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The high school baseball season starts this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Kane County Chronicle coverage area.
BATAVIA BULLDOGS:
Coach: Alex Beckmann
2019 record: 18-13
Top returners: Holter Gette, sr., P; Ethan Long, sr., 1B.
Top newcomer: Jackson Watson, so., P.
Worth noting: The Bulldogs have nine seniors, but none were up on varsity in 2019. Gette, the younger brother of former Bulldogs standout Carter, could be their top option in the rotation. Gette throws a mid 80′s fastball and has a solid off speed repertoire. Batavia will have three sophomores up on varsity and expect them to cycle into playing time. Watson has impressed in offseason work so far and could be an intriguing player to keep an eye on. Long is likely their top offensive threat with power. Jackson Bland, a sophomore, is a left-handed infielder who could surprise early.
“I think it’s a pretty deep [pitching] staff. I think we have the guys to keep runs down, hopefully. That’s the idea: pitching and defense. We have some hitters too that are going to surprise a little bit,” Beckmann said.
BURLINGTON CENTRAL ROCKETS
Coach: Kyle Nelson
2019 record: 19-15
Top returners: Tristan Samuelian, sr., SS; Aaron Wojciechowski, sr., P;
Key newcomer: Mark Ganziano, sr., C.
Worth noting: The Rockets were first in the Kishwaukee River Conference in 2019. Wocjiechowski, a McHenry Community College commit, anchors their young pitching staff that also includes freshmen Michel Person, Owen Hensler, Aric Beaman and Kyle Calson. Infield defense and depth on the infield is expected to be a strength, but they’ll be searching for depth through the lineup.
“Our goal is always to be playing the best baseball we can at the end of the season,” Nelson said.
GENEVA VIKINGS
Coach: Brad Wendell
2019 record: 15-19-1
Top returners: Joey Maynard, sr., C; Aidan Sheehan, sr., SS.
Key newcomer: Daniel Strohm, jr., P.
Worth noting: The Vikings were runner-ups in the 2019 summer Lawler Classic and return a few from that squad, including Maynard and Sheehan. Brian Wrenn, Blake Stempowski, Noah Zaccanti and Ethan Mayer all got experience that summer, too. Sheehan, however, is one of the few with varsity innings on his arm, so while Geneva has some quality pitchers, they’re a little unproven. Maynard could be considered one of the better catchers in the conference after starting every game in 2019 for Geneva. Strohm is a left-hander and throws in the low 80′s.
“[We have] solid athletes with strong arms in the outfield [with] Brian Wrenn and Garret Peter,” Wendell said. “[Plus], several athletic juniors with speed to fill holes when seniors pitch.”
KANELAND KNIGHTS
Coach: Brian Aversa
2019 record: 27-10
Top returners: Tyler Conklin, sr., P/SS; Sebastian Cabeza, sr., C.
Key newcomer: Brady Popovich, sr., P.
Worth noting: Kaneland is already off to a winning start after its 11-4 victory over DeKalb on Tuesday. Tyler Conklin, up until this week, had not pitched in a varsity game and was already committed to Eastern Illinois before the season. The Knights were going to have a senior-heavy team in 2020 and are now building on some underclassmen. Aversa expects their collective defensive play will be a strong point while Conklin will lead the rotation.
“We are looking forward to seeing how our 2021 group will go out and compete,” Aversa said.
MARMION CADETS
Coach: Frank Chapman
2019 record: 8-17
Top returners: Cole Green, sr., IF; Mac Eccher, jr., C
Key newcomer: Leo Verdecchia, jr., OF/P
About the Cadets: The Cadets bring back three with varsity experience: Green, an Augustana commit, pitcher Jack Zebig and catcher Mac Eccher. Green is a three-year varsity infielder while Zebig and Eccher saw considerable playing time as freshmen two years ago. The Cadets are undergoing renovations at the field on campus, so they will be playing three home games at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva while the rest will be done on the road.
“Development [and] patience are keys to this year’s squad that features five sophomores who will either start or see significant playing time this season,” Chapman said. “[It’s] hard to tell where we stack up in the Fox Valley area after losing a much needed 2020 season for development and limited contact days in the fall and early spring due to a lack of facility space on campus.”
ST. FRANCIS SPARTANS
Coach: Tom Ciombor
2019 record: 22-6
Top returners: Daniel Maller, sr., OF; Max McCallum, sr., OF;
Key newcomer: TJ McMillen, so., IF.
About the Spartans: The Spartans were highly successful in 2019 regular season but lost in the regional semifinals. Ciombor expects his overall lineup to be deep and strong while pitching depth is going to be tested with a difficult non-conference slate of Joliet Catholic, Nazareth and Montini all in the mix.
“This team is just as talented but needs to find pitching depth,” Ciombor said.
ST. CHARLES EAST SAINTS
Coach: Len Asquini
2019 record: 16-16-1
Top returners: Kyle Hayes, sr., 1B/C; Nathan Hayes, jr., P.
Key newcomer: AJ Gaca, jr., C/DH.
Worth noting: The Saints will be unproven in the rotation with virtually no varsity experience beyond Nathan Hayes’ six innings of work in 2019. His older brother, Kyle, has mashed opposing pitchers since his freshman year and hits for immense power. St. Charles East should have plenty of pieces; it’s more of a matter of how they all fit. The Saints will definitely miss the Conn twins from the 2019 team, so who fills those holes will be interesting.
“[Offense] is another unknown, other than Kyle Hayes, who can pound the ball [and has] pure power…[Caleb] Hubbard has speed and will need to be a great lead-off hitter,” Asquini said
ST. CHARLES NORTH NORTH STARS
Coach: Todd Genke
2019 record: 29-11
Top returners: Nick DeMarco, sr., SS; Zach Kempe, sr., P.
Key newcomer: Ethan Kobylinski, sr., 1B.
Worth noting: Perhaps no team in the DuKane Conference is better equipped entering the season than the 2019 Class 4A state runner-ups with six returning starters. Notre Dame commit Nick DeMarco returns for his fourth varsity season and is one of the top highly regarded players at his position in the state. Kempe, also a Notre Dame commit, is going to be their top pitcher on the mound and has extensive postseason experience on his arm with a 90-mile-per-hour fastball to go with it. Pitcher Andrew Jimenez, outfielder Alex Najera and catcher Marco Torres are all varsity veterans.
“The 2021 team will rely on its strong pitching staff, and a solid core of athletes (six returners) on defense. Offensively, we should be able to score runs in bunches but also be able to execute “small ball” opportunities when needed,” Genke said.