Baseball: Northwest all-area team

Nick Addison, Fremd

Addison was a unique force in the No. 3 spot in the order as the Eastern Kentucky-bound right fielder hit a school-record .484 and tied the mark for steals with 30. Addison also had 8 doubles and drove in 34 runs. "He hit the ball hard, hit line drives all over the field and was very impressive," said coach Chris Piggott. "He could play pretty much anywhere in the field."

Phil Bar, St. Viator

Bar set a pretty high bar for his senior year after leading the Lions in hitting at .435 with 4 homers and 19 RBI in the No. 2 spot. He also solidified the left side of the infield at third base to help Viator to 19 wins. "He really came on and we weren't really sure what kind of year he was going to give us," said coach Mike Manno. "And he was a pretty good leader for a junior."

More Coverage Links All-Area captain Dominick D'Agata

Zach Borenstein, Buffalo Grove

When teams had to pitch to the Eastern Illinois-bound shortstop the last two years they usually paid. The repeat All-Area pick hit .530 with 17 doubles, 6 homers, 35 RBI and 20 stolen bases and was a driving force during BG's second straight upset-filled postseason run. "I don't think you're going to find a better hitter," said coach John Wendell. "That kid has studied the game and hitting and had two incredible years."

Andy Brandt, Schaumburg

Brandt is the reason it's called pitching and not throwing. The senior lefty confounded rather than overpowered hitters and was always in control as he went 8-2 with a 1.94 ERA, 35 strikeouts and just 5 walks in 54 innings. "He's a very crafty pitcher who can locate so well," said coach Paul Groot. "He's just a great example of a kid who throws strikes and changes speeds."

Jon Carlson, Rolling Meadows

There were big expectations as Carlson was coming off a solid sophomore year. He provided excellent protection for Kyle Gaedele with 25 RBI as he hit .327 and on the mound the lefty went 3-1 with 2 saves and 59 strikeouts in 51 innings. "He had a really nice year on the mound and he had a lot of responsibility with teams pitching around Kyle," said coach Jim Lindeman.

Dave Compitello, Schaumburg

Moving Compitello to the leadoff spot was a big offensive spark for Schaumburg as the repeat All-Area shortstop hit .438 with 9 doubles, 16 RBI, 11 steals and only 4 strikeouts in 89 at-bats. "We've had some good ones (leadoff hitters) through the years and he's right up there," said coach Paul Groot. "And he's one of the best defensive shortstops around."

Tim Conroy, Barrington

Surgery for a torn ACL at the end of the summer didn't stop Conroy a bit when the spring rolled around. The Butler-bound shortstop hit a team-best .404 with 12 doubles, 3 homers and 24 RBI and got a win and 2 saves. "It was just fantastic what he did to come back and it was a credit to all his hard work," said coach Jim Hawrysko. "He was really determined to have success."

Chris D'Angelo, Elk Grove

D'Angelo put a lot of 'O' into Elk Grove this season. The senior shortstop-center fielder hit a team-high .472 with 16 doubles, 2 homers and 20 RBI and struck out just 8 times in 108 at-bats. "In my nine years here I don't think we've had a guy across the board with his offensive numbers," said coach Terry Beyna. "Offensively he was consistent all year long and he gave us some flexibility defensively."

Jeff Emerich, Palatine

No matter where Emerich was in the lineup or on the field, he produced without complaint. The Eastern Kentucky-bound Emerich batted .330 with 12 doubles and 13 stolen bases in a variety of spots in the order and had 4 assists in center and right field. "Jeff is the type of individual you want to build your program around," said coach Paul Belo. "His personal goals and aspirations were never placed ahead of his team."

Jason Ford, Fremd

Ford powered Fremd at the plate and on the mound. The senior tied the school record for homers (9) and is second in school history in RBI (41). And some of his biggest offensive efforts supported himself as he went 6-1. "One thing about 'J' is he always goes out there and is going to compete," said coach Chris Piggott. "All year he hit the ball hard for us."

Kyle Gaedele, Rolling Meadows

The Valparaiso-bound Gaedele did it all en route to sharing Mid-Suburban East player of the year honors and leading Meadows to the division title. He hit .440 with 7 homers and 28 RBI, stole 13 bases, went 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA and was excellent defensively in left field. "He met or exceeded expectations and has really grown into a mature hitter," said coach Jim Lindeman of the repeat All-Area pick. "He'll be tough to replace."

