Tri-Cities baseball season wrap-up
Aurora Christian
Final record: 25-11.
Seaon ended: Lost 9-3 to Watseka in Class 2A Benedictine supersectional.
Top returnees in 2010: Stephen Clancy (sr., CF); Matt Morse (sr., SS); Mitch Holtz (so., RF).
Season skinny: The Eagles saved their best baseball for the end of the season, winning their first regional championship and then knocking off Walther Lutheran and St. Edward to claim their first sectional championship in school history. They'll have some big shoes to fill next year without seniors like Andru Ubert and David Zielke but with Morse they'll have one of the best players in the area.
Batavia
Final record: 30-7.
Seaon ended: Lost 10-1 to Cary-Grove in Class 4A Rockford supersectional. Won Class 4A St. Charles North sectional, Willowbrook regional, Western Sun Conference titles.
Top returnees in 2010: Tim Schofield (sr., SS/CF); Kevin Flinn (sr., P); Jesse Coffey (jr., SS).
Season skinny: It was a dream season for the Bulldogs, who went 20-1 in the Western Sun to cruise to the conference championship and then won their seventh regional and second sectional titles in program history. After a 1-3 start to the season, Batavia went on a 29-3 tear before losing to Cary-Grove in the supersectional. Among the victories in that stretch was a memorable regional final against Willowbrook when Tim Drish, Tim Schofield and Brian Krolikowski blasted 2-run homers for a come-from-behind 11-6 win, then a Wheaton sweep in the sectional - victories over both Wheaton Warrenville South and Wheaton North behind the strong right arms of Adam Karger and Krolikowski.
Geneva
Final record: 20-12.
Seaon ended: Lost 6-0 to Conant in Class 4A Geneva regional championship game.
Top returnees in 2010: Riley Perry (sr., P); Alex Sroka (sr., 3B/P); Asa Bielenberg (sr., C); Jack Delabar (sr., 1B/P); Jerrod Campbell (sr., CF); Eric Renner (sr., C); Brian Cornick (sr., 2B); Jason Adams (sr., SS); Ryan Mallon (sr., OF).
Season skinny: Watch out for the Vikings in 2010. Led by All-Area returnees Riley Perry and Alex Sroka, the Vikings have a dominating starter and a proven middle-of-the-order run producer. They have much more with a senior class that played a majority of the varsity innings this year as juniors. Geneva started fast this year before slowing a bit down the stretch, dropping a 3-game series to Batavia that took the steam out of its bid to capture a Western Sun title. Next year it will be Geneva that has the experience on its side when the Vikings and Bulldogs renew their rivalry.
Kaneland
Final record: 23-13.
Seaon ended: Lost 6-5 to Burlington Central in Class 3A Burlington Central regional championship game.
Top returnees in 2010: Joe Camiliere (jr., OF); Ty Hamer (sr., OF/P); Steve Colombe (sr., OF/P); David Dudzinski (sr., 1B/P); Blake Kendrick (sr., 3B/OF); Jake Fiedler (sr., 2B/SS); Aaron Lamp (sr., OF/P).
Season skinny: The Knights keep getting better every year, as they showed this year with a program-record 23 wins. While they graduate a lot of key players from the team, they will have some talent returning to build around starting with Camiliere in center field. It will be Kaneland's last go-around in the Western Sun before moving west in 2010-11.
Marmion
Final record: 22-4.
Seaon ended: Lost 10-4 to Bartlett in Class 4A St. Charles East regional semifinal. Won Suburban Catholic Conference title.
Top returnees in 2010: Zach Young (sr. INF); Will Sterne (sr., INF); Jack Gunderson (sr., P); Chris Tydd (sr., OF); Mark Peters (sr., P); Bobby Winkel (sr., C).
Season skinny: The Cadets have some big shoes to fill without Matt Milroy, Dave DeSimone, David Brouch, Brian Burns and CJ Foster, five of the seniors responsible for Marmion's first regional title since 1969 as juniors, then this past season winning the SCC championship.
St. Charles East
Final record: 15-18.
Seaon ended: Lost 8-6 to Addison Trail in first game of Class 4A St. Charles East regional.
Top returnees in 2010: Jonathan Erickson (sr., 2B); Ryan O'Dell (sr., 3B); T.J. Travis (sr., C); Wes Benjamin (jr., P); Robert Wendt (sr., CF); Thomas Laudadio (sr., P/OF); Tommy Konrad (sr., P/OF).
Season skinny: The Saints say goodbye not just to their seniors but coach Mark Foulkes, who guided them to the Elite Eight in 2004. Foulkes leaves the program in good shape with a solid cast of returnees for the 2010 season. St. Charles East will have experience on the mound, their catcher Travis returning to work with the staff, and solid bats like Erickson and Konrad that should help the offense score more runs than it did this year.
St. Charles North
Final record: 22-12.
Seaon ended: Lost 5-2 to Willowbrook in Class 4A Willowbrook regional semifinals.
Top returnees in 2010: Ryan Richardson (sr., SS); Jordan Huxtable (sr., OF); Chase Williams (sr., OF); Kevin Borst (sr., P/INF); Mike Budka (sr., INF/P); Ryan Hudspeth (sr., P); Matt Stevens (sr., C).
Season skinny: The North Stars started fast, went through a slump early in the Upstate Eight schedule, then bounced back for another 20-win season but a postseason that didn't last as long as they have had in the past. Zach Hirsch will be tough to replace on the mound but they do have several talented players to build around, especially Richardson at shortstop after he hit .460 as a junior. Stevens will be another three-year starter behind the plate.
West Aurora
Final record: 13-21.
Seaon ended: Lost 9-3 to Batavia in Class 4A Willowbrook regional semifinals.
Top returnees in 2010: Jack Bauer (sr., OF); Chris Richter (sr., 3B/P); Julian Pena (sr., OF/P).
Season skinny: The Blackhawks had several dependable seniors in their lineup this year that came up with big seasons, especially Brady Renner and Cory Walden, along with Tony Gaffino and Nathan Strusz. They didn't quite have the pitching all year to compete in the DuPage Valley, then uncharacteristically struggled defensively in the postseason against Batavia. Next year West Aurora will have almost an entirely new starting lineup.