Tri-Cities baseball season preview
Aurora Central
Coach: Eric Fulara
Last year: 3-19
Key returners: Matt Miller, Matt Musuras, Ryan Harreld, Joe Medgysi, Kyle McGill, T. J. Ali, Matt Czerak
Top newcomers: Steven Belovich, Shawn Soris
Outlook: The Chargers didn't have a complete roster to start the season for a good reason. Five of their players — Miller, Harreld, Medgysi, Bond and Czerak – helped lead the basketball team to their first sectional title since 1991. Fulara expects those players to help his baseball team to be better. “The team this year should be a vast improved team from the year before,” Fulara said. “I think that we have an outstanding chance to win conference and do some damage in the state tournament.” A key to that improvement will come from Harreld and Miller's results on the mound. Another key pitcher, Musuras, will head behind the plate when he's not pitching. Fulara said Musuras should be “a big leader.”
Aurora Christian
Coach: Andy Zorger
Last year: 19-12
Key returners: Brent Minta (sr., C/P/OF), Austin Penn (sr., 1B), Nick Chamberlain (sr., OF), Mitch Holt (jr., P/OF), Bobby Kuntendorf (jr., LHP/OF), Jake Hanson (jr., C/P/INF), Josh Haugen (jr., SS)
Top newcomers: Todd Clapp (sr., 3B), Kenny
McCracken (jr., INF/P/OF)
Outlook: Holtz has been a big bat in the middle of the Eagles' lineup since his freshman season, and look for him to continue to mash now that he's a junior. He hit .440 with 41 RBI as a sophomore, a season that saw the Eagles go 9-6 and take third in SCC Gold. He's also projected as the No. 2 pitcher. Kuntendorf will anchor the staff after posting an 0.89 ERA with 91 strikeouts last year. Minta is the third starter and will be a middle-of-the-order hitter. “I have very high expectations for this team,” Zorger said. “We have seven starters returning, including our top four pitchers from last year. Our strengths will be our pitching and defense.” Zorger called Haugen the team's most consistent hitter in terms of driving the ball. The coach is looking for better clutch hitting up and down his lineup. “Our offense should be improved over last year, but we need to be better with runners in scoring position,” Zorger said. “We stranded too many runners in key spots last year. I look for us to challenge for the conference title and to be a favorite to win a regional and compete for a sectional.” Zorger named Immaculate Conception, St. Edward and Wheaton Academy as the biggest competition in conference.
Batavia
Coach: Matt Holm
Last year: 18-16
Key returners: Danny Seiton (jr., SS), Jay Clark (sr., C), Ben Allison (sr., P), Joe Sortino (sr., P), Michael Rutas (sr., P), Mickey Walsh (sr., P), Braden Hrack (sr., 2B), Andrew Scaccia (sr., RF)
Top newcomers: Sam Burnoski (LF), Rob Bowman (so., OF)
Outlook: Holm, 315-274 in his 19 seasons at Batavia, and the Bulldogs are coming off a remarkable close to the 2010 season. They came from six games back to tie for the final Western Sun Conference championship. While they have to replace the MVP of that team, center fielder and pitcher Tim Schofield and his .500 average, Batavia has several key players back to help make their first foray in the Upstate Eight Conference a successful one.
“This group, for the most part, has played together now for two seasons and we have some young men who will have that opportunity to show themselves,” Holm said. “In the new conference, we know that Geneva and the two St. Charles schools will be our benchmark.” Seiton and Clark both made all-conference last year. Holm likes his pitching staff dominated by seniors Allison, Sortino, Rutas and Walsh. They all saw considerable time last season. In addition to Clark defensively, Batavia should be strong up the middle with its double play combination of Seiton and Clark. Burnoski is back after an injury sidelined him in 2010, and Holm said the left fielder had a strong summer driving in runs. Bowman could step into the leadoff spot as a sophomore.
Overall, it looks like a good mix of offense and pitching, experience with some new talent also fitting in for a program with three recent conference titles and a pair of Elite Eight appearances. “We have had several very good seasons over the last few years,” Holm said. “The most successful were years where young players had grown up after three or four varsity seasons together. The process of development is exciting. I feel we are going to see some exciting baseball with the return of a seasoned team that knows what hard work can accomplish.”
