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Baseball: Elk Grove looks to rule MSL East again

Winning is one of the best motivators.

The Elk Grove baseball team got great numbers in its offseason training program after one of its best seasons in years in 2019.

Last spring, the Grens won the Mid-Suburban League East championship and a regional title before falling in a sectional championship game to St. Charles North.

Elk Grove, which was 20-13 overall last season with an 8-2 mark in the MSL East, has been motivated ever since and is looking to build on its momentum from last season as the high school baseball season hopes to get under way after spring break.

"Many of our players have been committed to our offseason speed and agility training," Elk Grove coach Steven Lesniak said. "We are excited for the opportunity for our younger players to step into starting roles for the first time in varsity game experience."

The Grens will have to find a way to replace two star pitchers who are now playing in college: Xander Rojahn (Xavier) and Ryne Singsank (Southern Illinois). The rest of the pitching staff that received the most innings last season also graduated.

"We will have a young pitching staff with an eagerness to compete on the mound," Lesniak said. "There is plenty of opportunity for our pitchers to step up."

Returning from last year are a couple of Elk Grove's top hitters in catcher Zach Schwartz (. 384) and infielder Shane Crimmins (. 321).

Another 20-win MSL East team from last year was Buffalo Grove, which finished 21-12 overall and 7-3 in the division.

The Bison were caught by surprise in the postseason though, losing in the regional championship to Fremd.

Bill Montemayor takes over as head coach after serving as an assistant on the varsity for the last five years.

"We were not satisfied with how our season ended last year," Montemayor said. "Our players have worked extremely hard in the offseason and are looking forward to the season beginning.

"We need to cut back on our strikeouts and put the ball in play on a more consistent basis."

Montemayor will lean on a large senior class of returners that includes shortstop Matt Brunelli, second baseman Riku Komatani and pitchers Alex Paul, Mark Antonetti, Tyler Fricke, Nate Cole, Mike Roberts and Alex Solberg.

"I believe our biggest strength will be our pitching and defense," Montemayor said. "We return a lot of innings on the mound and we project that seven of our nine starters on Opening Day will be seniors."

Both Prospect and Hersey finished with 17 wins last season and in the middle of the pack of the MSL East.

Prospect (17-15-1 last year) is deep on the mound with the return of Matt McAleer, who had 4 wins last year, and Mitch Gates. Newcomers Ryan Traviolia, Gino Paredes, Cole Lannert, Will Sommers, Jack Doyle, Ethan Rossi and Tyler Naughton will provide pitching depth.

The Knights had their season last year ended abruptly in the regional semifinals.

"I would hope our heartbreaking loss gives us fuel for this year," said Prospect coach Ross Giusti, who is heading into his 23rd season as head coach.

Hersey also lost in a regional final to finish 17-16 overall last season.

The Huskies welcome back three big hitters in Daniel Clawson, Hunter Luke and Luke Picchiotti. Clawson had a .412 batting average last year and rolled up 13 doubles and 27 RBI. He has already committed to Northern Illinois University while Picchiotti will be playing at UIC next year.

"Our captains, Daniel Clawson, Hunter Luke and Luke Picchiotti, are our strength," Hersey coach Walter Brownley said. "These guys can all hit, and they will be the leaders on offense. Early in the season, look for us to hit, but we will need some young guys to step up on the mound as the season goes on. I think our guys are poised to make some noise."

Wheeling, which finished 12-20 last year, is looking to fill the shoes of all-area outfielder Michael Best, who was last year's Daily Herald Athlete of the Year for the Northwest suburbs and is now playing basketball at Lake Forest College.

Cade Zalewski, a three-year starter for the Wildcats, has committed to Wabash Valley Community College and has hit better than .350 the last two seasons. Designated hitter Payton Neuman has committed to Carroll University and senior pitcher Matthew Patterson is coming off a 5-2 record on the mound with a 1.94 earned run average last year.

"We return our top three pitchers in Spencer Nowak, Matthew Patterson and Joe Jordan," Wheeling coach Jason Wieder said. "The three combined for more than 138 innings and 9 wins in 2019. Patterson was a workhorse for us last year. He is the ultimate competitor and we are excited to see those three come back a year stronger and with more experience."

Rolling Meadows looks to improve on last year's 5-22 record under Matthew Rice, who was a rookie head coach last season.

The Mustangs will be leaning on pitcher Brandon Zuniga, shortstop Sean Nolan and outfielder Jacob Johnson-Wright.

"We want to compete and play the game the right way," Rice said. "Our guys have been working extremely hard during practice and I am excited about this group."

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