Stevenson vs. Mundelein in biggest series of the year

The biggest series of the year in the North Suburban Lake Division will take place over the next few days.

It’s Stevenson versus Mundelein in a rematch of what happened to be the biggest series of last year.

Only this time, the roles are reversed.

Stevenson, which will play at Mundelein on Saturday and then host the series on Monday, was the frontrunner in the division last season, and wound up winning the title with two losses. All with Mundelein nipping at its heels.

This year, Mundelein, which dropped its only game of the season on Wednesday in a loss to Libertyville after rushing out to a 20-0 start, is the hunted. And Stevenson is closing in.

“These games against Mundelein are big for us and for the conference,” Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said. “I have a feeling this series will determine the division champion.

“We want to be the division representative again and I know they want it, too, especially if they can get it by beating us. They’ve probably had these games against us circled on their calendar for a long time.”

Last year, the Patriots not only edged Mundelein for the division title, they also eliminated Mundelein in the state tournament. Stevenson sent Mundelein home in the sectional semifinals and eventually advanced downstate for the first time in school history.

“We always have good games against Mundelein,” Mazzuca said. “And the other great thing about playing such a good team is that it’s a great tune-up for the postseason. A team like Mundelein really gets you ready.

Left is so right: With a 17-5 record through Wednesday, Vernon Hills is off to its best start in history.

Besides being anchored by a senior class that includes strong leadership and a lot of experience in the infield, the Cougars are also benefiting from a pitching rotation that includes four left-handers, including brothers MJ and Pat Crowley, a junior and freshman respectively.

“We’ve never had four lefties in our pitching rotation before,” Vernon Hills coach Jay Czarnecki said. “It’s different but it’s a really nice option to have.

“The Crowley brothers have really done really well. They’re both really great athletes and you can see that in the way they pitch. Pat is really good at changing his speeds and MJ just throws the ball by people.”

Triple threat: If the pitching and hitting are on at Grant, there’s a good chance the defense is off.

If the defense and pitching are on, look for problems at the plate with hitting.

When the hitting and defense are square, the pitching probably isn’t.

The Bulldogs are 6-15 this season and know exactly why.

“We just can’t seem to put all three phases of the game together at the same time,” Grant coach Dave Behm said. “If you want to be good, you’ve got to make plays everywhere, and consistently. We’re not doing that very much.”

Behm cited Grant’s loss to Vernon Hills in which the pitching and defense showed up but the offense struggled, recording 8 strikeouts as well as 8 pop-ups in the game.

In a loss to Antioch, the hitting and pitching were fine but the Bulldogs made 7 costly errors.

“Baseball is so mentally difficult. When you make a mistake you can’t get down because of it,” Behm said. “We’ve got to have guys who stay up and are hungry to make the play next time.”

Home, sweet home: A family trip to Arizona over spring break gave Grant junior pitcher Jared Helmich a chance to unwind and relax after a long winter of basketball.

It also gave him some time on the bench in the dugout that he wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Helmich was expected to spend Spring Break with the rest of the baseball team.

“That was a bit of a problem,” Grant coach Dave Behm said. “Jared had to sit some games when he got back. He understood. He knew he hurt the team by deciding to go on spring break.”

Helmich may have hurt himself, too.

He fell behind while on break and got off to a slow start on the diamond. But he has started to heat up lately.

He’s now hitting .500 and has earned three wins on the mound.

“I think while Jared was playing so well during basketball, he forgot how much baseball meant to him and how much he enjoys it.

“I think he remembers now. I think he learned a lot from the decision he made about the trip and he would make a different decision next time. He’s a great kid and has been a model citizen ever since. Jared has realized how good he can be at baseball and he wants to make sure he does everything he can do to keep doing well.”

Out of sync: Let’s hope Nick Hibbing has more rhythm on the dance floor.

Because when it comes to his assignments on the mound, the Lakes ace pitcher hasn’t been able to find much rhythm at all.

Hibbing has missed at least 2 starts because of cancellations due to the weather.

And when Hibbing has found his way to the found, the weather has still wreaked havoc.

“It seems like Nick has literally gotten a 45-degree, cold and rainy day every time he’s gotten a start,” Lakes coach Ray Gialo said. “It’s hard to get going in the cold. Then you’re missing starts or going long stretches between starts. He’s gotten a bad deal.

“When you’re a pitcher, rhythm and momentum are so important. I feel bad that Nick hasn’t gotten that yet this season. But somehow, he’s handled it as well as he possibly could.”

Hibbing, who signed early to play baseball next year at Iowa, is 3-2 so far and boasts a 1.96 earned run average. He’s also rolled up 41 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched.

“I’m really looking forward to when we get that warmer weather because that’s going to allow Nick to really warm up and get going,” Gialo said. “He’s doing well now, but that will help him do even better.”

Weathering the weather: Baseball coaches all across Lake County have lamented the nasty weather of recent weeks and the toll it has taken on their offenses.

“As hard as it is for pitchers with all the cancellations and layoffs we’ve had because of the weather, it’s even harder for hitters,” Lakes coach Ray Gialo said. “Hitters need consistency, they need to keep working on their swings and seeing live pitching and when they don’t, it’s hard to really get anything going.”

Gialo says his team has struggled at the plate all season, with one exception.

Senior Paul Kukulka has managed to stay hot, even in the cold. He sports a .429 batting average and leads the team with 18 RBI.

“Paul has been really consistent,” Gialo said. “I think a big part of that is his experience. This is Paul’s third year of varsity baseball. I think the fact that he’s been playing for so long at this level really helps him get through the ups and the downs like the weather.”

Quote of the week: “We’re really good at putting diamond dry (a drying agent for infield dirt) down and we’re really good at indoor practices. Beyond that, I have no idea how good we are.” – Stevenson baseball coach Paul Mazzuca on how hard it is to judge the development of his team given how many games and outdoor practices have been lost to the bad weather in the area during April.