielak (P-1B-3B), Alex Lee (SS-OF), Sean Thompson (C), Steve Sgrignoli (P-IF-OF), Dalton Farel (IF), Dan Kovac (3B-P), Dan Gierman (1B), Brian Crowell (2B), Dan Hoppel (P-OF), Ed Rodriguez (OF-P), Ian Hurley (P), Steve Zimmerman (3B-C), Ricky Cabral (P)

Outlook: The boundary change that now brings Hersey players who live in Mount Prospect has already made a difference as Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne recruit and two-time all-area pick Steve Danielak beat Northbrook 5-1. "Having him as your No. 1 pitcher is a good place to start," said Krumsee, who is a volunteer sophomore assistant at Hersey. "I know he's going to lose once in a while this summer, but I don't think he's going to lose very often." Lee and Thompson were also big parts to Hersey's powerful offense that led to a Mid-Suburban East title and Sgrignoli's versatility should lead to a lot of playing time. "With only 14 guys we're going to have to move guys around," Krumsee said. But the pitching depth should be much improved with returnees including Rodriguez, who threw a no-hitter last summer, and Hoppel, who tore a muscle in his non-throwing shoulder at Harper College but is able to play. Crowell, who is headed to Roosevelt University, returns to strengthen the defense up the middle and provide more speed with Lee and Farel. Zimmerman provides power but "all the kids know I expect every one of them to be able to bunt," Krumsee said. "I believe in bunting and hitting-and-running and whatever it takes to get it done."

Palatine

Coach: Jeff Ryder (eighth year)

Last year: 28-9, state champions, third in Great Lakes Regional

Players: Clint Terry (P-1B), Jake Llanas (P), Sean Stutzman (P-OF), Zach Demmon (1B-C), Erik Smoy (P-OF), Matt Johnsen (P), Eric Paulson (3B), Mike Schoolcraft (P), Zenon Kolakowski (OF-1B-P), Tyler Gregory (C), Kevin Ciardiello (2B), Jack Anderson (P), Zack Kolakowski (SS), Niko Douvris (3B-P), Joe Leaf (P), Clint Herdegen (C)

Outlook: Palatine's ability to prevent runs should lead to another run at a state title. "This is probably the most pitching we've ever had in my eight years," Ryder said. "We literally have 11 who can throw the ball." And throw it well led by its talented lefty trio of UIC-signee Terry, the hard-throwing Stutzman and Johnsen, who went 11-1 last summer en route to state MVP honors and redshirted this spring at Ball State. Schoolcraft made 11 appearances for UIC this spring and looked good in 3 innings against Glenview before the game was wiped out by rain. Llanas is also back and could close with Leaf and the additions of Anderson and Smoy should help. "It's a pretty good staff," Ryder said. "If we keep ourselves close in games we'll be all right." Gregory returns to lead them at catcher with the UIC-bound Zenon Kolakowski, Terry and Paulson also back from last year's team which ended a 20-year state-title drought. Ciardiello, who led Fremd in RBI this spring, will be at second base. "He's a solid defensive player and he puts the bat on the ball for you," Ryder said of Ciardiello, who didn't make the team last year because of a glut of infielders and played for Mount Prospect. Demmon is another big bat to help offset some big offensive losses.

Notes

The Cook County tournament will run July 20-24 with play-in games July 17-18. The state tournament will be hosted by Crystal Lake on July 28-Aug. 1, and the Great Lakes regional will be in Mattoon on Aug. 5-9.

This year's American Legion World Series will be Aug. 13-17 at Spokane's Avista Stadium, the home of the Texas Rangers' short-season Class A affiliate. But in 2011, the ALWS will be permanently held in Shelby, N.C., which won the bid over Bartlesville, Okla. The American Legion national commission believes a set site could help lead to stronger sponsorship opportunities, game attendance and media coverage.

• One of the best springs for weather in recent memory has not carried over so far with teams hit with numerous early postponements. "I'm frustrated," said Palatine coach Jeff Ryder, who lost six games in the first week-plus to weather. "And it's been a very untimely rain. When we don't have games it's nice and when we have games it rains." Ryder hopes the weather cooperates this weekend when his team heads to Mattoon for a rematch of last year's state title game with Belleville. The hosts also made it to state. "Then we come back and lock and load with a lot of baseball," Ryder said. "It will be almost every day." And with the Legion season starting a week later, there isn't a lot of free time to make up games. Mount Prospect coach Tom Krumsee said his team is scheduled to play every day from June 20-July 4 and Barrington coach Pat Wire said his team's only two scheduled off-days this summer are a result of Vernon Hills and Lake Villa dropping out of 10th District competition.

• Two of Wheeling's top players and seniors-to-be, outfielder Josh Matthys and pitcher Matt Hart, are playing for Northbrook.

• Cook County results, standings and schedules can be found at the Wilmette website, wilmettewaves.com, run by general manager Don Wallace.