Baseball: Scouting Lake County

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY CONFERENCE

ANTIOCHCoach: Chris Malec (fourth season)

Last season: 20-14, 9-9 in NLCC

Top returning players: Seniors Jack Gillespie (1B), Austin Andrews (OF/P), Sean Wieser (IF), Sawyer Phillips (P), junior Logan Delgado (C/1B)

Key newcomers: Juniors Tyler Skutnik (IF), Caden Davis (OF), Kyle Bukowy (P), sophomores Kyler Arias (DH-C), AJ Kutcher (OF/P), Ethan Andrews (IF/P)

Outlook: Antioch has a pair of college commits on the roster in Delgado (Bradley) and Phillips (UW-LaCrosse). Gillespie hit .319 last year, while Andrews batted .313. "We have a ton of depth," said Malec. "Offensively, there are going to be guys coming off our bench who could be starters any other year for us. Our defense will be a strength. We have solid gloves all over the field and about five outfielders who can flat-out run it down. Our key for success this year will be replacing three solid starting pitchers who moved on to college. The real key will be do we have starting pitching that can take us on a playoff run like we had last year? We have to throw strikes and challenge hitters. It may sound cliché, but this group will go as far as our pitching takes us. I think this team understands that we are very deep. We have guys who have the experience of being on our supersectional team last year and we have some young guys fighting for the change to make that playoff run themselves. Our goals are simple - go farther than we did last year."

GRANTCoach: Dave Behm (10th season)

Last season: 23-10, 11-7 in NLCC

Top returning players: Senior Henry Kusiak (INF/P), Joe Gorden (C), Carlos Martinez (P/IF), juniors Mikal Ashley (1B/RHP), Val Cerna (INF/P), Danny Laughery (OF), Mason Sekulich (P/OF)

Key newcomers: Senior Joey Califf (OF), juniors Anthony Figueroa (IF/P), Aaron Vertuno (IF/OF/P), sophomore Cody Connealy (IF/OF/P/C)

Outlook: Kusiak is a returning all-NLCC player after hitting .324 with 20 RBI a year ago. Laughery hit .320 and swiped 14 bags. Grant benefits from returning almost half its lineup from 2018. "Martinez, Laughery, Kusiak, Gorden, Ashley and Cerna all had a ton of at-bats and were successful at the plate last year," said Behm. "As well, we return a lot of infield depth with the entire infield back." On the flip side, pitching must be replenished. "We lost a majority of our innings from last year, but we return a solid group of arms," Behm noted. "These guys will need to step up into more prominent roles for us to be successful this season." The pitching crew includes the likes of Martinez, Ashley, Kusiak, Skulich and College of Lake County recruit Austin Vass, along with newcomers Vertuno, Figueroa and Cord Babcock. "We will need to fill the voids left by the senior class on the mound," Behm said. "We return a great core of players, but the roles on the field will be different. We can still be a successful team, we just have to adjust to new and bigger roles for a lot of the returning players. The senior leadership on this team is phenomenal. They have a ton of energy and excitement for this season. That is contagious and they've done a great job forming a team identity."

GRAYSLAKE CENTRALCoach: Troy Whalen (16th season)

Last season: 18-7, NLCC champions

Top returning players: Seniors Coby Moe (P/IF), Nic Presutti (OF), Tony Crews (OF), Kevin O'Brien (IF), Eric Sturm (P), Joey Webster (IF), Ethan Peterson (P), junior Marcus Maristella (IF)

Key newcomers: Seniors Tyler Marson (P), Daniel Guckenberger (IF), Alex Berry (C), Gabe Lobeman (OF), Pau Kula (OF), Nate Twardock (OF), juniors Daniel Rogers (C), Nathan Casper (OF) and Aaron Lieberman (P)

