NSC race coming down to the wire
The week started with a tie atop the North Suburban Conference with both Libertyville and Stevenson sharing the top spot.
The Patriots turned up the jets last week, going 5-0 with a pair of wins over Lake Forest and single victories over Lake Zurich, Vernon Hills and Fremd. Stevenson was 9-1 over a recent 10-game stretch. Stevenson started the week 18-6 overall.
"Our offense is clicking and our pitching is dominating," coach Nick Skala said. "Our team is putting the team first and trying to manufacture runs each inning."
During a recent span from April 15 against South Elgin through the April 29 game against Fremd, Stevenson had seven players with 16 or more at-bats hit over .400.
Colin Schmitke hit .500 during that time frame with 10 hits in 20 at-bats. He also scored 14 runs, drew 8 walks and was hit 4 times by a pitch.
JR Nelson hit .481 (13-for-27) with 3 doubles and 13 RBI, while Brandon Schultz hit .450 with 10 RBI. Lucas Morelli hit .440 with a homer and 10 RBI. Chris Iannuzzi hit .455 with 10 hits, 11 runs scored, a homer and 8 RBI. Joe Richardson hit .429 with 5 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Even more dominant was Stevenson's pitching during that 2-week period. Iannuzzi posted a 0.54 ERA in 13 innings of work, striking out 12. Richardson logged 11 innings and allowed 1 earned run. He struck out 19 and had a 0.64 ERA. Brett Gaynor pitched 10 1/3 innings and fanned 10, while posting a 1.36 ERA. Nick Rayyan pitched 6 innings, struck out seven and walked none, while posting a 0.00 ERA.
Libertyville update:
Libertyville was 11-9-2 overall and 6-2 in North Suburban play at week's start.
Jack Land is leading the Wildcats in hitting with a .414 average and has 3 doubles, 8 runs scored and 5 RBI. Quinn Schambow is hitting .391 with 8 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer and 21 RBI to go with 9 runs scored. He has a .656 slugging percentage.
On the mound, Michael Scarpelli is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA and has 44 strikeouts against only 9 walks.
"I like that our bats are starting to heat up and our guys are having more competitive at-bats," coach Matt Thompson said. "Our pitching has been consistent and has kept us in games. Michael and Jack have stepped up in a big way and Quinn makes it tough for teams to run on us."
Libertyville lost a recent tough 10-9 nonconference game to New Trier in 8 innings. Graham Goodman and Tyler DeFranco each hit 3-run homers to help rally the Wildcats in the game.
Lake Zurich update:
The Bears started the week 9-7 overall and 4-4 in North Suburban action.
In a recent intense NSC loss to Libertyville, Lucas Foley remained undefeated on the mound in a no-decision. He pitched the first 8 innings, striking out 13 and allowing only 1 earned run. Lake Zurich lost in nine.
Foley is 5-0 with 1 save and a 1.24 ERA to go with a 0.82 WHIP. Of greater note, he has 62 strikeouts against only 9 free passes.
Offensively, AJ Foley started the week hitting .448 (.552 slug), while Ryan Kondrad was hitting .438 (.646 slug). Foley was at .360 with a .440 slugging percentage, while Jonathan Fleaka was hitting .346 with a .577 slugging percentage.
"Good teams answer after being scored on," Lake Zurich coach Scott DeCaprio said in noting his team's key improvement in recent times. "Even in our losses, this team almost always responds when adversity hits. They refuse to back down."
DeCaprio noted catchers Foley and Riley O'Donnell have been key offensively this season.
Lake Zurich's pitching staff has benefited from the efforts of Zac Parsons out of the bullpen.
"Zac has come in out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations and has come through for us," DeCaprio said.
Middle infielders Fleaka and Matthew Mosquera have turned in plenty of defensive gems to bolster the Bears' defense.
Antioch update:
The Sequoits enjoyed a 2-1 run last week against Grayslake North during Northern Lake County Conference action. Antioch took the first two games of the series.
Coach Frank Fracek noted TJ Schuyler, Anthony Sacchetti and Jack Olson have been leading the offense over the last 10 days or so. Pitching contributions have come from many, but Fracek said Dylan Feldkamp has continued to take the team deep into games "and gives us a chance to win every time out," he said.
