North Suburban Conference Prairie baseball preview

Antioch

Coach: Paul Petty (17th year)

Last season: 16-14 (10-2 NSC Prairie)

Key players graduated: P/1B Jim Fracek, 3B/2B/OF Austin Grimm

Returning players: C/3B Logan Kent, sr.; SS/2B Andy Danna, sr.; P/IF Dillon Healy, sr.; P Cody Cerbes, sr., P/OF Josh Lewis, sr., OF Cody Mathias, sr., OF Max Quinett, sr.

Newcomers: P/1B Andy Green, jr., C Chris Terzic, jr., OF/IF Brett Prather, soph., OF Cameron Jerina, jr., IF/P Zach Moser, jr., IF Kevin Smiley, jr., P Kris Nordby, jr., OF Alex Grimm, soph.; OF Al Arden, jr.

Outlook: Despite a litany of problems with suspensions and academic ineligibility, Antioch managed to finish 10-2 in the Prairie Division last season. "We had our full team for only two games last season," Antioch coach Paul Petty said. "It was unbelievable." Petty is hoping he'll get similar results, but is confident he won't have the same problems as last year. "The 16 kids I have on the team right now are just really good kids. We've got a nice group. We've also got a couple of really good leaders who kind of set the tone."-Logan Kent and Andy Danna are both seniors who have spent the last three years up on the varsity. They're the foundation of the team and will start in the outfield and at shortstop, respectively. Both hit well over .400 last season and will continue to be a tough out in the lineup-Antioch's pitching situation isn't quite as clear at the moment. Petty says that until someone establishes himself as the team's ace, pitching will probably be done by committee, with Dillon Healy, Cody Cerbes, Andy Green, Zach Moser and Chris Terzic leading the way. Healy is the Sequoits' most experienced returning pitcher. He got a handful of wins last season. Terzic is the team's starting catcher but can also pitch. When he takes the mound, Joe Gregory will start at catcher. "We don't have a ton of depth so the kids will have to wear several hats," Petty said. "It will take all 16 kids to make it happen this year."

Grant

Coach: Mike Mizwicki (5th year)

Last season: 14-18

Key players graduated: P Kyle Stroup (Boston Red Sox Minor League), C Gerik Wallsten (Eastern Illinois)

Returning players: P/OF Ryan Thorsen, sr.; 2B/LF Nate Lucas, sr.; P David Dickinson, sr.; OF Ryan Magnuson, sr.; P/3B Nick Guenter, sr.

Newcomers: SS Jimmy Cokefair, sr.; IF/P Thomas Gier, jr.; C Jeremy Wiker, jr.; P Justin Cokefair, jr.; 2B Brandon Magnuson, jr.

Outlook: There will be an interesting case study taking place at Grant this season. The Bulldogs are about to find out what kind of lineup is best _ one with two monster hitters in the middle or one with a string of reliable hitters from top to bottom. Last year at Grant, pitcher Kyle Stroup and catcher Gerik Wallsten had opposing defenses quaking in their shoes whenever they stepped to the plate. The potential for fireworks was always there. This year, the Bulldogs look much different. "We'll be much more balanced this year from 1 to 9," Grant coach Mike Mizwicki said. "We lost two guys that you're never going to replace. I mean, it was always 'Look out for those two.' We don't have those kinds of guys, but we do have a bunch of guys who can hit the ball pretty well. Which was is better? I don't know. It's like, we have more, but do we really have as much? We'll see."...On the mound, the Bulldogs will be led by three lefties: Ryan Thorsen, David Dickinson and Ryan Magnuson. Thorsen will be the ace. "Having three lefties will be unique," Mizwicki said. "Sometimes, you don't have even one lefty on your staff."

Lakes

Coach: Bill Rosencrans (1st year)

Last season: 20-18

Key players graduated: OF Andrew Highland (North Central), 2B Trey Williams, C D.J. Szuhay, SS Aaron Piekarz

Returning players: P/3B Travis Vanderwall, jr., OF Eric Lopez, sr., C Dominic Costa, sr., OF Kevin Kelly, sr.

Newcomers: P/DH D.J. Snelton, jr., 2B Wills Massie, jr., OF/1B Mark Ortman, jr.

Outlook: Considering that Lakes won a regional title last year with only a handful of seniors, new coach Bill Rosencrans knew he was walking into a pretty good situation at Lakes. But he was still worried. "You knew that the guys are just wanting to build on the success of last year, but then they've got some new guy coming in," said Rosencrans, who was a longtime assistant coach at Mundelein prior to coming to Lakes. "I was concerned about how the kids would take to new things. I was worried with how it would all stick with a new person. But since we had our very first meeting, I've been blown away with how good the kids are and how much they just want to win."...The Eagles should be able to do plenty of that this season with a group of talented hitters and a deep pitching rotation that includes three standouts: junior Travis Vanderwall, who won the regional title game as a sophomore, senior Tim Ryan, who has been on the varsity for three years, and junior D.J. Snelton, a 6-foot-5 lefty who has already been clocked at 84 miles per hour in game action. "We have some good guys in our rotation," Rosencrans said. "We've got talent there. And we've got guys like Travis and Eric Lopez and Dominic Costa who can really hit the ball, too. We've got guys who can hit up and down the lineup. If we can get better defensively, we'll be right there. I know our guys have high goals. A lot of them think we'll be even better this year, and that we've got maybe the most talented team ever at the school."

Round Lake

Coach: Ed Adamson (1st year)

Last season: 6-24

Key players graduated: P David Ershbock (Dominican University)

Returning players: P Jeff Nicoline, sr.; OF Mike Fuller, sr.; C Adam Fernandez, sr.; OF Matt Ortiz, sr.; OF Matt Douglas, sr.