Geneva
Coach: Matt Hahn
Last year: 21-14
Key returners: Chris Hipchen (sr., OF), Mike Monaghan (sr., 3B/RHP), Matt Williams (jr., SS/RHP), Brad Bernhard (sr., 1B), Jim Martin (sr., OF/C), Marcus Stierwalt (sr., P), Brett Willman (sr., DH), Kyle Bender (sr., INF/P)
Top newcomers: John Swiderski (jr., C), Jordon Touro (so., P/OF), Ryan Millan (jr, P/2B), Andy Francis (jr., OF), Eric Melin (jr., OF), Jeff Konrad (jr., P), Cal Hanson (jr., P), Matt Lamb (jr., P), Jim Corkery (jr., C)
Outlook: Hahn enters his seventh season at Geneva with a 126-78 record and 10 wins away from breaking Kevin Gannon's school record. The Vikings have played in five straight regional championship games, a feat that had been accomplished just once before playing in the Naperville Central regional title game in 2006.
Hahn has several of his big bats returning, led by Hipchen coming off a school record 13 home runs, .412 average and 39 RBI. Monaghan hit .378 with 6 home runs and 24 RBI while going 4-1 on the mound. After stepping into the starting center field job last year as a sophomore, Williams, Geneva's quarterback on the football team, will play shortstop and pitch this year after hitting .311 last season. Bernhard made the most of his starts last year hitting .393 with 5 homers and 21 RBI. “I think we have a real good team,” Hahn said. “This is a group of players that cheer for each other's success and want to do well.” Hahn said they have set goals of competing for the conference title and winning a regional championship, but most importantly, “they want to be a united group the entire season — a group that plays together.” Hahn called the move to the Upstate Eight a “challenge” but that Geneva has played many of the teams before and expects to be competitive with them.
Kaneland
Coach: Brian Aversa
Last year: 23-13
Key returners: Bobby Thorson (sr., P/1B/3B), Joe Camiliere (sr., OF), Kyle Davidson (sr., SS), Corey Landers (sr., OF)
Top newcomers: Drew French (sr., 3B/P), Brian Dixon (sr., 2B), Sam Komel (sr., P/1B), Drew Peters (jr., P)
Outlook: Kaneland's first year in the Northern Illinois Big 12 has been a boon to the trophy case with conference titles already in the books for the football and basketball programs. Can the Knights go three for three? Don't bet against them. “It would be awesome, no pressure on baseball right?,” Aversa said. “I think we have a very high caliber team. We have always been in the top three teams of the old conference and I honestly don't see it being any different this year. I think the conference is strong with two of the three conference champs from last year still in it and the second place team in state last year still in it (DeKalb).”
Camiliere is back for his third year on varsity, running down balls in center field and helping ignite the offense. Thorson is coming off a big year at the plate (.394, 11 doubles, 34 RBI, 3 home runs) and on the mound (3-2, 2.73 ERA). Aversa has added Plainfield North, New Trier, Warren, Brother Rice and Cary-Grove to a tough schedule that already includes Batavia, Marmion, Burlington Central and Glenbard South “We've really loaded our schedule up with some big boppers this year, teams that have a history of being good,” Aversa said. “It's on heck of a buzz saw to tell you the truth. I really think our strengths are our senior leadership and our success will come from our juniors stepping into some big roles when they are needed. I think we have a very balanced team and that we can be successful once we put it all together.”
Aversa said the team's goals haven't changed with the move to a new conference. “Our goals are the same as last year,” Aversa said. “We really want conference bad this year and we want to prepare for a deep postseason run. This group of guys might surprise some people. I'm not sure where we are on people's radar since DeKalb went to state last year and I'm hoping that we will fly under the radar while we clip some really good teams.”
Marmion
Coach: Dave Rakow
Last year: 22-12
Key returners: Tim Tarter (sr., P/1B), Kyle Kozak (jr., C/3B), Tyler Friel (sr., P/INF)
Top newcomers: Mitch Sterne (jr., 2B), Chris Simon (jr., P/1B/OF), Andy Young (jr., SS/P), AJ Friedman (jr., OF/P)
Outlook: Rakow's program is on a roll. The back-to-back conference champions (11-3 last year) nearly won the Class 3A DeKalb sectional too. Several key players from that team are back, led by a luxury any coach would like – a hard-throwing lefty. The UIC-bound Tarter went 6-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings last year. He also provides a big bat in the middle of the lineup with a .333 average, 25 RBI (second on team), 23 runs, a homer and 4 steals. Kozak hit .351 last year with 21 RBI and 20 runs up on varsity as a sophomore. Friel will help Tarter on the mound after going 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 36 innings
. “I think we are in a good position to make a run at another conference championship,” Rakow said. “The race for conference will probably be between Wheaton Academy, Marion Central Catholic and Marmion. Our pitching staff should be one of our strengths this season .” How well the Cadets replace five every day starters — catcher Bobby Winkel, shortstop Chris Tydd, second baseman Will Sterne, center fielder Mark Peters and left fielder Joe Wulff – will be the key to repeating as Suburban Christian champs, according to Rakow. “I am confident that we will be able to fill those positions this season, and believe that we have a strong junior class along with great senior leaders in 2011,” Rakow said.
