:quality(70):focal(798x313:808x323)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/V4DLD4TCNFGGPJE76AHKNURN3U.jpg)
The 2025 high school baseball season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Kane County Chronicle coverage area.
Aurora Central Catholic
Coach: Rich Swann, 3rd season (9th overall at ACC – 2002-2007).
Last season’s record: 11-19 overall, 3-11 in the Chicago Catholic League (5th place).
Top returning players: Brodie Curry, jr., P/OF; Nick Czerak, so., SS; Aidan Crisci, so., OF; Raul Gomez, sr., C; Matthew Guzauskas, so., P; Cayden Lohrey, sr., P.
Top new players: Andrew Nugent, sr., 2B; Grant Bohr, jr., OF/P; Tyler Davis, jr., P/1B; Colin Renteria, sr., OF; Luke Janosek, so., C/Util; Marcos Pena, so., C/Util; Luke Torrence, fr., P/3B.
What to watch: Curry returns as the Chargers’ top all-around player after hitting .381 with two home runs, seven doubles, and 26 RBIs last season, while also recording three saves on the mound with 36 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. Gomez (.351, three doubles, 12 RBIs), Czerak (.250, three doubles), and Crisci (.268, five doubles, 20 stolen bases) should add punch to the lineup, while Guzauskas (three wins, 27 strikeouts in 20 IP) and Lohrey (three wins, 55 strikeouts in 44 IP) figure to be starting pitchers for the Chargers. “There will be position battles all over the field, with several returners and newcomers looking to find a place on the field,” Swann said. “The key to the season will be the definition and acceptance of roles amongst the players, both returning and newcomers.
-- Craig Brueske
Aurora Christian
Coach: Andy Zorger, 17th season.
Last season’s record: 14-14 overall, 6-6 in the Chicagoland Christian.
Top returning players: Kaleb Elwood, sr., C/P; Jack Burns, sr., SS/P; Owen Niedzwiecki, jr., CF/P; Asa Johnson, jr., P; Zach Zappia, jr., IF/P/OF.
Top new players: Nolan Robertson, jr., P/1B/C; Noah Hensley, jr., IF/P; Cristian Huerta, jr., OF; Preston Morel, so., IF/OF.
What to watch: Niedzwiecki (.345, four doubles, 12 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 5-1 record, 2.43 ERA, 31 2/3 IP), Northwestern-St. Paul commit Burns (.333, six triples, 18 RBIs), and Wisconsin-Platteville commit Elwood (.310, four doubles, 16 RBIs) return after batting above .300 last season. Niedzwiecki and Johnson (2-1, 4.14 ERA, 22 IP) figure to be at the top of the Eagles’ rotation. “We will need quality innings from several junior pitchers,” said Zorger, who guided the Eagles to the Class 1A state title in 2018 as well as a third-place 2A finish in 2019. “Defensively, we should be very strong, especially up the middle, and our lineup looks to be very solid,” said Zorger. “I anticipate that we will be in the top half of our conference and contend for a 1A regional championship.”
-- Craig Brueske
Batavia
Coach: Alex Beckmann
Last year’s record: 12-22, 9-11 DuKane Conference
Top returning players: Gavin Rosengren, senior, P; Connar Temple, senior, P; Daren Barnes, senior, IF; Brandon Oke, sophomore, C; Keegan Harp, senior, OF
Top new players: Ryan Rodriguez, sophomore, C/IF; Liam Darre, junior, IF/P; Michael Vander Luitgaren, sophomore, IF/OF
Worth noting: Batavia returns a solid core to its roster for the season, especially in the pitching department, which will be headed by college-bound players in Rosengren (Eastern Illinois) and Temple (Northern Illinois). Offensively, the Bulldogs will be more fresh in terms of experience, but Beckmann has hopes for his younger players to step in and fill in the gaps.
“We look forward to competing for the DuKane title in one of the toughest conferences in the state and another playoff run,” Beckmann said.