Newcomers: Chris Rana, soph.; Anthony Gutierrez, fr.; Matt Baum, jr.; Wes Carlson, jr.; Dylan Havrilak, jr.

Outlook: It's been a crazy season so far at Round Lake and it's only a little more than a week old. Ed Adamson took over as interim head coach just two days ago, on Monday, for Fred Colon, who completed his first season at the helm last spring. "There were just some different issues and I was told on Monday," Adamson said. "Since then, I've been doing a lot of administrative work." Adamson, a 2001 graduate of Wheaton Warrenville South and an all-American outfielder at Wisconsin-Whitewater, which won the 2005 Division III national championship, has been working at Round Lake for the last two years as a business education teacher. He also was the assistant baseball coach last year. "The good thing is I've worked with these kids before," Adamson said. "I've seen them play and they know me. Our main goal is to get more fundamentally sound and to get better every day."-The Panthers will look to an honorable mention North Suburban Conference pick to lead the way. Shortstop and second baseman Jeff Nicoline will give some stability to the middle infield and is also one of the team's best hitters. Catcher Adam Fernandez should also be a good influence during this time of transition-On the mound, the Panthers will use a rotation that will include Nicoline, Fernandez, Matt Baum and Wes Carlson.

Wauconda

Coach: Bill Sliker (7th year)

Last season: 10-17

Key players graduated: C Jamie Carey, P Josh Hartnett, 2B Eric Johnson, SS Brad Shippee, P Adam Tagli, OF Jimmy Willimas

Returning players: P/1B Bryce Lahrman, sr.; P/1B Nick Jay, sr.; P/3B Ted Litberg, sr.; P/OF Brian Lindberg, sr.; SS Mike Mrohen, sr.; 2B Brandon Dill, sr.; P/OF Sam Theys, sr.; P Justin Boisvert, sr.

Newcomers: C Jeff Jackson, jr.; C Kevin Fessler, jr.; P/SS Eric Maki, soph.; P/1B Jeremy Wagner, soph.; SS Tommy Tyrell, jr.; 2B Mike Thomas, jr.; 2B Tyler Gick, soph.; OF Kyle Mitchell, jr.; OF Axel Madison, jr.; OF John Motley, sr.; P/3B Dan Tanzillo, jr.; P Kevin Wrightson, jr.; P/OF Drew Hylen, jr.

Outlook: When every starter is a senior that means only one thing for the following season: growing pains. The Bulldogs will likely go through a few this season as they move forward with inexperienced players who sat and watched seniors get most of the playing time last year. "We've got a lot of guys now who were basically waiting their turn last year," Wauconda coach Bill Sliker said. "At this point, we lack experience. We're going to have to gain it quickly."...The Bulldogs top non-senior pitcher from last year was Bryce Lahrman. He's already signed with Dayton. "That's neat for us. Having someone sign like that helps Wauconda baseball because that doesn't happen often here," Sliker said. "Bryce is a good-sized kid (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) and has a good, live fastball. He devoted more of his off-season to baseball and he threw a lot. We're looking forward to seeing what kind of season he'll have."...Lahrman is also Wauconda's top hitter and will likely be placed third or fourth in the lineup...Another name to watch for at Wauconda is Jeff Jackson, a junior catcher who is being touted by various recruiting services as one of the better juniors in the state.

Vernon Hills

Coach: Jay Czarnecki (8th year)

Last season: 21-14, (11-1 NSC Prairie)

Key players graduated: P Brad Schnitzer (Tampa), P Zack Schwartz (Loras), Ryan Jordan (Western Illinois)

Returning players: 2B Mark Argianas, sr.; C/OF Zack Freibrun, sr.; SS Nick Mazza, sr.; OF PJ Marsek, sr.; 1B Matt Peterson, sr.

Newcomers: P Jamie Manhard, sr.; OF Nate Moraton, sr.; P Jonny Rathod, sr.; P/3B Scott Kempel, jr.; P Joey Bloom, jr.; P Cesar Gallegos, jr.; OF Zack Kisley, jr.; P Jerami Cruzado, jr.; IF Chris Argianas, soph.; 3B/C Chris Marras, fresh.

Outlook: Success breeds success-and work ethic. At least at Vernon Hills it does. The Cougars are two-time defending Prairie Division champions and never before has Jay Czarnecki, who has been the only coach the program has ever known, seen so much effort exerted in off-season workouts. "We've always had guys work hard," Czarnecki said. "But we've had more guys work hard this off-season. We've got guys who know what it takes to get to the top and that gets passed down. And now, the guys here expect to win. That's invaluable."...One of those guys who knows what it takes is senior Nick Mazza, who is a three-year starter for the Cougars. He's been a jack-of-all-trades over the years, doing everything from pitching to playing shortstop. But after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season, he'll play mostly shortstop to save his arm from the rigors of pitching. "We didn't think we'd have Nick at all this season," Czarnecki said. "So to have him back at shortstop...we're just really happy with that."...Starting with Mazza, Vernon Hills should be strong up the middle as catcher Zack Freibrun, second baseman Mark Argianas and centerfielder PJ Marsek all return...On the mound, the Cougars must find a way to replace the dynamic duo of Brad Schnitzer and Zack Schwartz, both of whom are now pitching in college. While Jamie Manhard, who was used mostly as a closer last season, Scott Kempel, Joey Bloom and Cesar Gallegos should get plenty of innings, as many as eight pitchers could see time on the mound this year for the Cougars.