Baseball notes: Libertyville off to sizzling start

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to the Libertyville baseball team’s hot start.

Opponents have been bamboozled by the Wildcats’ bats and pitchers. In the arms race, Josh Holst got off to a 2-0 start with 18 strikeouts over his first 9 1/3 innings. Chase Lockwood also was 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA in 11 2/3 innings of work. Holst is hitting .474 with 13 RBI and a .632 slugging percentage, while Oklahoma State-bound Quinn Schambow is at .452 with 6 doubles and 13 RBI, and Ryan Wilberding is at .471 with a .706 slugging percentage.

“So far, this group is playing well as a team,” said Cats coach Matt Thompson, whose team won its first 11 ballgames, including securing the Coach Bob International Invitational title and a North Suburban-opening 11-1 victory over Stevenson. “Our guys at the back end of the lineup have contributed a lot, and guys off the bench are producing in big moments.”

Antioch update: The Sequoits (5-4-1) erased an 0-3-1 start with a recent 5-game winning streak. During the team’s Missouri spring trip, Nathan Yeager led the way, hitting .727 (.833 on-base) with 8 hits, 10 runs scored, 7 walks and 6 steals.

Coach Frank Fracek noted Yeager and Mason Willis are the team leaders in many offensively categories, while Carson Young (2-0 in 3 starts, 4 runs allowed, 24 K) and Ben Clausen have been key cogs on the mound, “keeping our team in every game they pitched and giving us chances to win,” he said.

Fracek likes the competitive nature displayed thus far. “In our early season losses, we battled until the very end and put ourselves in positions to win each game,” he said. “Our recent loss to Deerfield was probably our worst overall game of the season (8 errors), but with that said, we still had opportunities to win and continued to battle back. We have seen a lot of good pitching based on our schedule.”

Carmel Catholic update: The Corsairs went 4-0 in Tennessee and also allowed no earned runs and fanned 15 (Emerson Larson 10 K and freshman Josh Ouimette 5 K). Zach Case is hitting .381 (1.054 OPS) with a homer and 7 RBI. Larson has a 1.45 ERA on the hill with 19 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings for Carmel (5-2). The Corsairs staff has a 2.28 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 40 innings.

“We admittedly started slow offensively in our first 2 games, but the offense has stepped it up the last 5 games,” Carmel coach Scott Anderson said. “We’re playing great defense to complement our pitching staff.”

Grant update: The Bulldogs (5-3, 1-0 Northern Lake County), who scored a recent 9-2 win over Palatine and a 17-2 NLCC win over Round Lake, have been boosted by the likes of Ryne Dzierzynski (5-for-8, 6 RBI in a recent 2-game sample size) and Cole Sparkman (9 K in 5 innings during a recent outing). “Our composure in close games has impressed me so far,” Grant coach Bryan Talbot said.

Grayslake Central update: Some big numbers jumping off the page for the Rams thus far: Central scored 71 runs in its first 7 games, while only allowing 10 runs. “Obviously, it’s early in the year, but this group has shown the ability in the early stages to swing it 1 through 9, which should help us from an offensive consistency standpoint,” coach Troy Whalen said.

The Rams, who went 6-1 in those first seven and bumped it to 7-1 with a 5-4 NLCC win over neighbor Grayslake North, are fueled by the likes of senior first baseman and Parkland pledge Cal Hanson, who is hitting .714 (10 for his first 14) with 5 doubles, a triple, a home run and a team-high 11 RBI. He also has sub-1.20 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 9 innings. Hanson has been on the varsity since he was a sophomore. “Cal has been off the charts,” Whalen said. “He’s making other players around him better. He has a wealth of experience.”

Senior outfielder Trevor Meathe, headed to College of Lake County, is hitting .634 with 9 runs scored and a team-high 8 base thefts. Junior first baseman Beckham Stone has 2 homers, 7 RBI and 7 runs scored while swinging it at more than a .400 clip. “We have some guys putting up some impressive offensive numbers early,” Whalen said. “It’s a long season, but some of these guys are off to a hot start.”

Chemistry also has factored into the strong start, Whalen noted. “This group seems to like each other on and off the field,” he explained. “They enjoy playing baseball and having fun. They are a relaxed group and seem to take things in stride.”

Grayslake North update: Timmy Schaap started the season for the Knights by not allowing an earned run in his first 8 2/3 innings while fanning 18 with opponents hitting .167 against him. “Timmy has been a solid arm for us,” coach Eric Lopez said.

Lopez also noted Owen Pischke was recently given an opportunity and is now hitting out of the 4-hole with a .375 average. “Owen goes up there with a great approach and looks to drive the ball,” he said.

While North has started 1-7, 0-1, Lopez likes how his team has remained steadfast in their approach.

“We have played some tough teams early to which we have been on the wrong end of some tough games,” he said. “I give this group a lot of credit because they consistently keep their head in the game, cheer one another on and maintain a great attitude.”

Lakes update: To cap off its spring break trip to Missouri, Trent Miller hit a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the sixth to help secure a 7-4 win over Webb City, a consistent top team in that state, coach Chris Hoffman mentioned.

