Northwest/ American Legion baseball preview

By Marty Maciaszek

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com

Arlington

Coach: Lloyd Meyer (58th year)

Last year: 24-11 (third in Cook County)

Players: Alec Backes (P), Ken Bartelt (C), Jimmy Barton (1B), Joe Brandt (IF), John Burkiewicz (OF), Tommy Flahaven (2B-SS), Brad Gerdes (SS), Grant Gerdes (2B), Rich Gorski (P-IF), Dan Hendricks (1B), Matt Hendricks (P-IF), Bobby Napoleon (P), Pat Nix (P), Jimmy Pinakidis (OF), Erik Stoltzner (OF), Bobby Suchecki (C), Andrew Van Wazer (P-C-3B), Mickey Wazorick (P)

Outlook: If Arlington?s first two wins are an indicator, 3-2 over Wheaton and 2-1 over Elk Grove, then the pitching will be tough to beat. ?We base it all on pitching and defense and hopefully we can scratch out a run or two with the new bats,? Meyer said. ?We have enough pitching to hold people in.? The addition of the Illinois-bound Gorski, who was an all-area standout at Streamwood and has residency in Arlington?s boundaries, is a big boost along with Rollins-bound Matt Hendricks and Van Wazer (1-0 in 6 appearances with the University of Chicago). ?He?s a good pitcher who I know can win,? Meyer said. ?We have three really top-notch pitchers who can hold people in.? There is also solid high school pitching experience with Napoleon, Nix and Wazorick as one of the keys will be putting too much of a workload on Van Wazer as the versatile former BG star will also do most of the catching. Gorski and Hendricks will also be key parts of the infield defense with Brad Gerdes and Meyer likes what he?s seen from Barton at the plate. Pinakidis and Stoltzner lead the way in the outfield. ?We have a chance to be good but I don?t know about our offense,? Meyer said. ?We have to learn how to hit and learn how to make contact. We have to scratch out 1-2-3 runs and keep winning 3-2 because that?s what state and national champions are made of. I like the makeup of this team.?

Barrington

Coach: Pat Wire (fourth year)

Last year: 27-13 (third in Second Division)

Players: Chris Coco (IF), Jacob Coon (C-1B-3B), Justin Dragosz (1B-OF), Greg Gerrard (P), Daniel Kubiuk (SS-P), Jack Lenz (C), Ryan Lidge (C), Scott Nelson (OF-P), John Peterson (C), Mitchell Pfeiffer (OF), Macray Poidomani (OF), Max Redpath (P-1B-3B), Jon Rogers (P), Nick Spagnola (3B), Wyatt Trautwein (P), Frank Waliczek (P)

Outlook: An experienced and talented group knows it will be in the Second Division tournament as the host but Barrington will try to continue showing under Wire it?s a postseason team to be reckoned with. ?The hardest part is this group hasn?t been together yet as a nucleus,? Wire said. ?We?ve started slow the last three years but I?m more interested in making sure we find out where we want certain players. It?s probably one of the stronger teams I?ve seen on paper, but you know how paper is.? The pitching shapes up as a strength again with the return of Gerrard from college to give Wire a trio of potential aces with Waliczek and Rogers while Trautwein, Redpath and Nelson also have the capability to pitch in big games. They?ll be throwing to one of the area?s top catchers in Lidge, who just finished an all-area junior year. Poidomani, Dragosz and Spagnola also return and Coco and Kubiuk will help anchor the middle infield. There is also a nice infusion of younger talent which should lead to another run at a state tournament berth. ?I feel confident with our team and we?ll come together once we tread water in the beginning,? Wire said. ?We need some of the younger guys to step up for us.?

Elk Grove

Coach: Brian Mucha (seventh year)

Last year: 21-15 (Cook County champions)

Players: Colin Bethran (OF), Matt Brancato (3B), Tom Byrne (SS), Cosimo Cannella (1B), Dave Geller (2B), Jordan Grubb (OF), Dan Guido (P), Jeremy Hall (C), Dan Hayes (P), Kerry Hickerson (1B), Kevin Hilliard (OF), Roger Lane (1B-OF), Chris Myjak (P-3B), Patrick O?Malley (2B), Kyle Rinehart (P-OF), Kevin Robinson (C), Robert Romano (P), Art Sutter (P), Paul Warble (P)

Outlook: The potential for a repeat Cook County title and third in four years is there if everything goes right on the mound. The hard-throwing Romano, who was 2-0 with a save in 14 games for Illinois Wesleyan, threw 5 strong innings in a 5-2 win over Northbrook but experienced some elbow tightness. Mucha said Warble will need time to get stretched out after redshirting at Oakton College. ?We have a deep staff and I feel like we?re pretty strong, but I?m worried about Romano and Warble right now,? said Mucha, whose team lost its two state tourney games last year. ?We may take some lumps early but our ultimate goal is to start peaking by Moline (tournament in early July).? Sutter was 3-4 in 54 innings at Elgin Community College, Hayes pitched for Concordia?s JV team and Myjak and Guido have proven high school success. Another good sign for the Red Sox was the recent addition of the North Central-bound Brancato, the Daily Herald All-Area captain who led Schaumburg?s run to the Class 4A supersectional that included Byrne, Bethran, Grubb, Hall and Rinehart. ?The Schaumburg kids are just great kids,? Mucha said. ?They play the game the right way and hopefully we can build off their success.? Lane played at Robert Morris and returns with Geller and Hilliard, Hickerson and Cannella should provide some pop at 1B and Robinson is a solid defensive catcher who played at Harper College.

