Tie fits for grandpa of McHenry’s Kyle Maness

McHENRY – Only Kyle Maness’ grandpa could love a 0-0 tie such as the one the McHenry and Mundelein baseball teams played in frigid weather Tuesday.

Maness, a senior and McHenry’s starting shortstop, is the grandson of Fred Picket, who coached Mundelein’s baseball team more than 40 years ago and is a former teacher at the school. Picket’s son-in-law, former Mundelein coach Todd Parola, has more than 600 wins to his credit. Maness is a cousin of Parola’s children, who were Mundelein athletes.

“It’s cool because he gets to watch me against his team,” Maness, whose mom, Tracy, is Picket’s daughter, said of his grandfather. “He always jokes about it and says if he comes to the game he doesn’t know who he’s going to root for.”

Which made the draw between two of the state’s best programs almost perfect for Picket, who sat bundled up in the bleachers behind home plate, cheering on both teams presumably, as temperatures barely touched 40 degrees during the nonconference game.

“I told him [after the game], ‘This is like your perfect scenario here, Fred,’ ” Mundelein coach Randy Lerner said with a laugh. “Grandson got a hit. No one lost.”

Maness had one of McHenry’s four hits in a game called after six innings because of darkness.

“Frustrating, very frustrating,” said Maness, who had a chance to put the Warriors in front in the fifth, only to see Mustangs right fielder Joey Gargano make a running catch in foul territory with two out and runners at second and third.

Much to the chagrin of both teams, the umpires probably made the right decision to end the game early.

“All of those [pitches] are coming out of that gray sky,” Lerner said. “My catcher was having a hard time seeing [the ball].”

The game featured a pitching matchup between two Division I commits, both of whom are hard-throwing right-handers. McHenry (4-1-1) gave the ball to Louisville-bound Brandon Shannon, who allowed two hits while striking out seven and walking three, in four innings.

Mundelein (5-1-1) countered with St. Louis-bound Caden Earing, who, like Shannon, pitched four innings, struck out seven and walked three. He gave up three hits.

“I didn’t have the best control with my fastball the first two innings, but I got the slider over a good amount,” Earing said. “Overall, pretty solid outing in this weather.”

Earing did not pitch last season because of a strained ulnar collateral ligament. He played only first base after pitching on varsity as a sophomore and threw some innings over the summer. Tuesday was his third outing of the season.

“Feeling amazing right now,” Earing said. “It’s good to get back here [on a varsity mound]. It’s a whole different atmosphere, a lot more fun.”

McHenry threatened against Earing in the fourth, loading the bases with one out on singles by Maness and Zach Readdy and a walk to Nathan Neidhardt (1 for 2). But Earing struck out pinch hitter Will Richter, and when the ball bounced hard off the backstop, Mustangs catcher Brandon Marano alertly grabbed it and tagged out a sliding Maness, who was trying to score on the errant pitch.

“That was huge,” Earing said.

Mundelein’s Baris Brua, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound lefty, struck out two in relief of Earing. Readdy, who replaced Shannon, struck out four batters in his two innings and left runners on second and third in the fifth after Daniel Stricklin led off the inning for Mundelein with an infield single.

“It was a good game,” McHenry coach Brian Rockweiler said. “We both had chances. We got out of some jams that we got ourselves into. I thought Zach [Readdy] did a really good job coming in in relief. Brandon [Shannon] was a little off tonight, but the conditions weren’t the greatest.”

All seven hits in the game were singles. Kaden Wasniewski also had a hit for McHenry. Mundelein’s three hits were by Stricklin, Nick Szalony and Logan Young.

“I mean, that’s how high school baseball is supposed to be played,” Lerner said. “It was a great high school game, great pitching, both teams had some runners in scoring position and opportunities to score, and defense and pitching got them out of it.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2025/04/02/tie-fits-for-grandpa-of-mchenrys-kyle-maness/