DuPage County baseball notes: Montini enjoys big league experience
The Montini baseball team made program history on Monday night.
The Broncos have been one of the celebrated programs in DuPage County, winning a Class 3A state in 2019 under coach Rich Janor and sending a number of players to college.
But the Broncos added a big-league feel to their program Monday night, when they played New Trier at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago - the home of the Chicago White Sox.
Although the Trevians posted a 3-1 win over the Broncos, Janor said it was a memorable night.
"April 24 was a historic day for the Montini Catholic baseball program," Janor said. "We played our first game in a Major League baseball stadium. The White Sox rolled out the red carpet for us, allowing us to take batting practice on the field, access the clubhouse and more things. It was an experience for our players, coaches and fans that we will never forget and are so appreciative for the opportunity.
"Many of our players aspire to someday play in college and professionally, so this experience gave them a taste of the big stage. There's no question that the experience brought our team together and will make us a better ballclub down the stretch."
The Broncos (11-7, 2-4 Chicago Catholic League) are hoping to build off the close loss to the Trevians after enduring a tough stretch of losses against St. Laurence (10-0), Brother Rice (14-13) and St. Rita (6-0).
"The Chicago Catholic League schedule challenges us day in and day out," Janor said. "There are no 'easy' games in the conference anymore. Our team is learning that we need to be ready to play at a high level every day. We can't pick and choose the games we want to be up for. We hope the strong schedule will make us battle tested for the playoffs.
"We've put together some quality wins and are at our best when we can excel on offense, defense and on the mound. We can't be satisfied being competitive in only one or two areas. We need to compete well in all facets of the game."
Janor said Jack Calcagno, AJ Manganello and Dom Catalano have been consistent performers for his program.
"Jack has been strong on the mound for us this season," Janor said. "He's kept us in every game he has started and put us in a position to win. AJ has been seeing the ball well at the plate, hitting two home runs at De La Salle, including a grand slam for seven RBIs in that game. Dom has been a spark in the leadoff spot. He also homered at De La Salle.
"This team is poised to compete for the Chicago Catholic League White championship and expected to make some noise in the playoffs in Class 2A. The overwhelming majority of the opponents on our schedule are 3A and 4A teams."
Glenbard West update:
Glenbard West is back on track to rise up the standings in the West Suburban Silver Conference.
After a 14-3 victory over Morton on Saturday, the Hilltoppers (8-10, 3-6) started this week with a five-game winning streak to move closer to the .500 mark following tough losses to Lyons and York.
"We just had a great week after losing badly to Lyons and York in the first two series," Glenbard West coach Andrew Schultz said. "The conference is really strong and deep this year. It's quite impressive. Now, after having gotten some momentum going, we're hoping we can carry it into our series against Hinsdale Central this week. We know the competition will pick up again, but our kids are playing with confidence and are ready for the challenge. I'm eager to see how this week goes."
Junior center fielder Joey Campanella is one of the sparks in the lineup for the Hilltoppers. The leadoff hitter is batting .491 with 4 doubles, 4 triples, 9 RBI and 21 runs scored in 63 at-bats. Catcher Jason Valdez is hitting .389 with 7 doubles, 11 runs scored and 18 RBI in 65 plate appearances.
"Joey is really swinging the ball well right now," Schultz said. "He's our catalyst, no doubt about it. Jason has been consistently solid. A lot of other guys have played well of late, including juniors Braeden Groszek and Nico Ruoti and seniors AJ Cano and Adam Naegelen."
Waubonsie Valley update:
The Warriors (5-12-1, 1-5 DuPage Valley) have absorbed several tough losses, but the second half of the regular season brings optimism.
"The key moving forward is being more aggressive at the plate and making routine defensive plays when our pitchers are throwing strikes," Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo said. "We just need to start playing consistent fundamental baseball. Our kids have stuck together through a rough start to the year. They continue to work hard and believe in one another."
Pitching is a big factor in a possible turnaround for the Warriors. Jarron Thompson and Carter King are a quality one-two punch on the mound. Thompson (3-3) has pitched 25 innings, striking out 36 and walking 18 for an ERA of 2.80. King (1-2) has 30 2/3rd innings of work, fanning 31 batters and walking only two for a 2.97 ERA.
"Jarron and Carter have both been solid on the mound," Acevedo said. "Carter has picked up where he left off last season on the mound. Both pitchers have given us a shot to win every time they take the mound."
Wheaton Academy update:
Wheaton Academy has no plans on slowing down. The Warriors (16-3-1, 6-1 Metro Suburban) had their 15-game winning streak end in a thrilling nine-inning 4-3 defeat to Aurora Central Catholic on Monday.
Alex Bagley set a new program record for career strikeouts with 144 after fanning 11 in six innings pitched on Monday.
Wheaton Academy coach Justin Snider said teamwork, unselfishness, clutch hitting and pitching are four main factors behind his team's strong start.
"Our pitching has improved this year," Swider said. "We have been able to go deeper in games and are getting ahead in counts. That significantly changes the feel and the temp of the game to our favor. At the plate, we have come up with timely hitting and we have guys contributing from top to bottom."