Baseball notes: Fremd’s good start helps coach claim his 400th varsity victory

Spring break was very good to Fremd head coach Chris Piggott.

In his 24th season at the Vikings’ helm, Piggott picked up his 400th win on March 23 when Fremd beat Prairie Ridge.

“It feels good to get 400 wins,” said Piggott, a star baseball player at Stevenson High School and Creighton University.

“Getting 400 wins means I’ve been doing this for a long time, and my wife and family’s support has allowed me to do it for this long,” Piggott said. “I have been blessed to have such great kids to work with and have had amazing parental support. My coaching staff is amazing and really deserves most of the credit.”

Fremd (5-2), which won the MSL West last season, has been relying heavily on its pitching this year. The Vikings allowed just one team to score more than three runs in the first seven games. Fremd has posted three shutouts.

Will Graba (1-0, 16.2 IP, 0.84 ERA) has led the way for the Vikings while Myles Minier (1-1, 12.2 IP, 2.76 ERA), Robby Seifert (1-0, 1 save, 9 IP, 16 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA) and Declan Gallicho 2-0, 7 IP, 16 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA) have also started strong.

“We have been pitching very well up to this point,” Piggott said. “We have been pounding the zone and have an over 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.”

Barrington: The Broncos (3-2) have won their last two games, including a win over Burlington Central. In that game Will Steffens has four hits, including a double and 3 RBI. Barrington has scored 32 runs in its first five games while allowing 27.

Buffalo Grove: The Bison (4-3) began the season on fire, winning their first four games by a margin of 57-17. Buffalo Grove has dropped its last three games, including its inaugural game at its new field last Saturday where it lost to Geneva 12-0. “We started the year very hot offensively but have cooled over our last two games,” Buffalo Grove coach Bill Montemayor said. “We have a senior-dominated team. If we play consistently like we did on our spring trip, the results will work themselves out. We are very excited for the remainder of the season.” Cole Diaz (.391 BA, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 13 RBI) has led the Bison offense. Conor Fitzsimmons (1-0, 11.2 IP, 3.60 ERA, 19 strikeouts) has been the top hurler.

Conant: The Cougars (5-0-1) are off to a fabulous start, outscoring their opponents 52-15. Conant has been led offensively by Alex Martinez (1.514 OPS), Max Tutt (1.200 OPS), Andrew Miller (1.184 OPS) and Jacob Szpiganowicz (1.150 OPS). Martinez 2-0 and Lucas Olson are each 2-0, while Will Peterhansen and Mason Hopkins have yet to give up a run in six relief appearances combined. “The team has started off playing very good defense and pitching efficiently,” Conant coach Derel Fivelson said. “We only have six errors in six games and we're getting timely hitting with two outs as well.”

Elk Grove: The Grenadiers (2-4) began their season 2-1 before dropping their last three games. Isaac Santowski (.421, .542 OBP, 2 HR), Denis Rangel (.333), Kayne Tagliavia (.333, 2 HR, 2 3B), Cooper Casterton (.333 OBP) have been the hitting stars for Elk Grove. Isaac Santowski (13 IP, 2.15 ERA) and Nick Chi (7 IP, 1.00 ERA) have been the keys on the mound. “We are looking to gaining the experience and learning how to play winning baseball,” Elk Grove coach Brian Wiest said.

Hersey: The defending MSL champion Huskies (1-5) had a rough trip to Missouri, where they lost three games. They then lost at defending Class 2A champion Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin on the return home. But sophomore J.D. Farkas (1-0, 1.27 ERA, 11 IP, 17 K) may have helped turn the season around Tuesday when he no-hit Stevenson. Mike Sokan (.308), Drew Thomas (.286) and Farkas (.273) lead the offense, which has scored 14 runs. “We still have a lot to figure out,” Hersey coach Wally Brownley said. “With only three returning offensive players from last year, and less than seven varsity innings on the mound from last year, we knew we would have some questions. We're not very happy with the record, but we have seen some encouraging progress, and we will continue to work to be competitive.”

Hoffman Estates: The Hawks (3-3), who won just nine games last season, have shown signs of improvement. Hoffman Estates dropped its first two games but came back to win its next three before losing to Dundee-Crown earlier this week.