Outlook: Gone are college players Max Snowden (Dubuque), Tony Neuman (Cornell) and Benton Troehler (UW-Oshkosh), not to mention 13 wins on the mound from Clay Stoffel, Ray Bradley and Jack Fortmann. But the Rams are far from being bereft of talent. Moe, a Northwestern commit, went 6-1 last year and whiffed 62 in 50 innings. Presutti, a Benedictine signee, hit .405 and scored 34 runs. Crews batted .395 with 18 runs scored and 24 RBI, while O'Brien hit .380 with 20 RBI. Sturm was 4-2 with a 2.50 ERA. Webster, a DePauw commit, hit .340. Maristella hit .300 with 27 runs scored and Peterson saved won two and saved four games in 20 innings of work. Moe, Presutti and O'Brien are four-year varsity members, Crews has logged three years and Maristella has been the starting varsity shortstop since midway through freshman year. Those five form a nucleus that has won 2 regionals and a NLCC title. "We have a great core returning that is battle-tested in navigating through a lot of games during the regular season, yet know the importance of playing your best ball come mid- to late May," Whalen said. "We are going to miss the leadership and toughness that our 2018 graduates brought to the field each day, but our returning guys have now embraced that leadership role and our practices have been spirited and competitive." Whalen said depth could be a scale-tipper for the Rams. "Probably the deepest pitching staff we've had in years," he said. "We have a great mixture of arms with varying speeds and arm slots so it will be fun to see how the rotations and innings play out during the season. With the pitch-count rules, you never can have too much pitching. This is without a doubt one of our deepest and most versatile teams over the last few years. We are carrying 17 seniors and they along with a talented cast of juniors are battling every day for notoriety. This group has the experience and talent. If we stay healthy, the ceiling is high for what this group can accomplish."

GRAYSLAKE NORTHCoach: Brett Hill (fourth season)

Last season: 18-15-1, 12-6 in NLCC

Top returning players: Seniors Nick Lovitsch (CF), Adam Calhoun (P), Jimmy Straten (P), Matt Heery (3B), juniors Jason Donohue (SS/P), Trace Taskovic (1B)

Key newcomers: Senior Matt Rennolds (2B), juniors Jason Hughes (OF), Brandon Legg (OF), sophomore Jack Sisson (C)

Outlook: Donohue is a returning All-Area and all-NLCC pick thanks to a .348 average, .460 on-base percentage and 37 runs scored. Lovitsch also was all-NLCC a year ago after hitting .322 with 30 RBI and 25 runs scored. Calhoun is back on the mound after logging 27 innings and fanning 33 (2.78 ERA). Straten registered 29 innings and was 4-0 with a save. Hill likes how the Knights are shaping up on defense. "We expect to pick up the ball well behind our pitching," he said. "We return our starting third baseman, shortstop center fielder and our newcomers are solid defensively as well." Calhoun and Straten are veteran relievers who are moving into starting roles. "We will need to replace a lot of innings on the mound," said Hill, who will see his first full class of players graduate this year, which is his fourth at the helm. "I'm really proud of the seniors' work ethic, character and commitment to doing things the way we have taught them," he said. "I rely on this group to be an example for younger players who come into the program, and I believe their leadership will take them a long way in life." Like other coaches in the NLCC, Hill sees another competitive year ahead. "The NLCC always is competitive but Grayslake Central returns a lot of key players from its championship team last year," he said.

LAKESCoach: Bob Holst (third season)

Last season: 19-13, 10-8 in NLCC

Top returning players: Seniors Joe Glassey (1B), Logan Mueller (P/OF/ 2B), Carson Cobb (1B), Jason Volpe (C/OF), Jeff Nielsen (3B), junior Chance Andell (OF)

Key newcomers: Senior Alex Huissen (OF), junior Logan Hanson (P)

Outlook: Lakes has no shortage of college-bound players. Glassey is headed to Illinois, while Mueller will continue at Kansas State. Cobb is headed to UW-Oshkosh, while Huissen will play at Adrian College. Volpe, Holst noted, is getting many looks from schools across the college division spectrum. Huissen is a transfer from Indian Trail in Kenosha, Wis., while Hanson has a fastball in the 83-85 MPH range. "We have three top-notch senior starting pitchers and a junior who started six varsity games last year and sits 83-85 mph," Holst noted. The coach added development on defense will be key with a new infield lineup, while timely hitting and routine playmaking must occur for success to follow. Senior leadership will be important as well. "This senior class is a really tight group that the entire coaching staff has known really well for years," said Holst. Holst sees Antioch, Grayslake Central, Wauconda and Grant as upper-tier contenders in the league.

ROUND LAKECoach: Ed Adamson (11th season)

Last season: 5-26, 0-18 in NLCC

Top returning players: Seniors Angel Cueves (IF), Jorge Contreras (IF), Wyatt Hill (OF/P), juniors Charlie Burton (IF), Lennard Pureza (C)

Key newcomers: Sophomores Alex Hair (OF), Connor Lee (IF), Owen Hill (C)

