Lake County baseball notes: Warren splits on spring break trip

The Warren baseball team was kept busy at the recent Mountain Dew Classic in downstate Marion.

The Blue Devils went 3-3 there, playing 6 games during a 4-day span. Warren sits at 4-3 overall with wins of note against Prospect, Cary-Grove and Crystal Lake Central.

In Marion, senior Colin Dreckmann hit .316 with 3 runs scored and 5 RBI, while senior Braylan McCarthy hit .316 with a triple, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. McCarthy also pitched 5 innings and earned the win against a highly-ranked Cary-Grove squad, coach Clint Smothers noted.

Junior Braxton Goodfellow led the team with a .417 average, while adding 6 runs scored, 6 walks and 2 RBI. Sophomore Oliver Rojewski hit .357 with 2 doubles, 4 runs scored and 3 RBI, while also pitching 4 innings to earn the win against Massac County.

Seven players earned the “La Bamba” player of the game honor and made the al-tournament team: junior Connor Nissen, Dreckmann, McCarthy, senior Cooper Clark, Rojewski, junior Jameson O’Neill and sophomore Ethan Gross.

Antioch update: After starting the season 0-4, the Sequoits won 2 games in a row to move to 2-4 overall.

Coach Frank Fracek noted in those two games, Liam Haren and Andrew Olson were outstanding on the mound, earning wins against Johnsburg and Zion.

Fracek added Zach Rubin has stepped up offensively and has played well on the outfield.

“We have a really young team that is learning on the fly,” he said. “After a brutal opening weekend where we played far from our best baseball, we have been focusing on habits that we can control, which has led to better, more competitive baseball. We have a lot of new faces and are in the process of figuring out how to utilize the strengths of our entire team.”

Rubin and Alex Nielsen, Fracek noted, have been on the varsity since their freshman seasons. “Zach and Alex have been outstanding to start the year,” he said. “They have stepped up as leaders, are competitive and are driving our offense.”

Carmel Catholic update: The Corsairs went 3-3 in their first 6 games of the season.

“We’re playing a different style of baseball offensively and we are not striking out,” Carmel coach Scott Anderson said. “We still have a lot of young players getting experience.”

Sophomore Cameron Nero is hitting .700, while Jacob Pankau is hitting .412.

Grayslake Central update: The Rams are off to a 5-0 start, thanks in part to sweeping 4 Florida schools on spring break. Coach Troy Whalen pointed out 2 of those teams are in the Top 100 in their respective classes.

Central is currently being powered by Jack Velez, who is hitting .590 with 9 RBI and junior Charlie Surowiec, who is hitting .500 and has a team-high 10 runs scored. Third-year varsity first baseman Beckham Stone is hitting .390 with a team-leading 11 RBI. Through 5 games, Central has outscored its foes 69-19.

“It’s early in the year and we’ve gone a week without playing as a result of rain canceling 2 games (last week),” Whalen said. “Hopefully, Mother Nature cooperates this week and we can get the kids in game action. To be honest, we are still trying to figure out lineups and our pitching rotations and those will come as we get consistent with games and more outdoor practices.”

Whalen noted Central has shown great resilience at the plate, especially with 2 outs and driving in runs, “so that is a plus, but on the other side, we’ve given up some crooked numbers by inning and that has to stop,” he said. “Our defense needs to step up more and make a play when called on and same with our pitchers making the big pitch when needed. These are fixable situations and I am confident we will get them sorted out as the season goes along.”

Grayslake North update: The Knights (2-2) were the beneficiaries of a great pitching effort from senior Timmy Schaap in a 3-2 eight-inning loss to Prairie Ridge (North led in the seventh). Schaap went 6 innings and allowed 1 earned run.

“The team chemistry is at an all-time high,” North coach Eric Lopez said. “A lot of the guys are bought in and this is the best chemistry we have had in my tenure here. It really has me looking forward to seeing what the rest of the spring holds for us.”

Nate Wilson is hitting .500 with a .600 on-base percentage, while catcher JD Novacek is hitting .444 with a triple and 3 RBI. Wilson, Lopez noted, is also a reliable third starter on the mound/solid option out of the bullpen.

Libertyville update: The Wildcats (5-2-1) scored a key 3-0 win over McHenry in a rematch of last year’s Class 4A state-championship game.

Chase Lockwood threw a complete-game shutout against McHenry (7 innings, 5 hits, 6 strikeouts, 1 walks). Brady Buenik threw a 4-inning complete-game no-hitter against Glenbrook South where he struck out seven and walked three.

Matthew Hara and Braden Tolzien each had 3 hits against Glenbrook South with Tolzien also recording a triple and 5 RBI.

“I really like how we bounced back after we lost 2 games to really good teams out in Arizona,” Wildcats coach Matt Thompson said. “We are getting better as we continue to play.”

Thompson said Tolzien, Ryan Wilberding and Trevor Wallace are tearing it up at the plate. Wilberding has 3 homers and 13 RBI, while Tolzien is hitting .556 with 10 hits and 18 at-bats, including a pair of triples.

Mundelein update: The Mustangs (2-4) recorded a recent 12-7 win over No. 10-ranked (by Prep Baseball Report) McHenry. Sophomore Maddox Solum went 3-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI sacrifice fly against McHenry.

“They never quit,” Mundelein coach Randy Lerner said of his team. “Regardless of the score, they are playing for each other and always competing. There is a great energy within the team.”

Senior Ryan Wolverton is hitting .526 with 10 hits and 8 RBI, while Solum is hitting .381 with 8 hits (1 double and 2 homers).

Stevenson update: New coach Chris D’Amato’s squad is off to a 7-2 start, that included a 6-1 effort down in Florida over spring break.

Ryan Harris recently went 4-for-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI against Chicago Von Steuben.

“Our consistency on defense has been a strength for us through our 9 games thus far,” D’Amato said.

Frank Costabile is hitting .600 with a homer and 11 RBI, while Harris is hitting .478 with a homer and 10 RBI.

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars got out to a 3-1-1 start that included a 17-2 win over Woodstock and going to a 3-3 tie with Lakes. Connor Brockway went 3-for-4 with 2 homers and 6 RBI in the Woodstock triumph.

Vernon Hills coach Pasquale Atteo said team chemistry, pitching depth and strong senior leaders have contributed to the strong start.

In addition to Brockway’s play at first and catcher and at the plate, Atteo also has been high on the efforts of shortstop Devin Ratajczyk. “Both seniors leaders are capable of changing a game and inning with a spark,” he explained. “Both have a high ceiling and are hitting their stride heading into conference play in a few weeks.”