Baseball/Scouting Class 3-4A Fox Valley sectionals
Class 4A McHenry sectional
Site: Peterson Park, McHenry; McCullom Lake Rd., half a mile west of Ill. Route 31.
The matchups: Hononegah (27-9) vs. South Elgin (20-12), Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.; Grant (22-11) vs. Crystal Lake South (28-9), Thursday at 4:30 p.m.; winners meet for the sectional title on Saturday at 11 a.m.
South Elgin vs. Hononegah: South Elgin has advanced to a sectional for the second time in three years. The Storm outlasted Larkin 7-5 in a regional semifinal and sneaked past Elgin 4-3 in the eight-inning title game. Winning the regional championship speaks to the resiliency of a team that had lost 8 of its final 11 regular-season games. “It’s just the kids getting back to believing in themselves and doing the things they had to do,” South Elgin coach Jim Kating said. “Kids are stepping up and showing it in clutch situations. In the beginning of the year, we were able to get that two-out hit, get that bunt down and put 2 or 3 hits together. I think we’re starting to get back to that.” The Storm are led on the mound by senior Eric Stazy (5-3) and juniors David Palmer (6-2), Chris Bingham (3-2) and Alex Wolfe (3-1). South Elgin seeks its first sectional title. Hononegah won its fifth regional in six years by toppling NIC-10 regular-season champion Boylan 5-3 in the Harlem regional title game. The Indians slipped by Harlem 13-11 in an extra-inning semifinal. With only one senior on the team, Hononegah is built for the future but capable of winning now. Sophomore pitcher Donovin Sims earned wins in both regional games, including a relief appearance against Harlem, according to the Rockford Register-Star. “Even though they’re young they have a ton of experience at the varsity level,” Kating said. “They’ve been there. They’ve been battle tested. It’ll be up to our kids as to how we come out and play and which way we go when a tough situation hits. Will we go through it and move forward, or will we will sit back and let things affect us?”
Crystal Lake South vs. Grant: This is Crystal Lake South’s third sectional appearance and first since 2008. The Gators enter the Round of 32 with impressive statistics to their credit. The co-champions of the competitive Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference own a team ERA of 2.10 and a team batting average of .356 (360-for-1,012). Senior Jordan Van Dyck has been outstanding. The right-hander is 10-1 on the mound with an ERA of 0.96. He has struck out 76 and walked 17 in 65 innings. At the plate, Van Dyck’s batting average of .424 (42-for-99) is second on the team only to Tyler Salm’s .454 (54-for-119). “He didn’t get as much playing time as he wanted as a junior, so he got after it in the off-season, lifting weights and working on his game,” CL South coach Brian Bogda said. “I’m glad to see him getting the results he wanted after putting in the time to get better.” The strong pitching staff also includes starters Tyler Hall (8-1, 51 K, 9 BB, 1.89 ERA, 59 IP) and Zack Geib (7-3, 45 K, 12 BB, 2.30 ERA, 64 IP). Indiana State-bound Nick Martin hasn’t pitched until recently due to a labrum issue, but he is nearly back to full strength and could be called upon in the sectional, Bogda said. Van Dyck and Hall will both be available on full rest Thursday. Other top CL South hitters include leadoff man Jake Bigos (. 417, .531 on-base, 37 runs), slugger Max Meitzler (. 372, 14 2B, 6 HR, 38 RBI) and catcher Dom Winiecki (. 361, 6 2B, 33 RBI). Grant won its first regional title since 2001 by upending Cary-Grove 4-2. Pitcher Jared Helmich (9-1) won the regional semifinal with a complete-game over McHenry (5-3), and he earned the save against Cary-Grove in relief of Jake Trumpis (7-2). “I would expect we’ll see Helmich,” Bogda said. “He can bring it pretty good. They’re a pretty good hitting team. They’re leadoff guy (Jake Ring) is really quick and is a heck of a ballplayer.” Ring stole 40 bases in 42 attempts last season.
Advancement: The winner of the McHenry sectional will face the winner of the Schaumburg sectional in the Rockford supersectional at RiverHawks Stadium on Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the state finals in Joliet.
Class 4A Schaumburg sectional
Site: Boomers Stadium, Schaumburg
The matchups: No. 16 Bartlett (19-19) vs. No. 13 Willowbrook (22-14), Wednesday at 5 p.m.; No. 10 Schaumburg (23-13) vs. No. 3 St. Charles East (25-10), Wednesday at 7 p.m.; winners meet for the sectional title on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Bartlett vs. Willowbrook: One of these tournament Cinderellas stays at the ball; midnight looms for the other. Bartlett knocked off defending sectional champion Streamwood in a play-in game, then upset No. 1 Geneva 2-0 in a semifinal behind the pitching of Robert Sadowski, who tossed a 7-hit, 8-strikeout complete game. The Hawks won their first regional since 2002 by knocking off No. 8 Lake Park, 5-3. Colin Nowak pitched that game, striking out 12 without a walk. Entering sectional play Sadowski is 6-3 with 3 saves, 62 strikeouts, 19 walks and a 3.00 ERA in 60 innings. Nowak is 7-2 with 92 strikeouts, 25 walks, and a 2.26 ERA in 68 innings. “We kept hearing from coaches during the season, ‘You’ll have a chance in the playoffs,’ and obviously Colin and Robert have proven that theory to be true,” Bartlett coach Chris Pemberton said. “It’s been a good week. Throughout the season we had lots of ups and downs. To be playing like we’re playing is good for the kids. We had faith in them even at the lowest point.” Bartlett is led at the plate by Dan Gallanis (. 337 avg., 8 2B, 23 RBI), Ryan Roszkowiak (. 294, 10 2B, 5 HR, 22 RBI), and Nowak (. 313 avg., 6 2B, 5 HR, 27 runs).
