February 07, 2025
Sports - Kane County
Sports

High school baseball: Kaneland starts building something special during summer months

Kaneland baseball team builds bonds on, off field during summer season

By CHRIS ROLLIN
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Kaneland's Dalton Askew makes contact July 13 during a summer league playoff game against Crystal Lake South at St. Charles East High School. The summer season was a key time of development for the Knights as they build for the 2018 spring season. (Sandy Bressner)

MAPLE PARK – Brian Aversa gets it.

Amid the outstanding double plays and walk-off heroics, there are pitchers who struggle to find the strike zone and hitters who fight awful slumps to the point that they’re praying for a base hit during the long baseball season.

The Kaneland coach recognizes this is part of baseball and that ups and downs are what most players endure during the grind of seemingly countless games.

He also understands that high school is more than just playing the game. It’s an experience, and one that doesn’t last long so he wants his players to cherish it.

“We’re trying to make it more than just a sport here. We want to make it a family thing,” he said. “We’ve got guys who only know each other because of baseball, but with this group we’re working toward them knowing each other better.”

In early June, Aversa and the team pitched tents and camped on the freshman field at Kaneland. It was one of the first steps toward team bonding for a program that won a state title in 2011.

“We camped out and had a bonfire and the kids loved it,” Aversa said. “The feedback from the kids was great.”

The Knights (14-13 this summer season) lost most of their 2017 spring starters to graduation, but Robert Dudzinski, Luke Gomes and Jack Douglas all are slated to return next season.

“I think our pitching will be strong and that we’ll hit the ball,” Aversa said. “We may not have the power numbers we’ve had, but our guys scratch and fight. We also have some speed so it’s just trying to figure out a lineup and going from there.”

The Knights beat 2017 Class 4A state champion Crystal Lake South in a regional semifinal in the summer playoffs before falling in the regional final July 13 against St. Charles North. While that Crystal Lake South team looked a lot different from the one that hoisted a state trophy in Joliet in June, the win still was a nice accomplishment for the Knights.

“That was a nice way for us to finish up,” Aversa said. “We feel pretty good with what we have now. There will be competition and we’re two deep at every position and three deep at catcher. And we like our pitching. We’ll have some good guns for next year.”