Seniors leave their mark on Geneva program

It was the year of the home run for the Geneva baseball team.

The Vikings set the school record in home runs with 37 in 32 games this season from 7 different players.

They kept hitting them until the very end.

Cory Hofstetter's solo shot against Schaumburg in the first inning of Geneva's Class 4A sectional semifinal game at Larkin Wednesday was the last home run the Vikings hit this season.

In the end, it was not enough, as the Vikings fell to the Saxons, 5-4, and capped a very successful 21-11 season in Elgin.

"It was a lot of fun, a great year," Hofstetter said. "It was really exciting to play with these guys."

Hofstetter, a junior, finished the season with 12 home runs, which tied current home run king Nick Hererra (class of 2006) in a single season. He also ended up with his 35th and 36th RBI of the season against the Saxons, which currently leads the Tri-Cities Area.

Behind Hofstetter in home runs was Dan Rowe (7), followed by Ryan Adams and Justin Doty (5 each), Ryan Payne (4), Kevin Massoth and Rodney Nelson (2 each).

"I think this year, we shocked everyone with the home run number," Rowe said. "We started to lose track of how many we hit…it was a surprise. We started off hitting them well, took a break and then the unexpected guys came up and helped break the record. It was fun. It was a good record to have."

"(Hitting home runs) really wasn't my job, but every once in a while, you get one up in the air and get lucky," said leadoff man Massoth, who ended up leading the Vikings in runs scored with 33.

Against the Saxons, Massoth was mere feet away from a grand slam in the seventh inning.

"I thought I had it at first, but halfway down the line, it started to curve," Massoth said. "There's nothing you can do about that."

The home run hitters were up and down the lineup. Although it may not be coach Matt Hahn's best hitting team in the four years he's coached at Geneva, he said this bunch was the most powerful group of hitters.

"With pure statistics, this is probably the best power-hitting team," Hahn said. "We have a great group of kids who play hard and play to win."

The sad part for Geneva is most of these guys graduate this year. The good news? Hofstetter is back and has a great chance of breaking the school record in home runs. He is 9 away from doing so after hitting 10 as a sophomore.

"I sure hope he does," Rowe said. "If he keeps this up, he'll break crazy amounts of records. He's got great hands, great knowledge at the plate and he knows what he's swinging at."

"It's going to happen sooner or later," Massoth added. "He's going to have a big year next year."

Massoth also walks away with a rare school record of his own -- hit by pitches. The senior finished the season getting hit by a pitch 10 times.

"It's pretty cool to have that," Massoth said.

"(With the home run record and Massoth's hit by pitches), that is a combo of our season," Hahn said. "We found ways to hit home runs in bunches and we found other ways to win, like (Massoth) getting hit, along with putting the ball in play and good pitching."

So what if the Vikings didn't set a school record for wins or win the Western Sun Conference this year -- they did all that last year. What they did this year was prove they are a solid team who was capable of wining back-to-back regional titles and consecutive 20-plus win seasons.

"Being able to do that again is validation to the program," Hahn said. "It's not just, 'Oh, you did it once and couldn't do it again,' or, 'You won because of this kid or that kid' or whatever. It's a testament to all the hard work these kids have put in to help build a program to where it's at. People have to recognize Geneva now."

cbolin@dailyherald.com