Willowbrook is battle tested after beating No. 5 Addison Trail 4-1 to win that program’s first regional title since 1973. The Warriors defeated No. 4 Wheaton North 6-1 in a semifinal. Bartlett didn’t fare well against either prospective sectional title-game opponent during the regular season. Schaumburg defeated the Hawks 9-0 on April 2. St. Charles East defeated Bartlett 10-1 on April 13, but it was a 2-1 game until the sixth inning.
Schaumburg vs. St. Charles East: The host Saxons have won 10 of 11 since a 13-11 start under retiring coach Paul Groot. Schaumburg won a pair of 1-run regional decisions, including a 2-1 victory over No. 2 St. Charles North in the title game at York. Pitcher Pat Bellinger (7-3) earned wins in both playoff games. He got the win in relief in the semifinal via 25 pitches, then threw a 115-pitch complete game against the North Stars. St. Charles East was the only seeded team among the top nine to advance sectional-wide. The Saints won their third straight regional by beating No. 14 Hoffman Estates 5-0 and No. 11 Glenbard East 5-3. Nick Huskisson (5-2) got the win in the title game.
Advancement: The winner of the Schaumburg sectional will face the winner of the McHenry sectional in the Rockford supersectional at RiverHawks Stadium on Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the state finals in Joliet.
Class 3A Sycamore sectional
Site: Sycamore Sports Complex, Airport Rd. just south of Ill. Route 64.
The matchups: Marmion (22-10) vs. Freeport, Wednesday at 4 p.m.; Prairie Ridge (26-9) vs. Burlington Central (26-10), Thursday at 4 p.m.
Prairie Ridge vs. Burlington Central: This is a clash between regular-season co-champions of their respective conferences. Burlington Central shared the Big Northern East title with Richmond-Burton; Prairie Ridge tied Crystal Lake South for the title in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference, an otherwise Class 4A league. “I think we kind of realize who the favorite is in the sectional,” Central coach Kyle Nelson said of PR. “We’ve accomplished a lot and everything from here on out past the regional is gravy. I think our guys will go out there free and relaxed.” The teams met in a nonconference game on May 17, though neither started a top pitcher. Prairie Ridge won 8-7. The Rockets are led at the plate by senior Tanner Scott, who is hitting .445 (49-for-110) with an area-best 13 home runs and 47 RBI. He also has 11 doubles and has walked 26 times in 138 plate appearances. Scott hit a home run and drove in 4 runs in the first meeting with the Wolves. Other leading Central hitters seniors Zach Ranney (. 442 avg., 9 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 35 runs) and Ray Hunnicutt (. 333 avg., 5 2B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 30 SB, 40 runs). The pitching staff is headed by Riley Jensen (9-2, 62 K, 19 BB, 1.20 ERA, 64 IP) and Ranney (7-2, 48 K, 14 BB, 2.77 ERA, 60 IP) and Michael Scott (3-2, 47 K, 15 BB, 1.52 ERA, 50 IP). Prairie Ridge counters with lefty Tyler Tennant (6-3) and Lucas Keller, the latter of whom tamed Marian Central in the regional title game. Jordan Getzelman leads the Wolves at the plate with 9 home runs. Prairie Ridge is good top to bottom,” Nelson said. “We just have to avoid making mistakes. If we can play mistake-free for the most part and limit giving them extra outs, we have a good chance to advance. You can’t give them extra opportunities.”
Marmion vs. Freeport: The Cadets have junior Connor Riley (7-3) and left-handers Shane Cano and Chris Simon all available on full rest. Riley pitched 6 strong inning against St. Francis in a 5-1 regional semifinal victory last Thursday. Cano pitched 5 innings and got the win against DeKalb in the title game at Kaneland on Saturday. Simon retired the last six DeKalb hitters in order with 3 strikeouts. Marmion has reached sectional play for the third straight year and sixth time in program history. The Cadets seek their first sectional title after losing in sectional title games three of the last four seasons. Freeport pitcher Colin Wescott struck out 7 in a 5-3 complete-game victory over Belvidere to win the 16th regional title in Pretzels history. They have never won a sectional.
Advancement: The Sycamore sectional winner advances to face the LaSalle-Peru sectional winner in the Augustana College supersectional at Duane R. Swanson Stadium in Moline on Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the state finals in Joliet.