Baseball: Families of Faith enjoying success

CHANNAHON – The Families of Faith Christian Academy baseball team entered this week with a 20-3 record.

Thomas Larson was batting .627, Alex Avila .516, Jaylin Barnes .449, Thomas Daufenbach .373, Aaron Shaw .370, Travis Barr .356, and a few others were above .300.

Larson had 53 RBIs, Avila 39, Josiah Bestler 30 and Barnes 27.

Larson, the No. 1 pitcher, was 6-0 with a 2.56 ERA. Avila was 3-0 with a 1.08 and Duafenbach, the staff worse horse, was 4-2.

The numbers are impressive, but more than anything else, are they a function of the competition a small Christian school faces?

Screaming Eagles coach Tim Shaw recognizes the legitimacy of the question. However, he says some of his players could be very helpful to strong, large-school programs.

He should know.

Shaw graduated from Lockport in 1986 and was a .400-plus career hitter there. He played a season of baseball at Lewis.

"I played for Clyde Odle and Jim Hall at Lockport," Shaw said. "Our 1985 and '86 teams both were ranked No. 1 in the state. We had some great players.

"When I got called up to the varsity as a sophomore, Ron Coomer was on the team. I don't know that I have ever seen anyone hit the ball as consistently hard as he did. If anyone was going to make the major leagues, I thought he would do it."

Families of Faith normally starts three freshmen – Avila, Aaron Shaw and Cameron Larson – along with six seniors – Thomas Larson, Barnes, Daufenbach, Barr, Bestler and Joshua Martisek. Other roster members are eighth-grader Ethan Martisek; freshmen Tyler Huston, Aaron Bestler and Kory Blan, and sophomore Mauricio Rodriguez.

"We have a dynamic team," Tim Shaw said. "It's a very mixed bag. We have six seniors and three freshmen as the core of the team. The three freshman starters have had a lot of success.

"And I'll say this about Thomas [Larson], he is what they call a five-tool player. He hits on all five cylinders. He would be starting at any top IHSA program. When we were ranked No. 1 in the state at Lockport in '85 and '86, Thomas would have started on those teams and been able to help us out. He is that good of a player."

Larson, who has been recruited to play college ball at Olivet Nazarene, entered the week 37-of-59 with 10 doubles, two triples and five home runs among his 37 hits.

"Alex Avila and Aaron Shaw are strong freshman players," continued Tim Shaw, who also has coached his daughter in competitive, fast-pitch softball for years. "They could play at high schools on any level.

"Aaron [Shaw] is our leadoff hitter. He's third in the state in stolen bases as a freshman. Thomas [Larson] and Jaylin [Barnes] are our 2-3 hitters. Alex Avila is in the fourth spot. It's a different era now than when I played. Alex is a 6-2 freshman. He would have been one of our biggest seniors at Lockport."

The Screaming Eagles' top players are on travel teams in the summer.

"Thomas plays with the Illinois Hawks," Tim Shaw said. "My son and Avila play travel ball, too. They have a good baseball IQ. They all have been around the game a long time, and that translates to the field."

They help lead a team that has taken the motto, "Never Give Up," to heart.

"The team accepted that motto, and we won 19 straight games; the team record had been five," Tim Shaw said.

Team manager Tom Larson noted that Families of Faith is the No. 1 seed in the Illinois Christian Schools Conference Tournament this weekend at Olivet Nazarene. The Screaming Eagles won the regular-season conference title.

Next weekend, Families of Faith, located at 24666 W. Eames St. in Channahon, will host a "state" invitational, with teams from Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri also in the field. That will conclude the best season in school history.