Outlook: Round Lake brings back an experienced crew this spring. "We will be leaning on our seniors to step up and make plays," said Adamson. "Defensively, everyone in the infield is a returner and can play all the infield positions. This helps with pitching and flexibility." Hill is a returning all-NLCC selection. "We have multiple pitchers, which is nice when all our games get stacked up," said Adamson. "The staff is led by seniors in Wyatt Hill, Gio Cirelli and Bryant Porcayo. They will pitch a lot of innings. Juniors Wesley Daniels, Zach Lee and Osvaldo Mercado will log many innings. We are not going to strike out a ton of hitters, but we will throw strikes and need to play defense behind them." Adamson lauded the catching skills of Pureza behind the plate. "He brings a good set of skills behind that plate, which in my opinion is crucial to have a good defense," he said. Adamson said the conference will be tough again with this caveat. "We play in a very good baseball conference," he said. "Multiple teams have a chance to make a run at the state title. We are focusing on what we can control, getting better each day and trying to be as competitive as possible."

WAUCONDACoach: Bill Sliker (17th season)

Last season: 11-16-2, 8-10 in NLCC

Top returning players: Seniors Marcus Keller (P/IF), Brett Winkel (P/IF), Drew Coe (P/OF), Bobby Efflandt (P/1B), Keegan Henley (P/OF), Jacob Jensen (P/IF), juniors Clark Morgan (P/1B), Anthony Bonk (P/OF), Ryan Meyer (P/IF), sophomores Camden Janik (C), Riley Kirk (P-IF)

Key newcomers: Seniors Cameron Pyles (P/IF), Luke Dubach (C/P), juniors Sam Kuch (IF), Jeremy Pones (P/OF), Josh Kehl (C/P/ IF), Justin Surovitz (P/IF), Brad Nolan (P/OF), Tyler Heinz (C/IF)

Outlook: Sliker is hopefully strong pitching will rear its head right out of the gates. "Early on, we hope the pitching staff is the strength of our team. We have a couple experienced pitchers back who should do really well and become the leaders of our staff," he said. "And as we put some games together, the offense and defense comes together." The Bulldogs aren't lacking in the hard-work department either. "The thing I like the most is the work ethic we have shown so far during indoor practices," said Sliker. Keller is headed to UW-Oshkosh to continue his career.

NORTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCE

LAKE ZURICHCoach: Rick Erickson (third season)

Top returning players: Seniors Tyler Snep (C), Michael Chialdikas (SS), Jake Schwartz (P), Jake Green (P), Austin LePage (OF), juniors Noah DeLuga (P-OF), Anthony Mangano (IF)

Key newcomers: Senior Michael Gallus (P/1B), juniors Jack Moses (IF/OF), James Piggott (OF/P), Jack Pfeifer (P/1B), sophomore Sam Holtz (C/IF)

Outlook: The Bears are loaded with quality talent. Snep, a four-year varsity starter and an Iowa commit, is a career .323 hitter with 14 homers and 64 RBI. Chialdikas is a three-year starter and is headed to Oakland University, while junior DeLuga is committed to Minnesota and threw 44 innings last year, striking out 74 and posting a 2.38 ERA. Mangano also is an Iowa recruit. He hit .337 and stole 17 bases. Schwartz is going to Lewis in Romeoville and logged 26⅔ innings, while posting a 1.57 ERA. Green was the team's top reliever. He fanned 23 in 18⅔ innings of work. "This is without a doubt the most athletic team I have ever coached, size, speed, strength, agility and instincts at every position defensively," said Erickson. "This team also is very hungry coming into the season with a chip on its shoulder. Our players are focused and have a winning mindset with everything we do." Erickson said he has a lineup balanced with contact hitters and gap-to-gap hitters, as well as at least five players he feels can swipe 15-plus bags. On defense, four players return for either their third or fourth varsity season and all are at key positions. DeLuga and Schwartz were conference starting pitchers last year and Green was the team's top arm out of the pen. Speaking of the conference, Erickson said the North Suburban will be a bear once again. "We play in a conference where you can be a very good baseball team and still find yourself in fourth or fifth place," he said. "You have to be consistent all season and come up big when it matters the most. If we continue to do all the little things well, we will be a very successful team this spring. I love the mindset of this team. The players have not really set goals for this season. They have set expectations. They are not hoping to win conference, regionals, state. They are expecting to."

