Suburban Life baseball notes: Lemont shakes off early adversity, enjoying spring break trip to Florida

Early this season, Lemont’s baseball team hit a snag.

Lemont is coming off a strong showing last season, posting a 31-10 record with a second-place finish in Class 3A.

Returning the majority of players from last season has raised the expectations for Lemont, but star senior outfielder/pitcher Jacob Parr suffered a high ankle sprain in an intra-squad game before the start of the season. The Ohio State recruit has not played this season.

“Jacob has not played yet after rolling his ankle on first base two days before our first game,” Lemont coach Brian Storako said. “We hopefully will get him back next week.”

Even without Parr’s big bat in the lineup, Lemont (1-1-1) is off to a solid start, and is currently enjoying a spring break team trip in Clearwater, Florida.

“We’re trying to get everybody up to speed,” Storako said. “We have played three games but just played a team that had already played 20. It takes time to adjust. We’re building every day and getting better. We’re getting acclimated to playing outdoors and looking to get better playing good competition down here. We’re looking to get experience and consistency.”

Senior pitcher/outfielder Matt Devoy, a Missouri-St. Louis recruit, said he’s enjoying the Florida trip and the team bonding.

“The potential for this team is going to be as much as we let it be,” Devoy said. “We have many returners from a state runner-up team and know what it takes to get it done.”

Devoy said he’s a stronger player overall this season after working on his mental side.

“I’ve improved on my ability to not let a mistake affect the next pitch and I’ve learned to forget and move onto the next,” Devoy said.

Junior shortstop Brett Tucker said Lemont’s experience and the lessons learned from last season’s state run is pushing the team to a higher level.

“Everyone on our team loves to compete, so I believe we have a very good chance of going far again this year,” Tucker said. “I’ve gotten better individually at having a better eye at the plate, and also being better as a teammate because I know everyone makes mistakes and that I’m not the only one.”

Nazareth update

After finishing with a 37-1 record last season, Nazareth underwent some roster reconstruction in the offseason. The Class of 2024 was a memorable group, finishing with a 132-25 record, two East Suburban Catholic Conference titles and a pair of state championships.

The 2025 Roadrunners feature several new faces, including three freshmen, but the results are the same. Nazareth (7-0) is undefeated and playing with poise in tough games.

“It’s different group of kids, a lot of spots still to be won,” Nazareth coach Lee Milano said. “There are questions marks still. It’s evolving through the season and playing out. We knew that. Last year ’s team had a lot of starters for four years, so we pretty much had a good idea of everything, but this is the fun part and challenging part.

“We’ve won some close games, so good for the kids. We know the season is going to have some bumps in roads and peaks and valleys.”

The pitching staff, led by seniors Andrew Kouris, Chase Zidlicky and Mac McGarry, have been solid. Star senior outfielder/catcher Jaden Fauske is off to a strong start, as is junior infielder Landon Thome.

Freshman Christian Drye has been a pleasant surprise, earning three saves including in a 2-1 win over Kenwood.

“We have some core of guys that have been with us all of last year,” Milano said. “They have kept things going in the right direction and know what it takes to win. We’re trying to get the young guys to understand that early. Our pitching has been good. We have some nice young arms and depth so far in our pitching. Kouris, McGarry and Zidlicky have anchored our staff. Christian has done a really nice job in all three close games.”

Extras

Riverside-Brookfield (5-1) is playing solid baseball in the first few weeks of the season. The Bulldogs have won all four of their home games, scoring in double digits in three of their wins this season…Montini is also headed for a spring break trip, hoping the warm weather can cure some early-season struggles. The Broncos (1-3) have dropped two of their games by one run, but also recorded a 12-1 win over Payton College Prep.