Burlington Central
Coach: Kyle Nelson
Last year’s record: 25-10, 14-4 Fox Valley
Top returning players: Chase Powrozek, sr., RHP/OF; Jake Johnson, sr., C; Gavin Bramer, sr., OF/P; Connor Finn, sr., IF; Zane Pollock, sr., IF
Top new players: Nico Sherry, so., P/C/1B; Wagner Viebrock, so., IF; David Hinz, so., OF; Thomas Kortgen, so., OF; Daniel Kortgen, so., LHP; Liam Schultz, so., C/3B/DH; Benneck Braden, so., OF; Sam Maglares, jr., P/IF
Worth noting: The Rockets, the FVC runners-up, feature a roster that includes seven sophomores but also college-bound players Powrozek (Wisconsin-Parkside), Johnson (Missouri Southern State), Bramer (Eastern Connecticut State) and Pollock (Chatham). .Powrozek and Johnson are four-year varsity players. ... “We are a young, athletic group that needs to replace lots of innings and at-bats,” Nelson said. “We will be playing our best baseball at the end of the year during the postseason.”
-- Joe Aguilar
Geneva
Coach: Brad Wendell
Last year’s record: 22-10-1, 12-8-1 DuKane
Top returning players: Miles Dibble, sr., OF/P; Nick Price, sr., IF/OF; Ethan Gronberg, sr., 1B; Michael Toole, sr., C/1B; Blake Kopec, jr., P
Top new players: Aidan Hall, jr., OF; Joshua Frieders, jr., OF; Mason Bruesch, so., OF/P; Noah Hallahan, so., OF/P; Nelson Wendell, so., 2B/SS; Tate Beran, so., 2B; Ryan Kastor, jr., 3B/1B; Sophia Broderick, sr., P; Owen Miller, sr., P
Worth noting: Geneva comes into the season with quite the different look from its 2024 team after having 17 seniors graduate from a season ago. While Wendell is confident in the young core called up to replace the seniors, calling them " young, athletic up-and-comers wanting to make an impact," he knows that their pitching, which only has a combined 29 varsity innings, will need to develop early to find success.
“With a young but athletic roster, this season presents a great opportunity for new players to step up and make an impact at the varsity level,” Wendell said. “Competing in the rugged DuKane Conference, we are sure to face our share of adversity. How well we navigate those challenges and come together as a team, with so many new pieces, will be a key factor in our success.”
Kaneland
Coach: Brian Aversa
Last year’s record: 20-12, 9-5 Interstate 8
Top returning players: Tom Thill, sr., 2B; Preston Popovich, sr., SS/3B/P; Dylan Borysiewicz, sr., 1B; Evan Ross, sr., P
Top new players: Nate Campbell, sr., C; Antonio Villanueva, sr., OF/P
Worth noting: Coach Brian Aversa said the Knights are mostly young this year but there’s a good group of veterans sprinkled in. Thill (St. Mary’s), Popovich (Benedictine), Ross (Illinois Wesleyan) and Campbell (Coe) all have their college plans set. Aversa, a recent Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, said the team’s spring trip to Panama City, Florida, should answer a lot of questions about the young team. Aversa sits at 399 wins at Kaneland, with the season starting at home March 24 against Aurora Christian.
--Eddie Carifio
Marmion
Coach: Aaron Nieckula
Last year’s record: 16-14, 10-4 Chicago Catholic League - White
Top returning players: Ethan Flores, sr., C/3B; Emmit Collins, jr., C/1B; Nathan Bostrand, sr., SS/P/OF; Kevin Schultz, sr., SS; Adam Ozvath, sr., OF; Charlie Schweiner, sr., P/1B; Jack Huhges, sr., P; Ronan O’Connor, sr., 3B/2B; Aidan MacKenzie, sr., P/OF
Top new players: Charlie Zebig, jr., 2B
Worth noting: Marmion finished the 2024 season with a winning record for the first time since 2017 and will look to have similar success in the upcoming season. The Cadets will have a senior-heavy roster this time around, and Nieckula said that after the team had a tremendous offseason, the Cadets are hungry to improve on their 16-win season.