Mount Prospect

Coach: Tom Krumsee (fourth year)

Last year: 9-18

Players: Jeremy Berger (P-2B), Richard Carusiello (P-3B), Jordan Fedro (P-1B), Andrew Glowacki (P-SS-2B), Tyler Glowacki (SS-2B-P), Trevor Haas (OF-P), Tyler Klicka (C-OF), Josh Koutnik (1B), Dan Larson (OF), Jake LoGuidice (1B-P), Brad Moore (P-OF), Nick Nolan (OF), Phil Papaioannu (C), Niko Poulos (P-OF), Sean Reszotko (3B), Jack Warner (SS-2B), Michael Withey (P), Mark Witzke (P)

Outlook: More players, more experience and more talent should equate to more success for Mount Prospect. ?I feel really confident we?ll be very competitive this year,? Krumsee said. ?But the reality is this area has so many good players it will still be a challenge and we?ll have to play good baseball to win.? But the Valparaiso-bound Haas, who will play primarily outfield, is an all-area pick who leads a group of players who were part of an MSL champion at Hersey in Koutnik, Moore, Nolan, Reszotko, Poulos and Witzke. Berger, an all-area pitcher at Buffalo Grove, is part of a staff that includes Moore, LoGuidice, Withey and the Glowackis. Krumsee said how much Fedro, Carusiello and Poulos pitch will depend on their schedule with their high school summer teams. ?Most of them pitched in the spring and they know what they?re doing,? Krumsee said. ?No matter what it always comes down to pitching.? Papaioannou back behind the plate after an all-conference season at Maine East. ?He?s come so far from last year,? Krumsee said. ?He?s improved, he?s gotten bigger and he?s more mature.? The Glowackis also provide solid play up the middle and Moore figures to play a big part on the mound and in the outfield. ?They all seem to be really good kids and we don?t have a bad apple among them,? Krumsee said.

Palatine

Coach: Jeff Ryder (10th year)

Last year: 21-7 (second in Cook County)

Players: Jack Andersen (P-3B), Gunnar Anderson (P), Connor Bieda (C), Sam Beutler (OF), Lee Breitzman (P-1B), Keith Browning (OF-P), Brad Demmon (2B-SS-OF), Shane Devero (OF), Keith Giagnorio (OF-P), Danny Haduch (2B-SS-P), Clint Herdegen (C), John Jetel (P), Trent Rehusch (P-3B), Brian Wilhite (SS), Randall Wilt (3B)

Outlook: Ryder said having about 10 potential pitchers ?is fantastic,? especially with the all-area duo of Andersen and Breitzman from Mid-Suburban West champion Fremd and Rehusch, who was at Harper College this spring, leading the way for a program which has established itself as an annual contender for the Cook County crown. The Blue Jays also expect to be solid up the middle with Wilhite, who started at SS for St. Viator, and Haduch at 2B and ready to go after an injury-plagued season at Fremd. Ryder also likes the defense from Bieda behind the plate and Browning in center field and is excited about the addition of Beutler, who came up to Fremd?s varsity from the sophomores late this spring and homered in the MSL title game. ?We have some speed and he biggest thing is we?re athletic,? Ryder said. ?Our defense and pitching should be good. It?s a fun and good group of kids and we?ll see what we can do. For us it?s about being ready for that (County) tournament again.?

Notes

One of Mount Prospect?s new assistant coaches is former Schaumburg star Jordan Wolf, who also played at Xavier and in the minor league system of the Baltimore Orioles. ?When I told them he was drafted it?s amazing how much more the kids listened to him,? said Prospect coach Tom Krumsee. ?Here?s a kid who is 27 and has been there and it makes a big difference.? Brian Cabral is also assisting Krumsee ? Cook County is at eight teams with Northbrook, Morton Grove, Portage Park and the newly-formed Chicago Indians, who are based out of the Lane Tech area. The Cook County tournament will be July 24-28 with the final three days at Recreation Park in Arlington Heights ? Barrington will have an automatic berth in the Second Division tournament as the host July 22-26. The 10th District tourney will be July 14-19 ? The state tournament is Aug. 1-4 in Mattoon, the Great Lakes Regional is Aug. 9-13 in Milford, Mich., and the World Series is Aug. 17-21 in Shelby, N.C.

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