2025 baseball preview: This spring Streator should have experience on its side

Even though they were largely inexperienced at the varsity level, a 13-21 final record – the first sub-.500 season for Streator High baseball since 2019 – was not what the Bulldogs had in mind for the spring of 2024.

It’s definitely not the expectation for a much more seasoned 2025 Bulldogs team led by eight seniors and complemented by some talented juniors who also have a little varsity game experience under their collective belts.

“In terms of goals, it’s kind of the same old thing,” eighth-year Bulldogs coach Beau Albert said. “Every year you’re trying to compete for the conference, number one ... and the second goal is try to get into a regional championship game. You get to a regional championship, you get that ‘plus-one’ game if you win.

“Anything can happen if you get there. You’ve got to get there first.”

That journey will be undertaken by eight seniors, six juniors and one sophomore – the last of whom also received time as a freshman and is one of the returning cornerstones from last spring’s ballclub.

Those seniors include left-handed ace P/OF Jake Hagie, IF/P Blaize Bressner and DH/IF Luke Bemont. Juniors back after filling vital roles on the 2024 team include 1B Cole Winterrowd (the Bulldogs' top hitter in ’24 with a .317 batting average and 15 RBIs, Times All-Area Team), UT Keegan Angelico, C Joe Hoekstra and P/IF Clay Christoff. Sophomore P/OF Colin Byers, too, earned significant playing time as a ninth-grader.

Players joining/rejoining the program or stepping into more significant roles include OF Quintin Stevens, OF/P Talon Melvin, IF Nolan Luckach, IF/P Tristan Finley, OF Jordan Lukes, P/OF Carson Shinkey and P/UT Isaiah Weibel.

“We were pretty young last year, so a lot of guys are back, and we’ve got a little bit of experience this time around,” Albert said. “And we’ve got a few new faces too that either didn’t play last year or it’s their first time coming out.”

A pitching staff led by Hagie and Christoff should be a team strength, as should a defense which rounded into form over the course of last spring.

“Jake was our No. 1 last year, and you really can’t go off his record (3-5 with a 3.48 ERA, Times All-Area Team). He pitched really well, some just tough-luck losses ... and Clay is really strong as probably our No. 2,” Albert said.

“I like our staff. I really like our 1 and 2, and I like our fill-in guys too. We’ve got some arms where we can mix and match.”

Assuming the pitching and defense are indeed solid, the X-factor in Streator’s hopes to return to its usual winning ways – and maybe even bring home some postseason hardware – is at the plate, the one place last year’s team struggled mightily.

“I think the biggest key for us to be successful is how well we hit,” Albert said. “Last year we only hit .215, .220 as a team. We pitched pretty well, and we played pretty good defense, and now I think the big thing for us is how well these guys who are in their second year of [varsity] baseball step up and produce at the plate. ...

“I think with a second year for a lot of these guys seeing varsity pitching, we’re going to go nothing but up offensively.”

The Bulldogs will hope to get off on the right paw, scheduled next Wednesday to open their season in Spring Valley taking on Hall at Kirby Park. Streator is scheduled to then visit Sandwich on Friday and Plainfield South the following Tuesday before its 2025 home opener Wednesday, March 26, against Illinois Valley Central.