Coaches share formula for postseason success
Don’t get ahead of yourself.
Take it one game at a time — one inning at a time — one pitch at a time.
Continue to focus.
Pitching and defense wins championships.
By now, you’ve heard all the catch phrases and clichés.
Over the next few weeks, area high school baseball fans will get an opportunity to see if their favorite teams have what it takes to earn a trip to Joliet’s Silver Cross Field June 10-11.
Class 4A: How competitive is the Geneva regional?Three of the four teams #8212; No. 2 St. Charles East (24-10), No. 7 Geneva (20-10), and ninth-seeded Lake Park #8212; enter postseason play with at least 20 victories.And you can#146;t afford to let your guard down against the other team No. 15 Glenbard East, who just beat a Batavia team that owns wins over Geneva and no-hit a 26-win Streamwood team.#147;It#146;s a beast of a regional,#148; said Geneva coach Matt Hahn, whose team has won 20 games for the sixth time in seven years.#147;There#146;s definitely no #145;gimmes,#146;#148; added Hahn.Geneva, which faces Lake Park in its regional opener Thursday, enters postseason play having already taken two of three games from Upstate Eight Conference River Division co-champions St. Charles East and Streamwood over the past 12 days.But is there such a thing as carrying momentum from the regular season into the postseason?#147;We#146;ve had years where we went in limping and did OK,#148; said Hahn. #147;And we#146;ve had years where we went in hot and didn#146;t do so well.#147;Last year, we lost six of seven going into the tournament. We#146;ve had a little more success this year going into the playoffs.#148; Batavia coach Matt Holm knows teams can catch fire in a hurry.#147;We#146;ve done that before,#148; said Holm, whose team entered postseason play having won 10 of its last 13 games. #147;As a matter of fact, during out first Elite Eight trip (2004), we finished third in our conference.#147;Then we got on a hot streak and won the last 12 games in a row (to reach the state quarterfinals). I still remember being up here (at Elfstrom Stadium) and people asking, #145;where did you guys come from?#146;#148;Led by single-season school home run and RBI record holder Tony Rallo, St. Charles East will shoot for its second consecutive Geneva regional title.#147;We#146;ve faced good teams in Streamwood, Geneva, St. Charles North, Batavia, and St. Rita,#148; said Saints coach Dave Haskins. #147;We#146;ve been tested and the kids are confident.#148;Haskins is a firm believer in being prepared for the playoffs.#147;I think it#146;s important to see good pitching during the regular season because you#146;re going to see (number) 1s and 2s in the playoffs,#148; said Haskins, who guided Prairie Ridge to the Class 4A state title in 2008.#147;And I believe playing your best baseball at the end of the season does help.#148;The Saints possess a pair of senior left-handed aces in Wes Benjamin (Kansas) and Dan Ditusa (Seton Hall).#147;Dan pitched really well against (St. Charles) North in his last outing,#148; said Haskins. #147;And if we happen to face Geneva (Saturday), they haven#146;t seen Wes this season.#148;On the other hand, Geneva#146;s Hahn and Coach Todd Genke of third-seeded St. Charles North, which opens Willowbrook regional play Wednesday, are both faced with a little more difficult starting pitching decisions.While unbeaten John Munyon (7-0) is likely to get the call for the North Stars (24-10) Wednesday, Genke will have to decide between senior southpaws Phil Warner, Josh Loynachan, or junior right-hander Jake Johansmeier should they reach Saturday#146;s regional finals.Meanwhile, Geneva#146;s Hahn also has many options at his disposal between junior Matt Williams, senior Mike Monaghan, and sophomore Jordon Touro, among others.#147;Some years, we#146;ve had a clear-cut No. 1 like Brad Allen or Riley Perry,#148; said Hahn.What will it take to win a regional and beyond?#147;You have to play well because you#146;re going to see everybody#146;s best two pitchers,#148; said Hahn. #147;You have to do the little things to win, and when you get a break, you have to take advantage of it.#147;You need to have a little luck, too. The two years (2007, 2008) we#146;ve won regionals, the ball bounced the right way.#148;Haskins added a few more intangibles.#147;You have to eliminate the big inning,#148; said Haskins. #147;And I like to score first if possible. It sounds simple but if you score one, they have to score two.#148;Hahn feels his team may be better prepared after concluding its first season as a member of the Upstate Eight.#147;I think the main difference is that the pitching was deeper (this year),#148; said Hahn. #147;In the past, most of our conference teams had an ace but their 2s and 3s were a half-notch below the guys in this conference.#147;Take a guy like (Dan) Ditusa at St. Charles East. He#146;d be a No. 1 pitcher for a lot of teams.#148;Class 3A: Suburban Christian Conference Blue champion Marmion (17-8) opens Hampshire regional play Wednesday against Crystal Lake Central.Led by pitchers Tim Tarter, Tyler Friel, and hot-hitting catcher Kyle Kozak, the top-seeded Cadets may be on a collision course with No. 2 Burlington Central in Saturday#146;s regional finals.If that scenario sounds familiar, it would be a rematch of last year#146;s memorable sectional semifinal clash won by Marmion on center fielder Mark Peters#146; head-over-heels, game-saving catch.At Sycamore, Northern Illinois Big 12 co-champ Kaneland (19-10) faces IMSA Thursday. Sparked by versatile Bobby Thorson, the Knights could face top-seeded Sycamore Saturday for the regional title.Predicting what will take place in these elimination games is next to impossible.#147;That#146;s why I think it#146;s the greatest game,#148; said Haskins.Here#146;s one last catch phrase #8212; play ball.You can reach Craig Brueske at csb4k@hotmail.com.