Schuyler is hitting .420 with a .521 slugging percentage (1.251 OPS), while Olson is at .393 with a .414 slugging percentage. Feldkamp started the week 5-1 with a 1.24 ERA to go with 30 strikeouts.
"I really like the balance of contributions that we are getting from all our players," Fracek said. "The guys who have been coming off the bench have been stepping up and playing their roles perfectly. Our young core of players is starting to figure it out, which is making our offense significantly better."
Fracek added Nate Yeager has played well in the outfield and is getting on base from the leadoff position, while Quade Moll and Aiden Niemczyk are also getting hot at the plate with timely hitting in big spots recently.
Grayslake Central update:
The Rams continue to roll along, starting the week 18-3 and a robust 12-0 in Northern Lake County action. The team came into the week on a school-record-setting 16-game winning streak and did not lose a contest in April after starting out March 2-3 with two of the losses coming on its spring trip to Florida.
Coach Troy Whalen pointed out the Rams have outscored opponents 199-47 and sport a .356 team batting average to go with a team ERA of 1.61.
On the offensive side, senior Jack Gerbasi continues to be a catalyst out of the leadoff spot. He has scored 38 runs already and has stolen 23 bases, both team highs. Gerbasi also leads the team in average (.480), hits (23) and home runs (2).
Fellow senior and Lindenwood University commit Chris Rogers is hitting .380 with 18 RBI, while senior Adam Fitzgerald leads Central with 22 RBI and has a .354 batting average.
Shortstop Sam Cooper has led a sound Rams defensive alignment.
"If you are going to have a lot of on-field success and results, that only happens by being great up the middle and Coop is as solid defensively at short as anyone we have had in our program and have come across playing this year," Whalen noted.
Central is tearing it up on the mound as well with the trip of Rogers, Will Schufreider and Colin Kornit each throwing 20 innings so far and each posting 4 wins.
Cam Marson, Parker Greenfield and Sammy Pirie continue to provide catching depth. Marson has thrown out five would-be baserunners this year and is hitting around .400.
"Our catching continues to be at a high level and this is saying something when you consider none of these guys got much time last year playing behind Charlie Marisca (now at Parkland Community College).
Max Woll and Fikret Durmus add to the pitching depth. Each sport 2-0 records.
Senior Garrett Guenther saw limited playing time last year and is now having a season to remember. The Central Iowa commit is hitting .375 and is third on the team in RBI with 17 and third on the team in runs scored with 16. He's also second in stolen bases with 12.
"Garrett really put in a lot of time in the offseason and its paying dividends," Whalen said. "He hits for power and his speed creates challenges when he is on the bases for other teams."
Senior Riley Policht, a team captain, has anchored third base and is hitting .343 and is second on the team in runs scored (23) and third in hits (18) after seeing limited playing time as a junior.
"Riley has been consistent since the first game of the season," Whalen said. "He's a prime example of a senior who puts himself in position when it's his time and then simply enjoys the ride."
Senior Luke Mudd was primarily a defensive replacement or baserunner as a junior, and is now hitting .343 with 3 doubles and 3 triples, while playing center field at what Whalen termed an elite level.
Warren update:
The Blue Devils are 14-5 overall and 4-4 in North Suburban action. In a recent 15-3 win over Lakes, Even Larson was the winning pitcher. Charlie Badgley was 3-for-3 with a triple, while Cole Clark was 2-for-4 with a double. Tony Font was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and Jacob Gonzalez was 1-for-2 with a double and 2 RBI.
To start the week, Badgley was hitting .453, while Adam Schilz was hitting .445 and Font was at .410. Gonzalez was hitting .360.
"We have a great group of 17 seniors," Warren coach Clint Smothers said.
Grant update:
The Bulldogs started the week 6-13 overall and 3-6 in Northern Lake County action.
Grant went 1-2 in a recent series against Wauconda (4-3 win and 2-1 and 11-6 losses) and also downed Grayslake North in another conference game 6-2.
Jake Swanson and Connor Mirocha are both hitting over .400 to lead the Bulldogs' offense, while Kyle Stigler has won his last two games he pitched.
