Knee injury ends Martinski's season

Matt Martinski figured to be a big part of a potentially big year for Elk Grove baseball.

The senior pitcher-third baseman helped the Grenadiers reach the summer league Elite Eight. Last spring he led them with 7 homers and 23 RBI and was 2-3 with a 2.53 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 36 innings.

But a pair of knee injuries that cut short an all-area basketball season will also keep him off the baseball field. Elk Grove coach Terry Beyna said Martinski suffered a torn ACL and a doctor recommended he have surgery.

"Definitely depth-wise to our pitching staff, it hurts," Beyna said. "But I wouldn't say the cupboard is bare.

"It's a tough blow and it's disappointing, but what are you going to do? I feel bad for him."

The Greens are well-armed with juniors Jake Pfister and Donny Duschinsky and senior Josh Daniels all having solid spring and summer experience. Junior J.J. Kaczynski also looked good in a complete-game win over South Elgin.

And senior Josh DeHuelbes has fit in nicely in the cleanup spot for Martinski. Beyna said DeHuelbes is one of the better players in his class but he decided not to play last year.

DeHuelbes, who can play left field and first base, returned impressively with 7 hits in his first 7 at-bats.

"He is a monster," Beyna said of the 6-foot-2, 230-pound DeHuelbes with a laugh. "He is the first guy off the bus. He makes (5-8, 140-pound second baseman) Danny Lopez look like the bat boy.

"It's nice to put a senior in there and feel like we have a cleanup hitter rather than try to fit someone in."

Hello, governor: There was an extra perk to Hersey's trip to Springfield early this week.

On Wednesday morning, Hersey coach Bob Huber took his team on a tour of the state capitol. Huber asked someone working there if Gov. Quinn was in and the next thing they knew they were meeting with him in his office, taking pictures and getting autographs for nearly 15 minutes.

"That was the coolest thing," Huber said. "This guy is so genuine and so neat it made the whole trip worthwhile.

"Every kid was wide-eyed and focused on what he was doing. It was a really neat experience for me, too."

Huber said they also got to sit in on a session of the House of Representatives.

"That was crazy," Huber said.

Hersey went 1-1 on the trip as it beat Springfield 15-7, was rained out on a day with 50 mph winds at Williamsville and lost to perennial power Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 11-4.

Northern Kentucky-bound catcher Pat Hyde started the trip with a 3-run homer. Hyde and sophomore Sean Thompson also made the same play on the trip where they blocked a pitch in the dirt, jumped to their feet and threw out a runner trying to advance.

Huber said senior pitcher-outfielder Joe Koziol also played well despite coming off a broken foot. Senior left-hander Sal Locascio threw 3 perfect innings in 2 appearances.

Chasing history: Schaumburg became the sixth team to repeat as a Mid-Suburban League champion since division play began in 1971.

The Saxons are trying to become the first team to win three in a row.

"We have a lot of holes to fill and our pitching has obviously got to come through," said Schaumburg coach Paul Groot, whose 544 wins are the most by a coach at an MSL school. "If we do that I think we'll be OK."

Bradley-bound shortstop Dave Compitello and seniors Mike and Matt Mistrata are the most experienced returnees from the title teams. Kyle Meyer only pitched 13 innings last year but will be the Saxons' ace and had a pitched well in beating a solid Cary-Grove team on Monday.

"He had a nice summer and he can hit the low to mid-80s when he's throwing good," Groot said. "He has a changeup with it, he locates it well and he knows how to pitch."

Groot was also encouraged by lefty Mike Mistrata's solid 6-inning start against Dundee-Crown on Thursday.

Field day for Grybash: New Buffalo Grove coach Jeff Grybash joked about one advantage he already has over retired predecessor John Wendell.

"We called Johnny because we were out on the field four times before the first game," Grybash said. "We were laughing because he usually didn't get on the field until April."

That's definitely one bonus for a team with three sophomores on the roster and three juniors who started in Monday's season-opening split with Maine South.

But Grybash is glad to still have a veteran presence on his staff in Norm Hillner.

"It's been great having Norm there for a lot of stuff, to make sure we cover all the bases," Grybash said.

Cutting back: Barrington coach Jim Hawrysko wanted to help coach his 12-year-old son's team this summer. So Hawrysko decided to relinquish his role as American Legion head coach.

"It will give me a chance to see other kids play," Hawrysko said of coaching Barrington's Summer League team. "I think it will be a good move for everybody."

Replacing Hawrysko will be Pat Wire, a 1996 Cary-Grove graduate who played on Barrington's American Legion state qualifier that summer.

Wire has coached at the freshman and sophomore levels in the high school program the last seven years. He'll move up to the varsity and help Les Callas with the pitchers.

"It will be a good move and since he's doing Legion he'll get to know these guys a little bit," Hawrysko said. "He's young and gung-ho about it."

Fun in the sun: Although the weather wasn't horrible in the Chicago area this week, St. Viator headed out to Florida to spend the week playing in a four-game tournament and practicing.

"Our kids are pretty jacked up about it," Viator coach Mike Manno said before the team left last Sunday. "Hopefully we'll be ahead of the game getting to play every day."

Manno said the Lions did some fundraising to pay for the trip.

He said if they don't make the trip every year they'll shoot for every two years.

"We're playing four good teams and most of the teams are already 10 to 12 games into their season," Manno said. "We'll deal with it and hopefully it will make us better."

King Kong returns: Ross Giusti noticed someone watching one of Prospect's early-season practices. Giusti went over to see who it was and say hello.

It was Dave Kingman, one of the school's most famous alums who hit 442 career homers in a 16-year major-league career.

"He talked to all the guys for about 20 to 25 minutes and he was great," Giusti said.

Addition up the middle: Prospect junior Thomas Kelly, who transferred from Loyola and is the 84th-ranked player in his class by Prep Baseball Report, has fit in nicely at second base alongside Bradley-bound all-area shortstop Jason Leblebijian.

"He has natural instincts on the field," Ross Giusti said of Kelly. "He also knows there is a lot to his game that can get a lot better to get to the next level.

"I couldn't be happier with our defensive play up the middle right now."

Rough breaks for Wildcats: Wheeling coach Mike Tice was hoping to build off the program's most MSL victories (5) in 15 years.

Those hopes have taken three big hits. Senior Tony Brzezniak, the No. 3 hitter who broke his collarbone in football, broke it again diving into a base in the second game.

In the first day of practice, outfielder Aaron Weksler pulled part of the bone from his pelvic girdle. And senior Bobby Beelen had Tommy John surgery in the summer on his elbow that will limit him to a role as a designated hitter with limited action at first base.

One positive addition was the return of senior Neal Christensen, who hurt his arm as a freshman.

"He's been a pleasant surprise," Tice said. "He's done a decent job in the outfield and we're really excited to have him back."