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2015 Tri-Cities Baseball All-Area capsules

By John Lemon

jlemon@dailyherald.com

Evan Acosta, Batavia

In 56 innings this Western Kentucky-bound lefty struck out 77 while allowing only 38 hits and 11 walks, finishing 5-2 with a 2.24 ERA. Also hit .429 and won a gold glove. Voted team MVP. "He was the pitcher's captain, and the way he went, the way the team went," Batavia coach Matt Holm said. "As far as a person goes, and that is most important, he is a true leader with a great sense of humor, intelligence and is a hard worker. I would add him to the all-Bulldog team if I had one, in a hot second. I am truly blessed to know him and have the pleasure of coaching him for four years in baseball and football."

Kyle Khoury, St. Charles North

Khoury was a key contributor offensively and defensively for a North Star team that won the Upstate Eight Conference River Division championship and finished with a 32-5 record. Khoury hit .344 with 6 doubles, 2 home runs and 23 RBI. Had a .465 on-base percentage and .548 slugging percentage. Headed to Division I Morehead State in Kentucky. "He was just our glue," St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said. "You talk about a warrior behind the plate, he did not want to come out. He shut down the running game. He is one of the quickest kids I've had from squatting to standing and throwing. He would throw everybody out. His blocking ability was uncanny."

RD Lutze, Aurora Christian

Lutze, a junior, put up outstanding numbers at the plate and on the mound, ranking among the area leaders in both. Led the Eagles with a .366 average, 6 doubles and a .959 OPS. Even better as a pitcher with a 5-2 record, 2 saves, 0.67 ERA and 70 strikeouts in just 42 innings. The big right-hander pitched the Eagles to a regional championship victory, striking out 16 in the title game while allowing just 3 hits. "He was dominate all year on the mound, as his ERA and strikeout numbers indicate," Aurora Christian coach Andy Zorger said. "Offensively he had a very nice year as well."

Tyler Mettetal, St. Charles North

Not many can throw as hard - or as well - as this sophomore left-hander. He posted an 8-2 record, 1.41 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and struck out 77 batters with a fastball in the mid- to upper-80s. Fifteen of those strikeouts came in a regional win over Streamwood, setting a school record. Also was dangerous at the plate, moving up from the 6-spot early in the season to No. 3 and finishing with a .391 batting average, 14 doubles and 29 RBI. "I knew coming in he had a chance to be good but I didn't think he would be this good," North Stars coach Todd Genke said. "He just dominated at times. He's a very fierce competitor. Offensively he doesn't miss many balls, he squares up a lot of balls. He's only going to get better."

Matt O'Sullivan, Kaneland

The final win in this junior left-hander's breakthrough season came over Sycamore in the Class 3A regional championship game. That gave him an 8-2 record with 42 strikeouts and a 0.87 ERA. "Matt was one of those kids you could hand the ball to and watch him go to work," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "He thrived on facing the best and learning as he went. He grew and learned a ton this year and by the end of the year he could stack up with any pitcher."

Matt Rahn, Aurora Central Catholic

Aurora Central Catholic put together a 25-win season, and this senior led the way. On the mound he went 8-2 with 3 saves, striking out 69 in 63 innings. At the plate he hit .307 with a .453 on-base average, 35 runs scored and 22 RBI. Stole 25 bases. "Matt was a winner on and off the field," Aurora Central Catholic coach Sean Bieterman said. "He was professional in his approach and preparation to the game every day. He was the example of how we expect our players to play the game."

Austin Regelbrugge, St. Charles East

Saints coach Len Asquini came up with a new term to describe what this senior meant to the Saints, dubbing Regelbrugge his team's "VIP." That's in "Very Important Player," one who played outfield, first base and pitcher while hitting in the middle of the order. "He did so much for us," Asquini said. "His numbers might not be eye-popping but he is a VIP." Regelbrugge hit .298 with 7 doubles and 15 runs. His 12 walks tied for second most on the team as did his 19 RBI. In 47 innings on the mound Regelbrugge allowed just 32 hits and 8 walks for a 0.851 WHIP to go with a 5-3 record with 1 save, 44 strikeouts and a 0.60 ERA.

Edgar Sanchez, Marmion

Sanchez did it all for the Cadets. He led the team in basically every offensive category: batting average (.362), hits (32), doubles (8), triples (3), home runs, RBI (18), runs (29) and stolen bases (19) which also led the area. Thomas Boland did draw one more walk than the 12 by Sanchez, which gave him a .465 on-base percentage to go with a .543 slugging percentage for a 1.007 OPS. A complete player who shined defensively as well. "He was very solid for us at shortstop all season, and has been our most consistent hitter over the course of the past two seasons," Marmion coach Dave Rakow said. "His speed on the base paths was also a huge weapon for us."

