Cook County baseball notes: Coaches working to keep MSL rivalries alive
When the MSL announced last year that there were going to be changes to the makeup of the divisions, there were concerns among some of the baseball coaches that some traditional rivalries could get lost.
That came very close last week when Wheeling and Hersey were forced to cancel their game due to a regular conference game that took priority.
Wheeling has remained in the East Division while Hersey has moved to the West this season. The teams were scheduled to play last Friday in a crossover game.
However, since those games no longer count in the MSL standings, the game was canceled so Wheeling could play Schaumburg last Friday
But Wheeling coach Jason Wieder and Hersey coach Wally Brownley wanted to make sure their players could still play each other. So, the game has been rescheduled to May 14.
“Wally and I felt this rivalry was an important enough game to reschedule,” Wieder said. “While this game doesn't count towards the MSL standings or conference stats it still means a lot in the town, because our players grew up attending the same schools and playing on the same youth teams.”
Both Wieder and Brownley both played in the MSL, so they also embraced some of the old traditions of the conference.
“As someone who played in the MSL, I want Wheeling to compete against each MSL team every season,” Wieder said.
Barrington to host state title reunion
Barrington will host a 40th anniversary celebration of the 1986 state championship team coached by Kirby Smith. It will be part of the annual alumni day festivities on Saturday, May 9.
The 1986 team will be introduced in pregame ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. before Barrington’s game with Lockport. There will be a barbeque after the game.
Area team updates
Barrington: Coach Paul Belo said Will Steffens is one of the toughest outs in the Broncos (8-6, 2-1) offense with an OBP of .553, an OPS of 1.626 and slugging of 1.073. “As impressive as he has been at the plate, he equally has established himself as one the area's premier first baseman,” Belo said. "Will takes great pride in his defensive skill set.”
Buffalo Grove: Andrew Carrison has recovered from a shoulder injury suffered during football season to stepping up in a big way for the Bison (7-8, 2-1). Carrison, who is a junior, has 12 IP with 16 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.16. Carrison has also been a stalwart at the plate, hitting .293 with a slug of .537. “Since returning to the mound, Drew has been a force,” Buffalo Grove coach Bill Montemayor said. “He is an exciting ballplayer to watch and has a bright future.”
Conant: Senior 1B Alex Martinez is hitting .477 with 1.328 OPS to lead Conant (10-5, 1-2). Junior SS Andrew Miller is hitting .395 with 1.131 OPS while senior Ari Patel has given up 1 ER in 8.1 IP in relief.
Elk Grove: The Grenadiers (3-11, 1-2) are battling to climb forward. They are led by Isaac Santowski, who is hitting .341 and has an ERA of 2.18. Kayne Tagliavia is batting .325 with a pair of homers. Nate Dean is at .320 and Cooper Casterton is batting .300 with an OBP of .462.
Fremd: Santino Iacullo, who transferred from Burlington Central, has stepped into a Viking (11-4, 1-2) uniform quite nicely. He is batting .302 with two homers including one against St. Viator on Tuesday. “Santi is a big, strong kid that has a lot of power,” Fremd coach Chris Piggott said. “He has been consistent at the plate and has a very calm demeanor. We didn’t know what to expect when he got here, but he has fit in with the team and has been a big contributor for us.”
Hersey: J.D. Farkas has three of the Huskies’ (5-9, 1-2) five wins this season. The sophomore is 3-1 with 36 strikeouts in 29 IP. His WHIP is a minuscule 0.69, and his ERA is 0.97. He's also hitting .286 with a .375 OBP, has driven in 6 runs, and plays rightfield when not pitching. Senior captain Drew Thomas is finally getting to be 100% after breaking his fibula in January. He's back at his primary catcher position and is hitting .316.
Hoffman Estates: The Hawks (6-11, 0-3) are being led offensively by Mason Walker (.333), Alex Wisely (.327) and Niko Belesiotis (.296) while Tyler Dillon leads the pitching staff with 22 IP, 32 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.27. Sophomore transfer Nolan Nguyen has taken over full-time catcher responsibilities and stepped up quite well according to coach Andrew Wulbecker.
