Baseball: June 2008 Archives

By Brad Engel and Patrick Mooney

Bryan Roberts was arguably the area's most valuable player. With the dominant senior on the mound, Benet could always hang with the top teams in the Chicago area. In press boxes, the line of reasoning would go something like this: Where would Benet be without Roberts?

But no one can answer that question, and it's clear where Neuqua Valley wound up with Ian Krol -- back among the state's elite programs, playing on the final day of the season.

Other media outlets release its end-of-season awards before the season actually ends. The Sun waited until Neuqua had finished third at the Class 4A tournament, and Krol had already won four playoff games. It's difficult to ignore how the junior performed during the spring's defining stretch.

No surprise on this end. Ian Krol and Jason David of Neuqua Valley, as well as Benet's Bryan Roberts, each made the IHSBCA All-State Baseball team for Classes 3A and 4A.

Krol won four postseason games en route to a 9-1 overall record, and David blasted a school-record 11 home runs and recorded 52 RBI.

Here's the complete list:

JOLIET - This was a good week for Highland pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 32nd overall pick in the amateur draft on Thursday, threw seven shutout innings to beat Crystal Lake Central 1-0 in the Class 3A semifinal on Friday and then nailed down the final two outs as the Bulldogs beat Rock Falls 6-2 for the state title on Saturday. Odorizzi (14-0) struck out two batters to earn the save.

Two of Benet's rivals were drafted in the later rounds. Joliet Catholic's John Ruettiger, who shared ESCC player of the year honors with Bryan Roberts, was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 1,053rd pick. Lockport's Steve Sabatino, a Notre Dame recruit who saved the 4-2 win over Benet in the sectional semifinal, was chosen by the White Sox with the 1,260th pick.

For a list of players who consider Illinois home, click here.

JOLIET - Neuqua Valley's coming off one of the best two-year runs in Illinois state baseball history. The Wildcats finished third in Class 4A this year and won it all in Class AA last year. Not many teams, if any, can same the same thing -- ever.

So who should get the credit? The players or the coaches? Neuqua coach Robin Renner opened the door for debate after they won the sectional championship in May.

JOLIET - Wheaton North senior first baseman Travis Otto got a call Friday night around 7:30 or 8, and it wasn't a telemarketer. The White Sox had selected him with the 1,458th pick of the amateur draft.

"I had no clue that was gonna happen," the 6-6, 190-pound Otto said. "I didn't expect it at all."

Otto later told Sun contributor Eddie Burns that he still plans to attend Illinois Wesleyan...and play golf. Saturday's 4-3 loss to Neuqua Valley marked his final baseball game.

JOLIET - St. Louis University pitcher Dave Sever, a Benet graduate, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 21st round (637th overall) of the amateur draft on Friday. The 6-4, 195-pound junior, a Burr Ridge native, went 5-6 with a 5.21 ERA for the Billikens (24-29) this season. Sever made 13 starts in 15 appearances and finished with 80 strikeouts against 29 walks in 93.1 innings.

JOLIET - The Wildcats have less than 24 hours to shake off Friday's state semifinal loss to Prairie Ridge and reboot for a third-place game with Wheaton North.

What's the sense?

JOLIET - Neuqua Valley pounded Prairie Ridge 15-6 last month in Naperville, but little could be gleaned from that nonconference game, with both teams saving top pitchers for other opponents.

"I think it was in the back of everyone's head...the way that last game went," Prairie Ridge shortstop Bobby Martin said. "Neither team really threw any of their real good pitchers but (it) was a good experience to go through that (and) really come out after 'em this game."

By Friday night, after Michael Heesch had shut down Neuqua in a 7-1 win, and Prairie Ridge had scored six unearned runs, a more telling lesson could perhaps be found in last season's Class AA title game. The Wildcats beat New Trier 5-1 despite notching only one hit, taking advantage of two errors and scoring all five of their runs in the fourth.

"One play could give you a win. One play could cost you the game," Neuqua coach Robin Renner said. "So many times that play has allowed us to win the game, you know, over the last couple years. You know last year with the one hit...and a lot of times this year...This year it went the other way on us."

Neuqua Valley junior Ian Krol's right when he says, "It just seems like every game we have great pitching, and that's just what stands out."

But is that all Neuqua Valley has going for it, heading into this weekend's Class 4A state finals? Not according to Krol, who believes the defense has come a long way from opening day and their hitting simply goes unnoticed.

The Heat Index thinks he's right. Do you?

Benet's Bryan Roberts and Joliet Catholic's John Ruettiger were named the East Suburban Catholic Conference's co-players of the year in baseball.

Roberts went 9-2 with a 0.79 ERA, three saves and 133 strikeouts in 70.2 innings for the Redwings, who finished a game behind ESCC co-champions Carmel and Joliet Catholic. Roberts, who is committed to Illinois, also hit .404 with four home runs and 27 RBI.

Benet junior shortstop Alex Staehely (.339, eight home runs, 36 RBI) and junior first baseman Pat Gelwicks (.333, two home runs, 19 RBI) were also recognized on the all-conference team. For the full list, click here.

North Carolina pitcher Colin Bates was named to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America team.

The Naperville Central graduate is 6-1 with a 2.28 ERA in his redshirt freshman season. The Tar Heels (49-12) begin a three-game Super Regional series Saturday against Coastal Carolina at 11 a.m. in Cary, N.C., on ESPNU.

Here's a cross-section of views on how the Chicago organizations will approach the MLB Draft:

The Heat Index can only speculate, but it's guessing Ian Krol took a final exam in history either today or yesterday at Neuqua Valley.

That's because, following Neuqua's supersectional win over Collinsville on Monday, Krol knew off the top of his head that it's been about 50 years since anyone's won consecutive Illinois state baseball titles.

Two pitches stood out in Neuqua Valley's 9-4 championship win over Lockport on Saturday: Geoff Rowan's fastball and Mike McKinley's curveball.

Rowan kept his fastball down for most of the game. Of the first 12 outs he retired, only one ball reached the outfield. He induced six grounders and struck out five batters.

"He really didn't give us, through the first four innings, anything very good to hit," Lockport coach Steve Stanicek said. "Everything was down."