Scouting DuPage County baseball sectionals

Here’s a look at the area teams competing for sectional titles this week:

Class 4A Romeoville sectional

Remaining teams: No. 1 Plainfield North, No. 3 Neuqua Valley, No. 5 Naperville Central, No. 10 Metea Valley.

Outlook: Three area teams are vying for the Romeoville sectional championship. Naperville Central (25-12) will play top-seeded Plainfield North in a semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Redhawks have won six of their last seven games, including a 5-1 regional final victory over No. 4 Downers Grove South. Blake Butler is 3-for-6 with 3 RBI in the postseason and ace pitcher Ian Lewandowski – with his 1.08 ERA and gaudy 72-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio – could be available for Wednesday’s game.

In the other semifinal Neuqua Valley (30-7) will be favored when it plays Upstate Eight Conference counterpart Metea Valley (18-17) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The Wildcats have won 15 consecutive games, a streak that was in doubt until Jeff Evak pounded a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 4-3 victory over Bolingbrook. Metea Valley advanced to the sectional semifinals by upsetting No. 7 Wheaton Warrenville South and No. 2 Hinsdale South but was 0-3 against Neuqua Valley during the regular season.

Advancement: The sectional semifinal winners will play for the Romeoville sectional championship at 11 a.m. Saturday in Romeoville. The winner of that game advances to a supersectional matchup against the champion of the Bloomington sectional at 4:30 p.m. Monday in Champaign.

Class 4A Schaumburg sectional

Remaining teams: No. 3 St. Charles East, No. 10 Schaumburg, No. 13 Willowbrook, No. 16 Bartlett.

Outlook: The Schaumburg sectional has been pure chaos so far – No. 1 Geneva, No. 2 St. Charles North and No. 4 Wheaton North all bowed out in regional play. Bartlett (19-19) is the highest remaining seed and will play Willowbrook (22-15) in a sectional semifinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The Warriors are in unfamiliar territory, having won their first regional title since 1973. They’ve been on fire since receiving the 13th seed, going 7-0 in what coach Vic Wisner is calling the team’s “second season.” Most of the credit belongs to starting pitchers Dave Cericola and Alex Tiberi. Cericola will get the start Thursday, but both pitchers have already tossed one-run, complete-game gems in the playoffs.

On the other side of the bracket, St. Charles East will play Schaumburg at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Advancement: The sectional semifinal winners will play for the Schaumburg sectional championship at 11 a.m. Saturday in Schaumburg. The winner of that game advances to a supersectional matchup against the champion of the McHenry sectional at 7 p.m. Monday in Rockford.

Class 3A Glenbard South sectional

Remaining teams: No. 1 Nazareth Academy, No. 2 St. Joseph, No. 4 Glenbard South, No. 6 Clemente.

Outlook: Host Glenbard South (26-10) is looking for a chance to win a sectional championship on its home field, but the Raiders have to beat top-seeded Nazareth at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday first. Glenbard South advanced through the Lake View regional, blowing out Noble Street Charter and riding a dominant four-hit shutout by ace Roger Dyrda to a 2-0 win over Montini in Saturday’s final. Nazareth has looked like the best team in the sectional, winning its first two postseason games by a combined score of 21-1. The Roadrunners boast a deep rotation and a defense capable of stifling opponents. “I think they go into games knowing that they don’t have to score a lot of runs,” Glenbard South coach Mike Riley said. Riley will start the experienced Brian Suffern against Nazareth. Dyrda — who is 9-0 when pitching in Illinois this season — is available in relief.

Something has to give when Clemente plays St. Joseph in the other semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Thursday — neither team has allowed a run in the postseason.

Advancement: The sectional semifinal winners will play for the Glenbard South sectional championship at 1 p.m. Saturday in Glen Ellyn. The winner of that game advances to a supersectional matchup against the champion of the Grayslake Central sectional at 4:30 p.m. Monday in Naperville.