Jack Wassel, Geneva

Wassel was on fire almost all spring, finishing with a .413 batting average, 25 runs, 6 doubles and 18 RBI. Also walked 13 times and was hit by a pitch 5 more, giving him a .509 on-base percentage. Being on base so often, Wassel used his speed for a team-high 16 stolen bases. Also was one of the most versatile players in the area, equally adept at shortstop or the outfield. "Jack had a fantastic season," Geneva coach Matt Hahn said. "He was our most consistent hitter all year. It will be great having him back for his senior year."

Cory Wright, St. Charles North

This year's All-Area Captain and the only repeat member from last year's All-Area Team, the Kansas State bound left-hander set a school record with 21 career victories. Nine of them came this year - he was 9-0 in 9 starts, striking out 61 in 56 innings while allowing just 22 hits and 11 walks for a 0.589 WHIP with a 0.50 ERA. At the plate Wright hit .463 with 17 doubles, 4 triples and 2 home runs. Finished with a 1.278 OPS, 26 RBI and 33 runs while being named the Upstate Eight Conference River Division's unanimous Player of the Year. "He was basically the poster child of the program," St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said. "If you want to build a program starting at the foundation you would have Cory Wright there. He was the ultimate player's coach, the ultimate teammate and the ultimate leader."

2015 Baseball All-area roster

First team

Player School Pos. Yr.

Evan Acosta Batavia P/OF Sr.

Kyle Khoury St. Charles North C Sr.

RD Lutze Aurora Christian P/3B Jr.

Tyler Mettetal St. Charles North P/OF So.

Matt O'Sullivan Kaneland P Jr.

Matt Rahn Aurora Central Catholic P/OF Sr.

Austin Regelbrugge St. Charles East P/OF Sr.

Edgar Sanchez Marmion SS Sr.

Jack Wassel Geneva SS Jr.

* Cory Wright St. Charles North 1B/P Sr.

Second team

Player School Pos. Yr.

Anthonny Adduci St. Charles East C Jr.

Jason Croci Geneva OF Sr.

Willie Firth Batavia OF Sr.

Brendan Joyce St. Charles North OF Jr.

John Legare St. Charles North RF Jr.

Zach Mettetal St. Charles North SS So.

Kyle Novotney St. Charles North OF Jr.

Joe Panico Kaneland SS Sr.

Max Powers St. Charles East CF Sr.

Chris Saltijeral Aurora Central Catholic SS Sr.

* - Honorary captain

Special mentionLuke Beckmann, Batavia, jr., 1B; Jake Esp, Marmion, sr., P; Joe Laudont, Kaneland, jr., C; Tyler Madsen, St. Charles North, sr., 2B; Mitchell Merges, Geneva, jr., 1B/OF/P; Nate Montgomery, Geneva, sr., C; Kyle Niemiec, jr., SS; Brett Reed, Geneva, sr., P; Jacob Violett, Kaneland, jr., DH; Mick Vzyral, St. Charles East, sr., P.

Honorable mentionBrandon Babler, Aurora Central Catholic , sr., OF; Dustin Barrett, Aurora Christian, jr., 1B/RHP; Michael Bieterman, so., C; Steve Busby, Batavia, sr., CF; Colton Fellows, Kaneland, sr. P; Danny Hammermeister, Kaneland, sr., 1B; Sam Hubbe, St. Charles North, sr., P; Jared Liebelt, West Aurora, sr., P; Brandon McPherson, Marmion, fr., LF; Nick Stratman, Kaneland, sr., OF; Eduardo Terrazas, West Aurora, sr.; Drew Wagner, Aurora Chrisitan, jr., SS/P; Austin Wheatley, Kaneland, sr., 2B.

The winnersConference champions

Kaneland, St. Charles North

Regional champions

Aurora Christian, Kaneland, St. Charles North

The futureTeams to watch in 2016

St. Charles North, St. Charles East, Kaneland

- All-area selections and capsules by John Lemon

Past captains1998: Jim Caine, St. Charles

1999: Jim Caine, St. Charles

2000: Adam Milauskas, St. Charles East

2001: Brian Brandenburg, Batavia

2002: Chris Sepanski, Geneva

2003: Mike Pisano, St. Charles North

2004: Kenny Smalley, Batavia

2005: Justin Fitch, Batavia

2006: Nick Herrera, Geneva

2007: Casey Crosby, Kaneland

2008: Mike Hoscheit, St. Charles East

2009: Matt Milroy, Marmion

2010: Ryan Richardson, St. Charles North

2011: Tony Rallo, St. Charles East

2012: Matt Williams, Geneva

2013: Micah Coffey, Batavia

2014: Alex Troop, Marmion

Kyle Khoury, St. Charles North
RD Lutze, Aurora Christian basketball
Tyler Mettetal, St. Charles North
Matt O'Sullivan, Kaneland baseball
Matt Rahn, Aurora Central Catholic football
Austin Regelbrugge, St. Charles East baseball
Edgar Sanchez, Marmion baseball
Jack Wassel, Geneva baseball
Cory Wright, St. Charles North baseball
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