Round Lake update:
Round Lake started the week 1-13 overall and 0-8 in Northern Lake County play. Sophomore Ryan Cabral leads the team in hitting with a .308 average and has 9 RBI, while junior Ben Bleim is 1-4 on the mound and has 33 strikeouts in 23 innings of work.
"They keep coming to the park every day with a positive attitude, continue to work hard and try to compete," Panthers coach Ed Adamson said.
Adamson noted Cabral is playing third, second and first in addition to logging innings on the mound.
Bleim is getting it done both with his pitching and hitting, Adamson added.
Lakes update:
The Eagles started the week 5-4 in Northern Lake County play and 8-9 overall.
Offensively, coach Chris Hoffmann noted leadoff hitter Jaden Jackson has been a bright spot and also leads the team in innings pitched. He's hitting .373 with 4 doubles and 3 triples and has pitched 23 innings.
Sophomore Owen Klosinski is at .426 with 8 doubles and 2 triples and also has logged 14 innings on the mound as a starter.
Spencer Kennamann, Derek Lucier, Cayden Hart, Will Hough and Mason Stiegleiter have been key offensive cogs for Lakes.
Kennamann is hitting .294 (.400 on-base percentage) with 4 doubles and has a team-leading 15 RBI. He's also logged 15 innings on the mound. Lucier is hitting .433 with a .575 on-base percentage, while Hart is at .407 with a .452 on-base percentage. Hough is hitting .333 with a .431 on-base percentage. Stiegleiter is hitting .294 with a .368 on-base percentage. He has 5 doubles and 14 RBI.
"We have shown streaks of playing really good baseball," Hoffmann said. "As of late, we have been a bit inconsistent in putting all phases of the game together and are looking to play solid baseball as we head into postseason play."
Wauconda update:
The Bulldogs started the week in second place in the Northern Lake County Conference at 7-4 (8-9-1 overall).
Recently, the Bulldogs downed Lakes (12-2), lost to Grant (4-3), beat Grant (2-1 and 11-6) and lost to Rockton Hononegah (9-6).
Colin Christensen was leading the team in hitting with a .410 batting average. Jackson Rudolph was at .395, while Zach Threde was at .381 and Joe Lenz at .378. Wauconda had 11 players hitting over .300 to start the week.
"The team is continuing to develop and get better each time we play or practice," coach Shawn Rudolph said. "We have kids who go and continue to work on their game after our practice or games are completed. How can you not like that and their work ethic?"
Rudolph noted pitching has been another notable positive with Zach Threde posting 3 wins, 25 strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA. Danny Newman has 2 wins and 32 strikeouts and a 3.40 ERA and Tyler Tylka has 2 wins and 24 strikeouts.
"We have three pitchers who are giving us a chance to win every time they get a start," he said.
Rudolph added a great team culture and a cumulative team 3.67 GPA also are items of particular note with his team this spring.
Grayslake North update:
Coach Eric Lopez's squad was 8-11 overall and 4-8 in NLCC action to start the week.
In recent games, the Knights lost to Grayslake Central 12-3, lost to Antioch 13-6 and 11-1, lost to Grant 6-2 and downed Antioch 11-2.
The Antioch win was highlighted by Kaiden Herman's complete-game effort. He allowed no earned runs and fanned five in 7 innings.
"Kaiden has been awesome on the mound this season," Lopez said. "He has really gone out and given us gutsy performances at times when the team needs a boost."
Also in that game, Jacob Donohue went 4-for-4, designated hitter Chris Soder had 2 hits and Casey Staver hit a key 3-run double that put the game out of reach.
"Casey's leadership was on display during that game," Lopez said. "He rose up to the challenge and provided that spark that we needed to end the week on a positive note."
To start the week, Donohue was leading the team in batting average at .383, while Soder was at .367. Donohue was tops in on-base percentage at .552, while Ethan Feldman was at .452.
"I am really happy how the guys bounced back against Antioch after a tough stretch Monday through Thursday," Lopez said. "We had a long talk after the conclusion of Thursday's resumed game at Grant about how the energy was lacking and we really needed someone to step up and bring that much-needed energy into the dugout. They responded well against Antioch and you can tell they were enjoying themselves, having fun and playing their game. We need to do that more consistently. We continue to take things one day at a time. We stress the importance of moving forward after a tough day and not being satisfied/complacent when things are going well."