Things are coming around for Cary-Grove this season

Look no further than the town of Cary for proof of baseball's fickle nature.

Last year the Trojans had talent up and down the order, yet they never put it all together.

The result? A final record of 13-17-1.

"Part of the reason it was so frustrating is that we could never really put our finger on it," senior Kyle Williams said of last year's struggles. "We had a lot of good talent, a lot of great guys, a lot of hard-working guys. It just never clicked. It never came around.

"Nobody was ever hitting at the same time. When we were hitting, maybe we didn't play as well defensively or vice versa. We really had high hopes for last year and the fact that we struggled as much as we did really left a bitter taste in our mouths over the winter."

It was a taste so bitter, in fact, the returning Trojans reinvested in off-season training to avoid a repeat.

Thanks in part to extra work in the weight room and the batting cages, not to mention an influx of talented juniors who dominated the Valley Division as sophomores, the Cary-Grove baseball team got off to one of those magical starts during which everything went its way en route to a 9-0 record.

Losing to Barrington by a score of 7-1 early? No problem. The Trojans rallied for 9 runs in the fourth inning before rain forced the game's suspension.

When it resumed the next day Cary-Grove tacked on 2 more runs to cap the inning and went on to win 17-7.

Down 8-1 against Fremd? Never fear, Kyle Williams is here. The senior second baseman capped an 11-for-11 streak with a grand slam that got the Trojans back in the game. He later ripped a 3-run walk-off home run to improve Cary-Grove to 9-0.

"I wouldn't want to say hitting is easy, but at the time it just came so naturally," Williams said. "It was like it was automatic."

Through Wednesday's victory against Johnsburg, Williams was hitting .451 (23-for-51) with 8 doubles and 3 home runs. He had a slugging percentage of .787 and had stolen 6 bases in 6 attempts.

Ben Mottashed, the team's returning senior ace, started the season 3-0 with an ERA of 0.82 in his first 17 innings.

"I was extremely happy with (the 9-0 record) because last year we were inconsistent, so it was really nice to get off to a good start," Mottashed said. "I was happy just to get a win in the first game but to go 9-0? The thought hadn't really crossed my mind."

Of course, in baseball, what comes up usually comes down. Numbers tend to average out over the course of a season. To wit: the Trojans lost their next three games to Carmel (10-1), Huntley (5-1) and Grayslake Central (9-6).

Mottashed endured losses in two of those contests and saw his ERA rise to 4.96. "I'm really not worried," said the senior, who last season finished 5-1 with a 4.65 ERA.

Cary-Grove's coach, Don Sutherland, the dean of area coaches in his 21st season with the Trojans, wasn't worried either. He told his players as much during a calming address after Tuesday's loss to Grayslake Central.

"I mentioned to them, 'Hey, we're not even halfway through with the season,'" Sutherland said. "Our kids were pressing a little bit at the plate. They just have to realize that it's a baseball game and you have to take a good approach each day. I think we'll be OK.

"Our pitching has not been that good this week as it was when we were on the streak, which is not unusual. Same thing with our defense. So, all the good things that were happening, they're not working together.

"It's just a matter of refocusing. We've got so many games in a row that you can't get down, you can't pout. You've got to come back. That's the approach I'm taking with the kids."

The Trojans took Sutherland's words to heart and pounded Johnsburg 22-3 on Wednesday to snap the streak and improve to 10-3.

Any Cary-Grove fan has to be encouraged by this key statistic: The team ERA stands at 3.44 in 122 innings, down from 4.33 in 213½ innings in 2007.

Senior left-hander Tyler Herman (1-1) leads the staff in ERA at 1.91 in 22 innings pitched.

Heading into Thursday's scheduled start at Prairie Ridge, junior Matt Nelsen was 3-0 with an ERA of 2.07, 6-foot-4 left-handed junior Sean Kaveney was 3-0 with a 3.11 ERA in 18 innings and junior Corey Bruns was 3-0 with an ERA of 2.67 in 21 innings.

"I think pitching is something that can really be a strength for our team," Williams said. "We don't only have Ben and just one other pitcher. I think pitching depth along with our quality of pitching is something that will definitely help us in the conference."

A key statistic that has to give opposing catchers pause relates to Cary-Grove's baserunning prowess in 2008 compared to 2007. Last year the Trojans stole 40 bases in 48 attempts. Not even halfway through this campaign they've already swiped 56 bags in 63 tries.

The Trojans have several more reasons for optimism if early results are any indication.

Sophomore Chris Waylock is hitting .389 (14-for-36) with 14 runs and 7 stolen bases in 10 attempts, offensive totals that make his 8 errors at shortstop palatable while he settles into the position.

Right fielder Eric Aguilera is hitting .366 (15-for-41) with 2 doubles, 9 RBI and 4 steals in 4 tries.

Junior catcher Luke Mottashed is hitting .333 (11-for-33) with 5 doubles and 6 RBI. He provides the offensive punch in the catching rotation with defensive-minded senior Tom Gwinn.

That three-game losing streak did nothing to dissuade these Trojans from their goals of a 20-win season and a Valley Division title, though they understand it will be anything but a cakewalk to win the talented league.

"We've beaten some good teams so far and we expect a lot from ourselves because of how we did start out," Ben Mottashed said. "There will be bumps in the road, like (this week), but I think everything will work out."