Leyden: Jacob Ganir is closing in on the 100-hit plateau for the Eagles (7-10, 4-4). Ganir, who is hitting .417 and slugging .583, is just three hits short of the milestone. Ganir also has 19 strikeouts in 18 innings on the mound. Angel Gutierrez is batting .400, Joey O’Neil .342 and Julian Martinez .293 while he is 2-1 on the mound with an ERA of 2.58. Elias Carrillo has also been solid on the bump.
Maine East: Andrew Merza has been an outstanding overall player for the Demons (4-10, 0-5) says coach Ronald Clark. Merza, who is a senior, plays shortstop, pitches and bats leadoff. He is hitting .462 with a homer and four triples. He is 2-1 on the mound with one save and has struck out 25 batters in 17 innings.
Maine South: Sean Sladky, who is a junior outfielder for the Hawks (11-6, 4-0), has stepped into the lineup quite nicely. Sladky is hitting .391 with an OBP of .482, has a homer and is 7-for-7 in SB. “The kid is a throwback of what a baseball player used to look like and that it great to see,” Maine South coach Brian Lorenz said. “We are very fortunate to have him in our lineup. It is a quality and tough at-bat every single time.”
Maine West: With wins over Niles West on Monday and Tuesday this week, Maine West (3-9, 2-3) hopes to have turned things around.
Palatine: The Pirates (7-8, 2-1) have surrendered five games to the weather thus far. Despite the postponements, Palatine sophomore Joey Kurey moved up to the varsity lineup 5 games into the season patrolling right field and filling in at first base. The left-hander is batting .333 with a .425 OBP. Junior Owen Hong is hitting .341 with a .500 OBP and 14 RBI. Junior Nick Salata, who was primarily a catcher the past two years, has found another way to contribute. He has appeared in relief for 14.2 IP and is 2-0 with 18 strikeouts. Junior Maddux Heilman has played every inning at shortstop and has 10 SB without being caught.
Prospect: The Knights, behind first year head coach Christopher Hoffman, are 9-5, 2-1. Prospect has been getting solid production from a trio of players who did not see much action last season. Ryan Sheehan is a senior second baseman and is hitting .257 with a .350 OBP. Aidan Janowiak, who is a senior pitcher, has thrown 10 innings in relief with a 2.80 ERA. Michael Foley, who is a junior third baseman, is hitting .400 with a .538 OBP and has also thrown 6.1 innings on the mound.
Rolling Meadows: The Mustangs (11-4, 3-0) have been getting lots of help from many fronts. Tony Romanacce is hitting .476 with 20 hits, 15 RBI and 20 runs scored. Josh Rappa is batting .378 with a .644 slug, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 11 RBI and 14 runs. Jack O'Callaghan is hitting .370 while sophomore Quinn Hextall is batting .350 with an OBP of .519. Sophomore Luke Schneider has 27 strikeouts in 16.1 IP with 5 starts. Tyler Stankiewicz has allowed just one earned run in 18.2 IP. Aiden Gallucci has 21 strikeouts in 14.1 IP and sophomore Jack Hoeper has fanned 15 in 9 IP.
Schaumburg: The Saxons (6-6, 2-1) are down five games to the weather. Tyler Spejcher, who worked extremely hard in the offseason in the weight room and cage according to coach Kevin Garvey, is showing that it has paid off, hitting .371. Kile Gough, who is coming off a tough junior year at the plate, is hitting .367 with a .513 OBP.
St. Viator: Frank Clary has been one of the bright spots on the mound for the Lions (11-4, 3-1). Clary is 3-0 with a save and 0.22 ERA. His batterymate, Brandon Thomsen, who is committed to Purdue, is hitting .524 with 7 doubles, 3 homers and 14 RBI. Junior Tanner Beyna leads the Lions in RBI with 15. He is also hitting .391 with 6 doubles and a homer.
Wheeling: The rain has hit Wheeling (6-6, 1-2) hard with the Wildcats losing 5 games thus far. They were also forced to travel to Barrington for a game when the Wildcats’ field was unplayable. Zach Neukirch, who picked up his 100th career hit in early April, leads the offense hitting .441 with a homer and 6 stolen bases. Junior SS Reid Gerjerts is second in hitting at .394. Dylan Baloun leads the team with a 2-2 record with 25 strikeouts and a 2.23 ERA. Senior C Tyler Zangara has been a defensive force throwing out 7 base runners and has a 36.8 caught stealing percentage.