Bobby Gehm, Hersey

A preseason back injury and a broken finger on his throwing hand couldn't keep Gehm from playing. The third-year varsity player hit .372 with 9 doubles, 4 triples, 24 RBI and 32 steals in 34 attempts. He also threw out 2 runners at the plate in a game from center field. "Defensively it was a pretty nice feeling to be able to pencil his name in there," said coach Bob Huber.

Jack Golek, Barrington

Golek proved to be quite a catch the last two years for Barrington. This season the senior hit .333 with 5 homers, 5 doubles and a team-high 29 RBI. "Every year he's gotten better and better defensively and he had a great year receiving and blocking the ball," said coach Jim Hawrysko. "Offensively he was a kid who could hit anybody and was a good mistake-ball hitter."

George Kalousek, Schaumburg

Kalousek's power didn't come at a big price as the repeat All-Area pick had 8 homers and only 9 strikeouts while hitting .395 with 9 doubles and 27 RBI. He also stepped up on the mound to go 9-2 with a 3.38 ERA. "He had a tremendous year for us," said coach Paul Groot. "He really went out every time we gave him the ball and did a great job #8230; and he had one of the quicker bats on our team."

Brett Kay, St. Viator

Viator's fortunes should be O-Kay next year as the junior shortstop returns for his third varsity season. Kay hit .398 with 3 triples, 2 homers and 12 walks in the leadoff spot, scored 32 runs and was 23-for-25 in stolen bases. "He did everything asked of him hitting and fielding," said coach Mike Manno. "He was great defensively and sparked us at the top of the order."

Jason Leblebijian, Prospect

Prospect knew Leblebijian could pick it with the best of them at shortstop. The junior turned out to be one of the team's best hitters in the No. 2 spot at .447 with 24 RBI. "His offense was a big surprise for us," said coach Ross Giusti. "We always knew he was a good situational hitter but he got stronger and started driving the ball to the gap and started getting big hits."

Tim Mackey, Leyden

Nothing like having your top power threat with 5 homers and co-leader in RBI at 32 hitting leadoff. Mackey hit .372 with 10 doubles and made a smooth transition from second base to shortstop. "We called him Mr. Clutch," said coach Gary Wolf. "If people were on base we definitely wanted him up to bat. He's a complete ballplayer and he did a great job at shortstop."

Jack Meyer, St. Viator

In key situations Meyer was the guy Viator wanted at the plate. The senior first baseman usually delivered as he hit .405 with 11 doubles, 4 homers and a team-high 32 RBI. "He was one of our best clutch hitters and he always got a big hit when we needed it," said coach Mike Manno. "He's one of the most improved kids we've had since I've been here."

Mike Mistrata, Schaumburg

The powerful lefty-hitting, repeat All-Area pick has one more year to torment opposing pitchers after hitting .433 with 6 homers and 31 RBI. And Mistrata has also saved his share of runs with his work at first base. "He's one of the more feared hitters in the league," said coach Paul Groot. "He's got tremendous power and I think he's a very underrated first baseman."

Matt St. John, Hoffman Estates

St. John marched out of his three-year varsity career at Hoffman as team MVP as he hit .357 with 4 homers and 22 RBI and had 3 wins and a save. He also played first base and the outfield. "To me the sign of a good leader is finding any way possible to help the team and he was that guy for us," said coach Todd Meador. "He played hard all the time and with heart."

Mike Santa Maria, Maine West

Defense was never a question in a four-year varsity career for the Illinois-bound shortstop. This year the repeat All-Area choice picked it up at the plate as he hit .411 with 10 doubles and 21 RBI and was a solid closer again at 3-0 with 4 saves and an 0.46 ERA. "He has just evolved into an outstanding high school baseball player and he'll definitely be missed," said coach Joe Pederson.

Tim Scanlan, Prospect

Scanlan's powerful bat and leadership helped Prospect stay in the Mid-Suburban East race into the final week. The Eastern Kentucky-bound third baseman was the division's co-player of the year as he hit .441 with 8 homers and 47 RBI. "He helped us win a lot of games the last three years," said coach Ross Giusti. "When he got hot it raised the level of everybody on our team."

Kevin Serna, Rolling Meadows

Serna was a potent leadoff man at .376 with 4 homers and 25 RBI. He was a part of a rock-solid outfield with his play in center. But he brought another vital intangible to Meadows' run to the Mid-Suburban East title. "He came to play every day and I appreciated that as a coach," said Jim Lindeman. "He turned out to be one of the best center fielders we've had since I've been here."