St. Charles East
Coach: Dave Haskins
Last year: 27-12
Key returners: Wes Benjamin (sr., P), Dan Ditusa (sr., P), Jon Martini (sr., P), Ryan Shaffrey (sr., CF), Jordan Hayes (jr., 2B), Luke Rojas (sr., SS), Tony Rallo (sr., 1B), Joe Hoscheit (so., LF), Henri Desrosiers (sr., OF)
Top newcomers: Nicholas Erickson (so., 3B), Jack DelloStritto (so., OF), Jake Sheley (jr., C)
Outlook: The Saints enter 2011 on a roll, both with their appearance in last year's sectional championship game – set up by wins over Geneva in the regional finals on the Vikings' home field and then an upset over 34-5 St. Charles North in the sectional semifinals – and reaching the summer state tournament in July. With the Kansas-bound Benjamin, the Saints have the best pitcher in the area who is coming off a 13-2 season.
Gone are the middle-of-the-order hitters Johnny Erickson and Ryan O'Dell. Erickson's younger brother Nicholas will step into a starting role while Rallo, Rojas and Hoscheit provide the heart of the order. Shaffrey and Hayes also make up a new top two in Haskins' lineup. “We're expecting to compete for the conference championship and our second goal is to win five (postseason) games and get downstate,” Haskins said.
St. Charles North
Coach: Todd Genke
Last year: 34-5
Key returners: David Gow (sr., 2B), Jake Bergren (sr., OF), Jake Johansmeier (jr., 3B/P), John Munyon (sr. 1B/P), Andrew Elliot (sr., OF), John Brodner (jr., SS), Dirk Schmitt (sr., OF), Phil Warner (sr., P)
Top newcomers: Justin Wightman (sr., P), Derek Backer (sr., 1B), Matt Thomas (sr., C), Josh Loynachan (sr. P/OF), Giovanni Calabrese (sr., P)
Outlook: On one hand, graduating their top three run-producers from last year's Upstate Eight champion team has Genke saying the amount of pop in his lineup is his biggest concern. On the other, Genke said the team's speed has never been better, and that's just the type of team he likes to coach. “It's one of the faster teams we've had which helps us put pressure on defenses,” Genke said. “I like to play that way.” Gow will get the offense started from the leadoff spot. Last year's leadoff hitter Bergren, a Minnesota recruit, moves to the No. 3 hole where his power (7 home runs) can drive home more runs. The North Stars also have a couple more quality hitters returning in Brodner (.389 average last year) and Elliot (.326).
Brodner slides from second to shortstop to replace last year's All-Area captain Ryan Richardson, now at Nebraska. “He's (Brodner) a good player in his own right,” Genke said. Senior Thomas takes over behind the plate for one of those graduated RBI leaders, Matt Stevens, while Munyon will replace Mike Budka at first base, and on the days Munyon pitches Baker will play first. “He's waited his turn,”Genke said of Thomas. “I feel very good about our catching situation.” Gow at second and Johansmeier at third join Brodner in the infield. Genke has an all-senior outfield in Bergren in center flanked by Schmitt and Elliot. The strength of Genke's teams is often pitching, and the North Stars are tough 1-3 again this year led by Warner, undefeated last year, Munyon and Johansmeier. Genke also feels good about Wightman and Loynachan. “We're excited to be defending conference champs,” Genke said.
West Aurora
Coach: John Reeves
Last year: 9-24
Key returners: Stevie Acevedo (sr., OH), Omar Fernandez (sr., C), Cody Love (sr., P/3B), Richie Renner (jr., SS/3B), Ryan Schaefer (sr., 2B), Cal Wagner (sr., 1B)
Top newcomers: Adam Baumann (sr., OF), Marcus Diaz (jr., P/3B), Tommy Goulding (sr., P), Adam Lipscomb (so., SS), Alex Pope (jr., OF/3B), Austin Wyeth (sr., P)
Outlook: While not that strong record-wise last year, the Blackhawks did win three of their final four series in the DuPage Valley Conference and then were in a battle with Elk Grove in regionals before losing 3-1 on a 3-run homer in the sixth inning. They also have six starters back from that team including Love, last year's ERA leader. Reeves likes the defense he'll have behind Love and his other pitchers. “The infield should be vastly improved with experience throughout,” Reeves said. He also has a three-year varsity player in center field in Acevedo. In addition to Love, Reeves will turn to Diaz, Wyeth and Goulding to handle a majority of the innings on the mound.