Lake County baseball notes: Libertyville completes comeback to win NSC; Lakes nears school wins record
The Libertyville baseball team played the role of the comeback kids this week.
Coach Matt Thompson’s squad started the week 9-3 in North Suburban Conference action, sitting 1 game back of Lake Forest with 2 to play and in a tie with Warren Township for second place.
Libertyville (22-9-1 overall) swept Warren 3-0 and 5-2 and watched Mundelein take a pair from Lake Zurich (both 3-2 wins), which means the Wildcats (11-3 NSC) are the NSC champions once again. Mundelein and Lake Forest finished tied for second at 10-4 in league action and Warren finished fourth at 9-5.
Trevor Wallace and Braden Tolzien have been constants at the plate. Wallace is hitting .365, while Tolzien is at .345. Chase Lockwood started the week 8-1 on the mound with 47 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings against only 8 walks (2.78 ERA).
The defending Class 4A state champions are a No. 1 sectional seed and will open play in the Hoffman Estates regional May 27 against either No. 17 Hoffman Estates or No. 16 Elk Grove.
Antioch update: Elliott Freeman was lauded for his work behind the plate and with the bat. Freeman started the week hitting .381 (.481 slugging). “Elliott has been outstanding for us behind the plate and at the plate,” Antioch coach Frank Fracek said. “He continues to give us quality everywhere around the field.”
Fracek said outfield play and getting runners on base also has been team strengths. “Our outfield play has been very good this year, which has been a bonus because we lost 2 outfielders from last year’s team who were 3-year starters. We have also continued to battle and find ways to get on base all season.”
Antioch started the week 13-16 overall and 7-8 in Northern Lake County play and opens Class 3A Lakes regional action against Lake Forest on May 27. Antioch is the No. 13 seed in the Grayslake Central sectional, while Lake Forest is the No. 5 seed.
“We have struggled to string wins together consistently and are still trying to put together a complete team effort of clean baseball,” Fracek said. “I am excited to see how this final week shakes out and are preparing for a tough regional with Deerfield, Lakes and Lake Forest.”
Grayslake Central update: At the start of the week, Rams coach Troy Whalen noted his team was struggling with four losses in a row, including a tough 1-0 setback to Warren.
Those fortunes changed early week when Central took a pair of games from Northern Lake County leader Lakes to keep itself in the league race.
Speaking prior to the Lakes wins, Whalen noted pitching, defense and timely hitting had been missing in action “and it’s tough to win, let alone be competitive when those 3 areas go south at the same time,” he said. “I’ve said all year this group has been resilient, so hopefully we find a way to turn things around heading into the postseason next week.”
Whalen had high praise for Central’s 3 sophomores who have seen significant game action this year, headlined by Beau Barrows, who has logged nearly 30 innings and has 3 varsity wins, while leadoff man Jayson Domerchie is hitting over. 300 and has a team-high 27 runs. Fellow sophomore Danie Cope has been handling the majority of the catching duties the last few weeks. “Our young guys continue to improve and they have shown they belong at this level,” Whalen said.
Central is the No. 3 seed in its own Class 3A sectional and opens Cary-Grove regional action May 27 against crosstown neighbor and No. 14 seed Grayslake North.
Grayslake North update: The Knights are led offensively by junior Nate Wilson (.388 hitting, .456 on-base, .463 slugging) and senior Tommy Brocks (.357 hitting, .486 on-base, and solid play at first base).
“Nate has had a great year at the plate,” North coach Eric Lopez said. “I am very happy to see him have a strong year. It took him a while to get going for us last season. He has improved immensely and has surprised a lot of people in becoming our best bat statistically speaking in the order this year.”
Senior Andrew Winling (3-1, 24 strikeouts, 32 1/3 inning, 5 earned runs, 1.08 ERA) and junior Gage Pfleeger (2-3, 2.14 ERA, 20 strikeouts) have been pitching constants for the Knights (10-18, 6-10 NLCC).
“Andrew has been quietly dominant on the mound,” coach Eric Lopez said. “He has been lights out all season. Seeing how only 5 of his runs are earned, it speaks to the season he has had for us.”
Lopez said the Knights have been in the thick of many of their games this spring. “If we play clean baseball, we are a tough team and we can compete with anyone,” he said. “Although our 10-18 record isn’t pretty, we have played a ton of close games that have gone our way. We are looking forward to having a strong final week of the regular season and then competing in regionals.”
Lakes update: Eagles coach Brett Hill has received contributions from many this season.
Brett Beerbower (5-0, 1 save, 1.06 WHIP and .333 hitting, 14 RBI) has been a leader throughout the season, Hill noted, while Jacob Kane is hitting .351 (.539 on-base, 22 runs) and is playing a solid second base. Carson Norris (.355, 17 RBI), Ryan Stolarick (.407) and Aidan Hack (5-0 pitching, 1.85 ERA) also have been key, while Nate Mead has been a constant out of the bullpen with a save and 0.86 ERA. Stolarick has done the majority of the team’s catching.