Ryan Shober, Fremd

Shober will go on to Valparaiso after putting on a really good show at shortstop the last 2#189; years for Fremd. Shober displayed a lot of range and a strong arm and he was a big threat in the No. 2 spot as he hit .417 with 6 homers, 28 RBI and 21 stolen bases. "He knows the game so well," said coach Chris Piggott. "He's always asking questions about situations and thinking about the game."

Cam Stephens, Leyden

For three years Stephens cleaned up in the cleanup spot. This year was no exception as he shared the team lead in RBI with 32 and hit .371 as Leyden won a share of the West Suburban Gold title. "He has tremendous knowledge of the strike zone and doesn't swing at bad pitches," said coach Gary Wolf. "He makes pitchers pay for the mistakes they make."

Mike Toljanic, Hersey

Toljanic took quite a toll on pitchers as he hit .443 and settled into the No. 3 spot in Hersey's order. The junior outfielder had 7 doubles and 4 triples, drove in 25 runs and was 18-for-19 in stolen bases. "We didn't anticipate him going off like he did offensively," said coach Bob Huber. "It became clear he was our most consistent guy and he did a really nice job for us."

Jack Townley, Leyden

Opposing runners hardly went to town when Townley was behind the plate and pitchers didn't have to worry about wild pitches or passed balls. Townley also got the job done with the bat as he had 10 doubles and 18 RBI. "Him and Jonathan (Weaver) made up probably the best pitcher-catcher combination we've had," said coach Gary Wolf. "Defensively he's rock-solid."

Jonathan Weaver, Leyden

Weaver opened a lot of eyes in a pair of dream seasons that resulted in trips to the sectional finals. This year the hard-throwing righty was 7-2 with a 1.04 ERA, 95 strikeouts and 16 walks in 60 innings. He also hit .378 with 3 homers and 24 RBI and stole 12 bases. "He's the most dominant pitcher we've had in the last 25 years," said coach Gary Wolf. "He's a complete athlete."

Sean Willett, Maine West

The three-year starter emerged as a potent bat in the middle of Maine West's lineup. Willett hit .391 with 3 homers, 10 doubles and 19 RBI and provided leadership as a co-captain with Mike Santa Maria. "Sean made so many adjustments from last year," said coach Joe Pederson. "We knew he had a lot of explosion in his bat and he worked his tail off."

Austin Wright, Conant

A lot of pro scouts' eyes were focused on the hard-throwing left-hander and he delivered a 77 strikeouts in 41 innings and an ERA of 1.80 to go with a 3-3 record. Wright also was dangerous with the bat as he hit .400 with 4 homers and 18 RBI. Two of his best performances were against hard-hitting Schaumburg. "In important games he steps it up," said coach Jerry Song.

Special mention

Sean Buchholz (Barrington, So., P), Bill Charvat (Conant, Sr., SS), Sam Cochiaro (Leyden, Sr., P-2B), Eric Huber (St. Viator, Sr., P-OF), Chris James (Hersey, Jr., P-3B), Steve Mahler (Schaumburg, Sr., OF), Ted Metzger (Rolling Meadows, Jr., P-SS), Griffin Rebecca (Prospect, Sr., 1B), Mike Ricciardi (Buffalo Grove, Sr., 3B), Steve Slussar (Wheeling, Sr., P-OF), Mike Tauchman (Fremd, Jr., OF),

Honorable mention

Cody Bobbit (Palatine, Fr., SS), Mark Chereso (Conant, Sr., OF), John Coen (Prospect, So., OF), Dave Ehlers (Hoffman Estates, Sr., 2B), Gus Handler (Barrington, Jr., OF), James Hurley (Buffalo Grove, Jr., 1B), Steve Janezic (Barrington, Sr., 1B), Evan Kander (Buffalo Grove, Sr., OF), Dan Lauria (Rolling Meadows, Jr., 2B), Kevin Miller (Elk Grove, Sr., 1B), Miles Osei (Prospect, So., OF), Dominic Pugliese (Prospect, Sr., P), Kyle Pusateri (Schaumburg, Sr., 2B-P), Ben Sabal (Rolling Meadows, Sr., C), Josh Serrano (Leyden, Sr., P-OF), Nick Skala (St. Viator, C., Sr.), Scott Wenzel (Rolling Meadows, Sr., OF)