Baseball: Kane County Chronicle All-Area team

Here is the 2023 Kane County Chronicle All-Area baseball team.

St. Charles East sophomore Joe Arend. Photo courtesy of St. Charles East athletics.

Joe Arend, St. Charles East, sophomore, pitcher/outfield: Arend went 8-1 in 12 games. In 49 innings, Arend, the DuKane Conference Pitcher of the Year, had a 1.43 ERA with 64 strikeouts and a 1.84 WHIP.

St. Charles East's James Brennan. Photo courtesy of St. Charles East athletics.

James Brennan, St. Charles East, senior, first base: In 31 games, Brennan hit .361 and slugged .627 with 30 hits, seven doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs.

St. Charles North's Josh Caccia. Photo courtesy of St. Charles North athletics.

Josh Caccia, St. Charles North, junior, pitcher: Caccia had 90 strikeouts over 55 innings and had a 1.40 ERA as an All-State nominee.

Burlington Central's Brady Gilroy. Photo courtesy of Burlington Central athletics.

Brady Gilroy, Burlington Central, junior, shortstop/center field: Gilroy batted .471 with an .849 slugging percentage. Gilroy had eight doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 35 RBIs with 47 runs scored. Gilroy was a perfect 16 for 16 in stolen bases.

Batavia pitcher Nate Nazos. Photo courtesy of Batavia athletics.

Nate Nazos, Batavia, junior, pitcher: In 49 1/3 innings, Nazos had 49 strikeouts and 19 walks. Nazos had a 1.42 ERA and was an All-DuKane Conference selection.

Burlington Central's Michael Person. Photo courtesy of Burlington Central athletics.

Michael Person, Burlington Central, junior, pitcher/utility: On the mound, Person had a 5-1 record and 2.86 ERA and in 51 1/3 innings surrendered 52 hits, 22 walks and had 66 strikeouts. At the plate, Person hit .357 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.

Batavia's Henry Saul. Photo courtesy of Batavia athletics.

Henry Saul, Batavia, senior, catcher: The North Central College commit hit .330 with a team-high .962 OPS. He had 37 hits, two home runs and 27 RBIs in the leadoff spot. Saul struck out only eight times all season and was a First-Team DuKane Conference selection.

St. Charles North's Jackson Spring. Photo courtesy of St. Charles North athletics.

Jackson Spring, St. Charles North, junior, shortstop: Spring hit .350 with seven doubles, 25 RBIs and 32 runs from the leadoff spot. Spring had only 10 errors in 131 chances.

Geneva’s Nate Stempowski (right) celebrates a 3-run home run during a game at St. Charles East on Friday, April 28, 2023. East won 7-6. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Nate Stempowski, Geneva, junior, shortstop: In 33 games, Stempowski hit .426 with a .766 slugging percentage. He had six home runs and 35 RBI.

Rocco Tenuta, St. Francis, senior, third baseman/pitcher: The Hillsdale College recruit hit .491 with five home runs and 33 RBIs. On the mound, he had a 7-3 record with 89 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings.

Kaneland's Parker Violett. Photo courtesy of Kaneland athletics.

Parker Violett, Kaneland, junior, outfield: In 33 games, Violett hit .354 with a .596 slugging percentage. He had 35 hits, nine doubles, five home runs and 40 RBIs.

Batavia’s Jack Watson pitches against Wheaton Warrenville South in a Class 4A sectional semifinal game in Elgin on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (John Starks jstarks@dailyherald.com)

Jack Watson, Batavia, senior, pitcher: Watson pitched a no-hitter against Geneva during the regular season and pitched the Bulldogs to a sectional final appearance. Watson had a 2.37 ERA, 1.278 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

St. Charles East's Seth Winkler. Photo courtesy of St. Charles East athletics.

Seth Winkler, St. Charles East, pitcher/infield: Winkler hit .333 with a .462 slugging percentage. He had 31 hits, six doubles, two home runs and 24 RBIs. In 40 1/3 innings pitched, Winkler went 4-2 with 60 strikeouts and issued 28 walks.

St. Charles East's Jake Zitella. Photo courtesy of St. Charles East athletics.

Jake Zitella, St. Charles East, senior, third base: The 2023 Kane County Chronicle Baseball Player of the Year hit .484 with a .570 on-base percentage and .945 slugging percentage. He had 13 doubles, nine home runs and 39 RBIs. The DuKane Conference Player of the Year and Illinois signee had 53 putouts in 65 chances with only four errors defensively.

Honorable Mention

Mike Buono (St. Charles North); Jackson Bland (Batavia); Jake Johnson (Burlington Central); Tommy Maynard (Geneva); Alex Panico (Kaneland); AJ Payton (Burlington Central); Chase Powrozek (Burlington Central); Parker Reinke (St. Charles North); Johnny Spallasso (Kaneland); Ryne Woods (Batavia).