In a 13-0 win over Harvard, Tyler McCall threw a 5-inning shutout. Lakes (4-4, 0-1 NLCC) had games against Deerfield and Belvidere North wiped by bad weather. “Overall, our group continues to work and find continuity early in the season,” Hoffman said.

Lake Zurich update: The Bears (5-3, 1-0 North Suburban after a 15-0 win over Waukegan) scored 5 runs in the top of the seventh to break a 2-2 tie with Station Camp (Tennessee), earning the win. Also in Nashville, Owen Stahl had 9 RBI in the team’s opening doubleheader, while Jackson Piggott, coming off Tommy John surgery, hit .571 with 8 hits and 6 RBI on the trip. Owen Stahl hit .625 with 10 hits and 14 RBI. “Jackson played really well and Owen continues to impress at the plate,” coach Mike Manno said. “I’m impressed with the team’s willingness to learn and grow as people, and how they get along with each other.”

Mundelein update: Even more good Lake County baseball is coming from Mundelein where the Mustangs started 8-1-1 — the NHL end of that record coming via a 0-0 draw with highly regarded McHenry. Mundy also beat Cary-Grove 5-0 and Glenbrook South 12-2. Joey Kafka allowed 2 hits, struck out 11 and walked none in 5 innings against Cary.

Coach Randy Lerner said Nick Szalony is playing solid defense and is hitting .545 with .667 on-base and .727 slugging numbers to go with 9 RBI, 9 runs scored and 7 free passes. Kafka has pitched in 5 games and is 1-1 with 1 save, a 1.14 ERA, 22 strikeouts and 1 walk in 12 1/3 innings.

“Our guys have a great energy in the clubhouse,” noted Lerner, whose team blanked Zion 8-0 in its league opener. “They are great teammates and are genuinely excited when others are finding success.”

Stevenson update: Stevenson put together a 5-game winning streak after a 5-game slide. That streak included 3 wins by a combined 5 runs, including a pair of 1-run affairs against Leeds (Alabama) and Prairie Ridge. “We are resilient, but still are not satisfied with our first third of the season,” coach Nick Skala said.

Ryan Harris is hitting .414 with 4 doubles, a triple, 3 homers and 13 RBI for the Patriots (6-6, 0-1 North Suburban). Harris and Jordan Levine have been stoppers on the mound (4-1 when they take the ball), Skala said. “And then Ryan has been our offense thus far, but others are starting to heat up.”

Vernon Hills update: Simeon Friedman had a game-ending RBI single against Hoffman Estates (3-2 win). “I like our resilience,” coach Pasquale Atteo said. “Regardless of the games, we fight and cheer each other on until the final out is made.”

Vernon Hills (3-8 after an 8-5 loss to Deerfield) has been led by Kyle Kim (.417 batting average, .500 slugging, 9 walks, 1.111 OPS) and Robert Miller (3.00 ERA, 24 K in 14 innings).

“Kyle is seeing the ball well,” Atteo said. “He sets the tone for each game. He makes consistent contact and works exceptionally hard. Robert is coming off an injury. He’s battled all year to get back into shape. He’s a true baseball kid who is competitive and hungry to win.”

Warren update: Coach Clint Smothers’ squad started a solid 6-3 (0-1 North Suburban, 5-4 loss to Lake Forest), which included a key win against a strong Crystal Lake South team over spring break.

Junior Braylan McCarthy is 2-0 on the mound with a save, a 1.17 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 12 innings. Junior Peyton Balanag is 1-1 with a 1.91 ERA and 16 strikeouts. The bats are led by sophomore Braxton Goodfellow (.400) and ninth-grader Connor Nissen (.381 overall and hot on spring break, Smothers pointed out, hitting at a .400 clip, .500 on-base, 5 RBI and a home run). Nissen also was credited with the save in the South win on the spring break junket.

Goodfellow hit .333 on the trip and had a team-high 6 RBI, while Mason Durst hit .375 and McCarthy had 5 hits, including a double, and also pitched 6 1/3 innings to get the win against South. Cooper Clark pitched a complete-game 2-hitter against Benton High, while sophomore Alex Kolcier allowed no earned runs in 6 innings to record the win against Vernon Hills.

“I’m impressed so far,” Smothers said. “The kids are very close. We have four seniors on the team, and to have our freshman and sophomore players playing so well has really helped us win some games. We are very young and our pitchers are throwing strikes, keeping us in games right now.”

Wauconda update: Coach Shawn Rudolph noted Ryan Fostiak and Jackson Murphy have been “steady balanced players and have brought competitive energy for the team to raise up to,” he said.

Fostiak (.531 batting average), Luke Sickmeir (.526) and Jackson Rudolph (.407) are off to hot starts at the plate for the Bulldogs (5-5, 1-0 Northern Lake County after a 6-1 win over Lakes).

“We have good energy and team culture whether we are up or down,” Rudolph said. “The kids keep battling and are trying to get it to the next guy. Anytime we are up to bat, we have a large chance to do some damage.”