St. Charles East
Coach: Derek Sutor
Last year’s record: 14-14, 11-10 DuKane
Top returning players: Joey Arend, sr., OF/P; Matthew Steinberg, sr., P/1B; Nathan Beers, sr., P; James Feigleson, jr., SS; Antonio Perez, jr., 2B; Nathan Moline, jr., 3B/OF/P; Dylan McCabe, so., 1B
Top new players: Gavin Fuscone, jr., OF/P; Andrew Evans, so., 3B
Worth noting: After finishing in the middle of the pack in the conference in Sutor’s first year at the helm, St. Charles East is hoping to build on that success in the 2025 season. The Saints returned a good core in both the pitching and hitting departments, led by college-bound Arend (Xavier), Steinberg (Manhattan) and Beers (North Central College), while also having plenty of younger players filling out the roster. And after winning the IHSBCA state tournament last summer, Sutor said that the expectations to carry that success over into spring are high.
“We have a good mix of experience, leadership and skill that we hope leads us to a deep postseason run,” Sutor said. “Our pitching will set the tone, our defense will be our anchor and our hitting will have a little more life this year. We’re excited to see what happens if everything falls into place.”
St. Charles North
Coach: Todd Genke
Last year’s record: 28-5-1, 19-2 DuKane
Top returning players: Keaton Reinke, jr., OF/P; Ty Heimbuch, sr., C/P/IF; Mason Nectel, jr., IF; Matt Ritchie, so., P/IF
Top new players: Chase Ferguson, jr., 1B/P; Reed Raczka, jr., OF/P; Emerson Miller, jr., P; Ben Auer, jr., OF/P; Charlie Major, jr., C/IF/P
Worth noting: After winning its first DuKane Conference title since 2021, St. Charles North comes into the 2025 season with a bit of a different look after having 16 seniors graduate. But even with a younger team, Genke is still confident in his team’s versatility, as well as a strong pitching core headed by Reinke and Ritchie, to help them defend their conference title.
“Despite our youth, gaining playoff experience from the last several years, while making deep runs in the post-season, will be major factor for our success in ‘25,” Genke said.
St. Francis
Coach: Tom Ciombor
Last year’s record: 21-13, 7-6 Chicago Catholic League
Top returning players: Joey Gainer, sr., C; Colt Armbrust, sr., P/1B; Zack Maduzia, sr., SS; Ian Bagaconza, sr., 2B; James McGrath, so., OF
Top new players: Nolan Galla, sr., 3B; Brayden Hobein, jr., P/UTL; Peter Solloway, jr., P
Worth noting: Despite not winning a regional title for the first time in four seasons last year, Ciombor has high hopes for the St. Francis heading into 2025. The Spartans are highlighted by four college-bound players, headlined by Gainer, a Missouri Southern commit. Ciombor hopes that a tough non-conference schedule will help them compete for a CCL title, and hopefully another regional title.
West Aurora
Coach: John Reeves
Last year’s record: 12-18, 3-12 Southwest Prairie
Top returning players Mason Atkins, jr., OF; Chase Yusi, sr., OF; Elijah Campos, sr., SS; Eliseo Liscano, sr., C/2B; Cooper Matheny, sr., P/SS; Jake Niedzwiedz, sr., P/IF; Nick Weisse, sr., OF; Logan Weaver, sr., P; Zach Toma, jr., P/1B
Top new players: Henry Hinkle, jr., 3B/P; Will Gray, jr., P; Chase Ferreiro, jr., P/1B; Jeremiah Juarez, jr., P/3B
Worth noting: West Aurora is looking to build on their trip to a regional championship game from a season ago. The Blackhawks have the tools to do it, with three starting pitchers and multiple position players returning to the roster from a season ago. Reeves hopes that the experience will help them also make a run at an Upstate Eight divisional title after returning to the conference prior to the school year.