The Eagles had 21 wins to start the week and need 2 more to tie the school record. Lakes has never won the NLCC with its last league crown coming in 2015 (North Suburban Prairie). Lakes is the No. 5 seed in the Class 3A Grayslake Central sectional and hosts a regional, opening May 28 against No. 11 Deerfield.
“This is a team of 17 seniors who all contribute in different ways,” Hill said. “We have also had great contributions from our juniors. Overall, it’s a great group of kids to coach. They have completely bought into our culture and are enjoyable to be around every day.”
Lake Zurich update: The bats have heated up for the Bears (16-12, 6-7 NSC ) who hit .413 as a team with 109 hits during a recent 8-game stretch.
“Our top of the lineup has made just about every game interesting despite the scores in a few games,” Bears coach Derek Parola said.
Carson Hamblin is hitting .460 (1.304 OPS) with 40 hits, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 38 runs scored, 15 walks, 13 hit by pitch and is a perfect 16-for-16 in steals. Alex Toth is hitting .439 (1.235 OPS) with 9 doubles, 4 homers and 26 RBI.
“Carson has been the best hitter in the area besides for less than a handful of no-hit games,” Parola said.
Lake Zurich is a No. 10 sectional seed and opens play in the Class 4A Palatine regional May 28 against No. 7 Palatine.
Mundelein update: The Mustangs (19-9 overall) beat league leader Lake Forest twice this week to finish in a tie for second with the Scouts at 10-4. Libertyville won it at 11-3.
Seniors Ryan Wolverton (.377 hitting, .490 on-base, team-leading 25 RBI, team-leading 16 walks) and Johnny Weiss (.364 hitting, team-high 32 hits, team-high 33 runs, team-high 12 steals) have been cogs for Mundelein.
“Johnny Weiss has been a consistent top-of-the-order guy,” Mundelein coach Randy Lerner said. “He’s always a tough out. He has lots of speed on the bases to put pressure on defenses. Defensively, he’s been a great shortstop for us, making plays when we need and being the leader of our defense and team.”
Lerner added Miller Rastrelli has been another consistent guy on the mound (4-2 in 7 starts). “In every start, he’s been very competitive,” Lerner said, “working ahead, challenging hitters and trusting his defense to make plays behind him.”
Mundelein, a No. 4 sectional seed, is hosting a Class 4A regional and opens action May 26 against No. 15 Hersey.
Round Lake update: The Panthers (0-24, 0-15 Northern Lake County) have been paced by junior shortstop Julian Lozada (.392 hitting, .516 on-base, 1.025 OPS, 15 steals), sophomore second baseman Landon Lyon (.400 hitting, 1.003 OPS, 10 steals) and senior first baseman Daniel Russ (.344 hitting, 1.044 OPS,).
“The top of our order has been phenomenal all year and the energy has been great despite struggles in the win category,” Panthers coach Michael Mastalski said. “We have a very young team and the players have pushed through adversity this year and continue to have positive energy, even with having no field to practice on all year.”
Round Lake is a No. 10 Class 4A McHenry sub-sectional seed and travels to the west side of Elgin Monday to face No. 7 seed Larkin in a regional quarterfinal game. The winner gets No. 2 South Elgin.
Vernon Hills update: The Cougars (18-10-1 overall) took second in the Central Suburban North with an 11-4 mark.
Connor Brockway (.333 hitting, .930 OPS, 30 RBI) and Ryan Mick (.341 hitting, .891 OPS, 20 RBI) have been stalwarts at the plate. “Connor (catcher-first base) is always a tough out,” coach Pasquale Atteo said.
Atteo added shortstop Devin Ratajczyk has consistently played sound defense. Vernon Hills is hosting a Class 3A regional. The Cougars, the No. 8 seed in the Grayslake Central sectional, face No. 10 seed Carmel on May 28.
Warren update: Braylan McCarthy is hitting over .400 and is 8-2 with a 3.00 ERA (48 strikeouts), while closer Mason Palmer started the week 0-1 with 4 saves and a 0.53 ERA (0.84 WHIP) to go with 47 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. Braxton Goodfellow is hitting .345 for the Blue Devils (19-9, 9-5 NSC).
The Blue Devils are a No. 2 sectional seed and open Class 4A Palatine regional action against either No. 18 Zion or No. 15 Wheeling at 2 p.m. May 27.
Wauconda update: The Bulldogs (20-8 overall) finished Northern Lake County play at 13-5 after sweeping Grayslake Central last week. Lucas Swanson (.363 hitting, 6 homers) and Luke Sickmeir (.430, 43 hits) have been key offensive leaders, while Jackson Rudolph also was cited for his consistent play. Wauconda is the No. 7 seed in the Class 3A Grayslake Central regional and open play May 28 against No. 9 seed and regional host Crystal Lake Central.