Leyden: With six returning starters, including a trio who have started all four seasons, the Eagles (2-5) beefed up their schedule to begin the season. It hasn’t paid dividends in the win column, but Leyden is hoping that will change as the season progresses.

Maine East: It is early April and the Blue Demons (3-3) have already matched their win total from last season. Maine East began this season with three wins, including a pair of in a trip to Tennessee, before losing their last two games.

Maine West: The Warriors (0-4) are off to a slow start. They have scored seven runs and been held scoreless by Notre Dame and Rolling Meadows.

Maine South: The Hawks (3-4) went to Tennessee where they played teams from Alabama, Tennessee and Florida and dropped three of four games. “Right now, we are just figuring things out,” Maine South coach Brian Lorenz said. “We blew a couple big leads down in Tennessee to some tough competition, but they were very winnable games. We are just putting the pieces together in all phases of the game to get to the point where we are playing consistent baseball games in and game out. Evan Adamczewski (.476, 8 RBI), Sean Sladky (.400, 9 runs) and Nate Cera (.400) lead the Maine South offense. Connor Griffin (1-0, 3.00 ERA) and Sam Higgins (1-0, 1.167 ERA) top the pitching staff.

Palatine: The Pirates (3-4) have won their last three games and have been playing well thanks to Joey Kurey, who has hit .429 in the three games he has played. Owen Hong is batting .375 with a triple, homer and 6 RBI. Jett Greiwe (4 IP, 0.00 ERA), Nick Salata (8 IP, 10 strikeouts, 0.80 ERA) and Brandon Ziebell have pitched very well. “We won three straight with more consistent pitching and defense,” Palatine coach Brent Carroll said. “Hitting remains an issue, but perhaps our bats will heat up as the weather improves.”

Prospect: The Knights are 2-4 after taking a trip to Southern Illinois and Southwest Missouri over spring break. Prospect has been hitting its stride offensively behind John Bazula (.478 avg., 5 RBI), Colin Fouch (.583), Michael Foley (.533), Matt Donnelly (.350, 8 RBI) and Aiden Nelson (.300, 7 RBI). “We have been swinging the bats well,” Prospect coach Christopher Hoffman said. “Defensively and on the mound, we are trying to find more consistency.”

Rolling Meadows: The Mustangs (4-0) are off and running well. “This group continues stacking days,” Rolling Meadows coach Nikolas Klebosits said. “They show up ready to work, not complacent or satisfied with where we are at. They have responded to adversity and shown resilience when needed most.” Luke Schneider (.556), Tony Romanacee (.467), Jack O’Callaghan (.462), Quinn Hextall (.500) and Joe Brigham (.308) have paced the offense, which has scored 58 runs. Schneider has thrown 9 innings and has 20 strikeouts.

St. Viator: The Lions (5-2) went to St. Petersburg, Florida, where they went 4-2, despite losing pitcher/shortstop Jonathan Tschanz to a hamstring injury on the first night. Gianlucca Pellegrino (.533, 8 RBI), Brandon Thomsen (.500, 9 walks), Tanner Beyna (.478, 4 doubles, homer, 12 RBI) and Alec Harer (.360) lead the offense for St. Viator. Frank Clary (2-0, 13 IP, 0.00 ERA) and Andrew Albritton (1-0, 0.00 ERA) top the pitching staff. “We had some young guys step up in his role and look forward to getting Tschanz back soon,” St. Viator coach Terry Beyna said.

Schaumburg: The Saxons (3-3) began the season on a tear, winning their first three games. All six of Schaumburg’s games have been slugfests, with a combined 11 runs the least amount scored in a game. The Saxons have scored 45 runs and allowed 51.

Wheeling: Fresh off a trip to Disney World, where the Wildcats (2-3) played an upgraded schedule, the hopes are that schedule will pay dividends. Zach Neukirch (.667, 1.521 OPS, 6 runs) and Dylan Baloun (.455) have paced the offense so far, while Baloun (1-1, 9 IP 3.88 ERA, 10 strikeouts) and Collin Fitzgerald (1-0, 1.40 ERA, 7 strikeouts) lead the team in pitching. “We played some great competition,” Wheeling coach Jason Wieder said. “We are hoping that facing some (Division I) arms early in the season will pay off for us when the weather allows us to play again.”