Illinois area high school baseball outlooks for 2008
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Jon Gremmels | Friday, July 04, 2008 |
Illinois area baseball
Outlooks
There is plenty of talent back in the area, and that should make the high school baseball season interesting in each of the area conferences.
Defending champion Riverdale and Morrison are considered the frontrunners in the Three Rivers Conference, with Erie/Prophetstown a darkhorse.
“It will come down to who can beat Morrison’s two pitchers (Jason Smith and Dustin Jones),” Riverdale coach Scott Hemm said.
Macomb and Monmouth-Roseville return plenty of talent and are expected to battle with Orion and Sherrard for the Olympic Conference title. Macomb has many of its starters back, including unanimous first-team all-conference picks Matt Buren, Davis Hendrickson and Curt Myers. Monmouth-Roseville also welcomes back three unanimous first-team all-conference players: Ryan Cheek, Joel Gardner and Ben Gillen.
Ottawa might have the edge in the North Central Illinois Conference Reagan Division on the strength of ace pitcher Corey Kimes. The University of Illinois already has signed the 6-foot-4, 245-pound left-hander who is a two-time first-team all-league pick and is 11-7 with a 3.01 ERA the past two seasons.
Another Illinois recruit, shortstop Josh Parr, is one reason that Illinois Valley Central is one of the favorites in the NCIC Lincoln. Parr helped the Grey Ghosts to the 2006 Class A state title and then batted .500 last season and earned first-team all-state honors. Rock Falls is expected to challenge IVC.
The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference race appears wide open. “I feel there are four or five teams that have the talent to win the conference,” West Carroll coach Dennis McFadden said.
Players to watch
Aaron DeVolder, Sherrard: The senior pitcher-shortstop was a unanimous first-team all-Olympic Conference player last season.
John David Draminksi, Annawan/Wethersfield: The 6-foot-1 junior pitcher-catcher stood out on the mound and at the plate last season. He was a .390 hitter, and he recorded six wins as a pitcher with a 2.18 ERA. A first-team selection last year, he was the only sophomore on the all-Lincoln Trail Conference team.
Dustin Jones, Morrison: The 6-foot-4 senior pitcher was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection last year, when he went 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA and 32 strikeouts.
Kyle Lonergan, Riverdale: The senior catcher was the Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year last season.
Jason Smith, Morrison: The junior was the other part (with Jones) of the Mustangs’ 1-2 pitching punch that earned first-team all-conference honors. He went 6-1 with a 1.32 ERA and struck out 43 batters.
Storylines
* Morrison appears loaded as it tries to move from conference runner-up to conference champion in the Three Rivers. “On paper, this team has the potential to be very good, but we’ll have to see if that potential transfers over to wins,” coach Scott Vance said. “We have the majority of our position players back from last year, as well as our top four pitchers.” Besides Jones and Smith, the pitching corps includes senior Ethan Smit (3-0, 1.07 ERA, six saves), a second-team all-conference pitcher last season. Other returning all-conference players are junior first-team infielder Ethan Goodenough (.276, 15 RBIs); senior infielder-pitcher Eric DeBoer (.385 average), a second-team infielder; and senior second-team outfielder Derek Ward (.356, 10 stolen bases).
* Lonergan and senior left fielder Alex Den Hartog, a second-team all-conference player last season, lead a Riverdale team that is seeking a third consecutive Three Rivers Conference title. “We should have a solid lineup with good speed,” Hemm said. “We will not have much power, but small ball should be effective. We also have solid pitching depth.” Five other letterwinners also are back from a 16-7 team that went 11-1 in the conference.
* Three returning everyday players are among the nine letterwinners back for Erie/Prophetstown, which went 10-12, 5-7 in the Three Rivers last season. Seniors Aaron Blair (catcher-pitcher), Kyle Foltz (pitcher-shortstop) and Jacob Woodworth (pitcher-outfielder-first baseman) are the top returners. Blair was a second-team all-conference catcher, while the other two were honorable mention. “This team has the mentality to compete on a daily basis,” coach Jason Orman said. “We have a good nucleus of players who love the game of baseball and play hard. The expectations remain high again this season. We expect to battle for the conference title and make a nice run in the postseason.”
* First-year coach Chris Miller and his Sherrard players have set high goals in the Olympic Conference. He said, “The Tigers will go as far as the starters will take them.” Seniors DeVolder and Austin Johnson are the two returning starters on the mound.
* Orion will build its team around unanimous first-team all-Olympic Conference players Cal DePorter and Joe Smolenski, both seniors.
* West Carroll is looking for a good season, coming off a 14-14 record a year ago. “This team has a great deal of potential,” McFadden said. He considers pitching from the top three starters and defense as the team’s strengths. Seniors Tyler Vandenhooren (.372 average) and Scott Hubble (.350, 15 RBIs) are the top returning hitters, while junior Luke Ingersoll went 4-2 on the mound last season with a 2.39 ERA.
* Annawan/Wethersfield is coming off its first regional championship since 2000, and the Titans are hoping to improve upon their 16-12 mark. “We have seven of our nine position players back, and four of our five pitchers back,” coach Jeff Parsons said. Senior pitcher-infielder Stephen Moore batted .405 last season, and junior shortstop Skyler Palen batted .380.
* Alexis United has eight letterwinners on its roster, although its top returning player, senior shortstop-pitcher Colt Foster, is injured. He had surgery for a torn ACL but might be ready to play toward the end of the season.
* Geneseo must replace seven starters, but coach Darin Pardoe said the cupboard is not bare. “We have plenty of talent, and I think our depth will be key for our success,” he said. “In addition, we have plenty of arms, so that’s a big plus.” The top returners are honorable mention all-conference seniors Brian Ashpole, a third baseman-pitcher, and Kevin Gillespie, an outfielder.
* Sterling has nine letterwinners back from its 19-17 team that went 2-8 in conference play. Senior pitcher-shortstop Jake Hermes was a second-team all-conference infielder who batted .424 with 29 RBIs last spring. Among the other returning players are junior outfielder-pitcher-third baseman Sean Gillette, who batted .328 last year, and senior pitcher-infielder-outfielder Nic Holldorf, who was 2-2 on the mound with a 2.69 ERA.
* Kirk Fristad takes over as coach at Kewanee, and he will try to help the squad improve from last year’s 1-23 record. Eight letterwinners return for the NCIC Lincoln Division team. “Experience should be important,” he said. “We’ll need some success early; our conference is pretty tough.” The Boilermakers were shut out on the all-conference first team last season, but Josh Pegram, a senior pitcher-infielder; Nathan Dennison, a junior catcher; and Tyler Harker, a senior outfielder, were second-team picks.
* Rock Falls lost Seth Blair, who already is having an impact as a freshman at Arizona State, but the Rockets have plenty of returning experience. They have four unanimous first-team all-NCIC Lincoln players back: senior pitcher Jarred Hippen, senior catcher Colby Vos, senior outfielder Tim Jacobs and junior outfielder Taylor Eikenberry. Also back is honorable-mention pick Troy Eikenberry, a senior outfielder-pitcher.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
reddit» More Varsity Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Comtex Business News
- Add Real-Time Business Newsfeeds to your Site from 1000+ Sources.
- www.comtex.com
- Discount Magazines
- Save up to 80% off the Cover Price. Select from your favorites.
- www.MagazineOutlet.com
- online health articles
- Visit Our Top Sites About online health articles Here.
- AllHealthCarePlace.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
