DuPage County baseball notes: Pitching helps Neuqua Valley get off to strong start
The Neuqua Valley baseball team lost significant talent from last season's 20-win team but have opened up with a strong start to raise expectations.
The Wildcats (5-2-1 to start the week) have picked up quality contributions from several players early in the season, notably junior second baseman Andrew Gould, junior outfielder Paul Feret, senior catcher Mark Wagner and starting pitchers AJ McEneany, Dan Cercello and Mark Mennecke.
Gould is batting .320 since being inserted into the top of the order following an injury to junior center fielder Matt Knapczyk, who was hitting .444 in his first three games. Feret is hitting .385, while Wagner is batting .261 and thrown out five of 11 runners attempting to stea.
McEneany is sparking the staff, holding opponents down in two starts for a 2.33 ERA, with Cercello striking out 15 batters in two starts for a .389 ERA. Mennecke has a 2-0 record in three starts with a 1.27 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
"Andrew has been a huge spark offensively," Neuqua Valley coach James Thornton said. "He has started every game and is leading the team with eight hits. Paul Feret has filled in nicely since Knapczyk got hurt. Mark Wagner has been very good at halting opponent's run games.
"I'm pleased with what we're getting from our pitchers. The big three really feed off one another, and they go as hard as they can. They create a competitive energy that makes each pitcher want to toe the rubber and compete to keep us in each game."
The Wildcats, Thornton said, had several positive returns from their spring break trip to Nashville, Tenn. The Wildcats competed in the Warrior Spring Classic, which was run by Riverdale High School. Overall, the Wildcats won two of their three games, only losing to a highly ranked from Noblesville, Ind.
Senior right-hander Dilen Dabezic tossed four innings on the trip to provide quality innings in relief. Tommy Kuban had a team-high 5 hits on the trip, while Wagner added 4 hits and drove in 3 runs.
"Our pitching was good," Thornton said. "We kept our pitchers at specific pitch counts to build their stamina. Our hitters pounded the ball against Riverdale but struggled against a crafty lefty from Grace Christian."
Metea Valley update:
Metea Valley is a team to watch this spring.
Thus far, the Mustangs, who returned seven starters from last season's 12-win team, have struggled with injuries to key players.
Coach Steve Colombe said the Mustangs (3-5 to start the week) will get some good news this week with the return of junior Jeremy Wrona and senior catcher Jake LaVine.
"We haven't been at full strength to start the season. Two of our three left-handed pitchers have not been able to start on the mound and lengthen themselves out to pitch, including returning all-conference player Jeremy Wrona. He missed the first six weeks of the season coming back from a right hand injury."
Wrona hit .350 with 21 RBI and compiled a 3-1 record with 32 strikeouts last season.
"Our returning all-conference catcher, Jake LaVine, also missed the first six games of the season," Colombe said. "Both are returning this week which strengthens us defensively and gives us more lineup options. We're looking forward to having our team as full strength over the coming weeks and getting into conference play."
Junior Daniel Bastidas is leading the attack with a .440 average to go with 6 extra-base hits and 8 RBI.
"Daniel has stepped up big-time into a larger role this year," Colombe said. "Jake has been our catcher since he was a sophomore. Danny had to step in behind the plate to start the season and has also produced for us offensively."
Colombe said the Mustangs should be in store for a good run in the second half of the season.
"Early in the season, we're striving to play good, clean baseball," Colombe said. "We want our pitchers to throw strikes, have our defense make routine plays and put together good at-bats. We have a tight knit group of kids that enjoy playing together. We will continue to improve throughout the year."
St. Francis update:
St. Francis is looking for a rebound week after suffering losses to Neuqua Valley and Wheaton North to close out last week. The Spartans (5-3) spent the tail end of last month in Orlando, playing in three official games for a 2-1 mark.
St. Francis coach Tom Ciombor said the program has made 10 trips to Orlando.
"We had a wonderful experience again," Ciombor said of the spring break trip. "We played five games total and learned a lot about our team and had tons of practice and playing time."
The Spartans look to build off their solid and deep collection of pitchers, led by Peter Lemke, Rocco Tenuta, Colt Armbrust, Zac Maslona and Andrew Mueller, to make some noise in April.
"Our pitching has been very good," Ciombor said. "They have kept us in every game and is the deepest staff we've had in years. We're still trying to find our identity offensively.
"We have a few guys struggling who have been good hitters for us the last couple of years, so once we get back to from, we should get back on track."
Lemke and Tenuta, though, are two players certainly on the right track, according to Ciombor. At the plate, Tenuta is batting .520 and Thomas Smith is hitting .360
"Peter and Rocco have both given us high level starts," he said. "We feel confident matching up with anyone in the state when they are on the mound."
Benet update:
Eight games into the season, Benet (5-3) is ready to test itself in East Suburban Catholic Conference action. The Redwings have three games against St. Patrick this season.
Benet coach Scott Lawler noted the production of several players in the first few weeks of the season.
"Senior second baseman Cole Rosenthal and senior Luke Bafia have led the way at the plate so far," Lawler said. "On the mound, junior Luc Lawler and sophomore Jake Rifenburg have given quality starts and the bullpen has been solid."
The Redwings just concluded a five-game trip to Myrtle Beach, where they finished with a 4-1 mark.