Willowbrook baseball players stay busy during summer months

VILLA PARK – There are so many familiar faces around Willowbrook baseball this summer it’s almost as if the varsity team just kept playing after the spring.

The Warriors opened the Phil Lawler Classic, which is the postseason tournament for summer baseball, on July 13 against Morton with eight returning varsity players in the starting lineup. Willowbrook picked up a 7-0 win against the Mustangs.

“It’s always fun to win,” senior Cam Zunkel said. “We go out there and we play our butts off and win some ball games.”

The returning group has helped the Warriors win with regularity in the summer, earning the No. 2 seed in the 16-team Fenwick regional. Seniors Matt Garbacz, Matt Pizur, Kyle Martyniuk, Chris DeSalvo, Mark Molitor and T.J. Geritano and junior Kyle Ferguson also were varsity returners to start the summer postseason opener.

“We definitely have a lot of experience coming back and we have a lot of juniors stepping up,” Garbacz said. “Everyone is working together well.”

Zunkel fired a one-hitter against the Mustangs and had a pair of hits while batting leadoff. The Warriors lost against Lyons Township 6-5 in the second round on July 14.

While the Warriors play during the week, travel ball dominates the players’ time during the weekends. Garbacz is playing for T’s Training Academy in Lombard, which features Willowbrook pitching coach Curtis Hudson, T.J. Geritano’s father Teno Geritano and Montini assistant Eric Scott among its staff. Zunkel is playing for Elite Baseball Training’s 17U Premier squad.

Not only do travel teams compete in tournaments around Chicago, but they occasionally leave the state to find games.

“We went over to Lexington, Ky., and then at the end of the month we’re going down to Georgia,” Garbacz said. “It’s fun and a lot of competition. We play probably like four or five games and we usually go on college visits. It’s fun to play with friends.”