LIBERTYVILLECoach: Matt Thompson (third season)

Last season: 28-10, 18-3 in NSC

Top returning players: Andrew Kim (OF/IF), Tanner Kelly (SS), Garrison Bennett (C), Ryan Klainos (P)

Key newcomers: Seniors Charlie Land (IF/P), David Robertson (IF), Derek Calamari (P/IF), Peyton Jennings (P), juniors Sam Paden (P/IF), Dylan Drumke (OF/P), Cole Fiorenza (OF), sophomore Connor Lockwood (P)

Outlook: Four Division I recruits return for the Wildcats in Kim (Illinois), Kelly (Illinois State), Bennett (Missouri) and Klainos (Valparaiso). "We're expecting a big offensive year from Andrew, Tanner, Garrison, Dylan Drumke and Sam Paden," said Thompson. "A lot of guys also have bought into the team approach when it comes to hitting with two strikes and advancing runners. One of our offensive points of interest is we want to be more productive with our outs." Thompson also likes how the flip side of the diamond looks. "If our pitchers compete and throw strikes, our defense will win us a lot of games," he said. "Ryan Klainos and Derek Calamari should have good years on the mound with some very strong newcomers such as Sam Paden and Connor Lockwood. The other thing about our pitching staff is they all are ready to compete and are not afraid to make mistakes. Defensively, we will be very strong. Andrew can play anywhere, Tanner looks great as shortstop, and Garrison has made tremendous strides defensively. These guys all work extremely hard and embrace the grind." The Wildcats' goals, Thompson noted, are to win the North Suburban and win on championship Saturday three times. "We want to win conference, even though our conference is stacked," he said. "Mundelein, Stevenson, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich and Warren all will be tougher this year."

MUNDELEINCoach: Randy Lerner (second season)

Last season: 23-9

Top returning players: Seniors TJ Yakimisky (3B/P), Jared Dorfman (LF), Rahul Champaneri (P), juniors Jonathon Hanscom (P), Austin Greco (P/OF)

Key newcomers: Juniors Andrew Schroedter (SS), Drake Morton (C)

Outlook: Hanscom was all-NSC in 2018 after going 7-2 with a 1.12 ERA with 71 strikeouts against 12 walks in an impressive 50 innings. Champaneri was 4-2 with a 1.83 ERA and whiffed 34 in 30 2/3 innings. Yakimisky was 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in 16 1/3 varsity innings. Dorfman hit .302 last season, while Greco is committed to Miami-Ohio. Yakimisky is headed to Illinois-Springfield, while Champaneri (Concordia-Chicago), Binz (Hope College), Devine (Augustana), Dorfman (Illinois College) and Dylan Tessitore (Lake County) also will play at the next level. "Pitching should be our biggest strength," said Lerner. "We are returning three starters with quality varsity innings. We are going to need to be solid defensively and rely on our starters to keep us in the game. We will need to be able to be creative offensively to score runs. We will have a big focus on on-base percentage and quality at-bats." Dorfman, Schroeder, Yakimisky and Greco will lead the way offensively. "We will need to have some others step up to produce runs," said Lerner. "We will, at times, need to be creative in how we look to produce runs." Lerner knows his team will be challenged in the NSC. "The conference is filled with solid teams this year," he said. "The conference graduated a lot of talent last year and will open the door for some of the teams with younger talent. We hope to be able to finish at the top of the conference. Our main goals are to get better every day, compete at our best and have all the wheels turning in time for the state playoffs."

STEVENSONCoach: Nick Skala (first season)

Last season: 21-14-1, 10-8 in NSC

Top returning players: Seniors Michael D'Angelo (OF), Nick Brueckert (P/OF), Jacob Rosenkranz (P), Ryan McElhiny (IF), Hayden Brotz (P/1B), Nick Wang (P), Isaiah Hart (OF), Jack Janota (C)

Key newcomers: Senior Brandon Ward (IF/P), juniors AJ Weine (IF), Jake Surane (IF), Justin Tumpowsky (IF), Drew Ruchim (C), sophomore Benji Reis (C)

Outlook: Stevenson also is rife with college-committed talent in Rosenkranz (Valparaiso), Hart (Cowley College), Janota (Lincoln Trail), Brotz (Chicago) and D'Angelo (football and baseball at St. Thomas in Minnesota). D'Angelo threw 16⅔ innings last year and had 14 RBI. Brueckert hit .500 and drove in nine runs. Rosenkranz logged 24⅓ innings last year, while McElhiny hit .385 with 25 RBI. Brotz pitched 21 innings and hit .382 with 12 doubles and 21 RBI. Wang adds to the list of proven varsity arms with his 25⅓ innings returning. Hart hit .306 with 8 doubles and 12 RBI in 2018. "We have new systems in place that the boys will need to understand and execute," said Skala. "We have great leadership from our senior core. They have been bringing the underclassmen along to meet the high standards that varsity baseball demands. Stevenson heads to Tennessee for spring break and then returns to play in the always competitive NSC. "We have a tough out-of-conference schedule this year along with the challenging NSC," said Skala. "We have the pitching to compete with anyone in the state. Our hitters will need to take their approach to the next level to help us reach the goals we have set for this year."

