Class 3A state baseball preview
By John Lemon
jlemon@dailyherald.com
Class 3A state baseball preview
Kaneland (24-10) vs. Waterloo (32-3)
Time: approximately noon Friday
Where: Silver Cross Field, Joliet
How they got here: Kaneland defeated IMSA 17-0 and Sycamore 2-1 to win the Sycamore regional, they beat Marian 7-4 and Marmion 6-3 to win the Rochelle sectional, and they defeated Peoria Notre Dame 8-3 to win the Rock Island supersectional.
Waterloo defeated Belleville Althoff 3-2 and Brese Mater Dei 3-2 to win the Waterloo regional, they beat Troy Triad 12-0 and Mt. Vernon 6-4 to win the Centralia sectional and they beat Chatham Glenwood 1-0 to win the Sauget supersectional.
Scouting Kaneland: With a program record 24 wins — surpassing the 23 games the Knights won the past two years — the Knights enter their first state tournament playing their best baseball of the season. They have won 11 straight games since beating Morris on the final day of the conference season to tie for the Northern Illinois Big 12 title. Bobby Thorson will have had 5 days off since throwing the first 5 innings of Kaneland’s sectional championship win over Marmion last Saturday. He’s 6-3 with a 0.71 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 68 innings. “The regional championship was definitely the hump,” Thorson said of winning the school’s first regional title. “Guys are playing a little looser now that they have bigger games under their belt.” Thorson also leads Kaneland at the plate with a .406 average, 8 home runs and 48 RBI. Seven of those homers are to the opposite field — the one he pulled was a grand slam to beat DeKalb in the seventh inning. “Bobby does a great job hitting the pitch wherever it is thrown,” Knights coach Brian Aversa said. Other regulars in Kaneland’s attack include Kyle Davidson (.319 average, 24 runs), Corey Landers (.269, 31 runs), Joe Camiliere (.318, 43 runs), Sam Komel (.386, 2 home runs, 32 RBI), Drew French (.322, 30 runs, 23 RBI), Jake Razo (.314), Brian Dixon (.215) and catcher Tyler Heinle (.167). Other pitchers to watch this weekend are supersectional winner Drew Peters (4-1, 3.15 ERA) and Davidson (3-1, 2.42 ERA). French and Komel also pitched a lot during the regular season but the Knights have been riding Thorson, Peters and Davidson in the playoffs.
Scouting Waterloo: The Bulldogs, coached by Mark Vogel, have only lost three games, and two of those were by one run. They have won 14 straight games. Their star player, outfielder/pitcher Garrett Schlecht, was just selected in the ninth round by the Cubs on Tuesday with the 279th overall pick in the Major League Draft. He also has a scholarship offer to Middle Tennessee State after the left-hander hit .500 with 7 doubles, 7 home runs, 38 RBI and a .620 on-base percentage. As a pitcher he’s 5-2 with 67 strikeouts and a 3.56 ERA in 37 1/3 innings. He drove in the only run in the third inning of their 1-0 supersectional win. Alex Wittenauer (5-0, 2.70 ERA) and Brad Dillenberger (3 saves) combined on a 2-hit shutout in that game. The Bulldogs’ ace is AJ Crutchfield who is 9-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 63 innings and ready to pitch Friday against the Knights. Waterloo catcher Lucas Wetzler picked 2 runners off first base in their supersectional win.This is their first trip to state since 1988.
Advancement: Winner plays Oak Forest (26-7) or Nazareth (34-5) at 11 a.m. Saturday
— Compiled by John Lemon