WARRENCoach: Clint Smothers (12th season)

Last season: 21-14, 13-8 in NSC

Top returning players: Senior Bradley Vondruska (3B), juniors Mike Kocen (2B), Nate Rentas (C)

Key newcomers: Juniors Thomas Kenney (C), Gabe Schmitt (3B/OF), Dru Jasnoch (P/OF), Ryan Devires (P/OF), Max McCullough (3B/OF), sophomore Brian Rapanan (C/SS)

Outlook: Kocen and Rentas dotted the all-NSC teams last year. Kocen hit .361 with 10 doubles, 3 triples and 29 RBI, while Rentas was at .314 with 16 doubles, 2 homers and 31 RBI. Vondruska hit .271 with 19 RBI. Kyle Duenas has the most varsity pitching innings returning with nine. "We don't have pitching experience coming back," said Smothers. "Offense and defense should be the key to the season. It's a great group of kids that are very competitive. We will need to develop some pitchers to be able to compete in our conference." Smothers ticked off Libertyville, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Lake Zurich and Stevenson as NSC threats. "All will be good," he said.

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

CARMELCoach: Bill Taylor (fourth season)

Last season: 21-11, 11-7 in ESCC

Top returning players: Seniors Lukas Galdoni (1B), Sean Lynch (OF), Brandon Banker (OF), Drew Wiegman (SS), Nolan Taylor (P), Jake Adams (SS/2B/P), junior Ben Wiegman (P)

Key newcomers: Junior Dylan Paquette (P/3B)

Outlook: Carmel also does not lack for college-bound standouts. Galdoni is headed to Butler. He hit .333 last year with 4 home runs and 26 RBI. He went 4-1 on the hill and earned all-ESCC honors. Ben Wiegman, a junior, is a Louisville commit who went 6-2 with a minuscule 0.98 ERA as a 10th grader. He also hit .303 with 19 RBI and also earned all-conference accolades. Lynch (Eastern Illinois) hit .319 with 15 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Banker also had 15 RBI and 12 stolen. Drew Wiegman, the team's shortstop who's also committed to Louisville, missed most of his junior season due to injury after busting out as a sophomore hitting .412 with 29 steals, 4 homers and 40 RBI and snaring all-ESCC honors. Paquette had a cup of coffee with the big team last year and went 1-1 with a 1.32 ERA. "We will need to improve our offensive output from last year," said Taylor. "We have a nice mix of power and speed, so if we can consistently put the ball in play and manufacturer more runs, we will have a chance to be in a lot of games. Our pitching staff has shown the ability to consistently throw strikes and that will be a bonus with the returning guys we have on defense behind them. I'm very fortunate to have a great group of leaders on this team. The chemistry and camaraderie of this group makes it fun to be around."

CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUE NORTH DIVISION

VERNON HILLSCoach: Jason Czarnecki (18th season)

Last season: 12-20-1, 3-13 in CSL North

Top returning players: The Cougars return 15 players who saw varsity time in 2018, the highest number in program history.

Outlook: Pitching depth will help the Cougars in 2019. "There are a total of 15 arms between the junior and senior class," Czarnecki said. To be exact, Vernon Hills returns 185 innings of experience including its Top 5 from 2018 in terms of innings pitched with seniors Derek Jarrell, Jack Peterson, Caleb Thomson, Danny Wizceb and junior Michael Moore. Only one position player graduated from last year. "There is more returning experience than ever as well as a tremendous amount of competition for starting positions," said Czarnecki. "We hope to improve on the .919 fielding percentage form 2018." Offensively, the Cougars put up 5.6 runs per contest, but allowed 6.2. "We are hoping that having the experience of nearly 800 varsity ABs will help our team improve run production in 2019," the coach said. Czarnecki said last year was one of those growing-pain-type of seasons. "The end result was a team that gained an incredible amount of experience that translated into improved play," he said. "This team has been working very hard thus far. Equally important, we have started to see the development of team chemistry. The 10 returning seniors are providing leadership we believe will help the team achieve a higher level of success. I like the sense of direction our seniors have given. The juniors and seniors get along rather well. It is fun to see the team chemistry developing. It is interesting because although we have a lot of returning experience, there still is a lot of uncertainty as to what our best lineup will be. We are 15 deep in pitching and two to three deep at many defensive positions. The players can see there isn't much separation between players which has promoted healthy competition. We are excited to start playing games."