The Heat Index

Cmiel commits to Illinois-Springfield baseball

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:53:28 -0600

Naperville Central senior outfielder Matt Cmiel has made a verbal commitment to the University of Illinois at Springfield, which will officially begin play during the 2010-11 academic year as a Division II program and member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

An all-DuPage Valley Conference selection as a junior, Cmiel helped lead the Redhawks to a sectional title. He hit .434 with a .529 on-base percentage, stealing 29 bases and scoring 42 runs.

"Coach Brian Grunzke has made it clear he is building a winning team from the ground up and I want to be part of it," Cmiel wrote in an e-mail. "UIS received D2 status and approval to build a baseball team in August. I'm excited about the opportunity to play baseball for four years and to academically major in education. It will be great to be part of a new college program."

Hasse commits to Austin Peay

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:31:10 -0600

Naperville North senior center Matt Hasse gave a verbal commitment to Austin Peay on Monday, according to Sean Connor, his AAU coach with the Velocity program.

The Governors have advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game in six of the past seven seasons. Coach Dave Loos, who is heading into his 20th season leading the program, has 314 victories at Austin Peay, which ranks second in conference history.

Basketball's early signing period runs Nov. 11-18. The 6-foot-9-inch Hasse figures to be in an immediate fight for playing time next year - Loos is guiding a team that features nine underclassmen on the roster.

North HOF

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:21:46 -0600

Naperville North recently announced its 2010 Hall of Fame class. Dave Bucher, Jim Konrad, Chad Ganden, Mike Kuefler, Scott Kavanagh and Jackie Diekamper will be honored in February. For quick biographies of the inductees, click here.

Benet basketball camp

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:27:18 -0600

Benet will hold an offensive skills clinic in October for boys in grades five through eight. The dates are Oct. 4, Oct. 11 and Oct. 25. For more information, visit benet.org or contact hoops coach Gene Heidkamp at 630-719-2824.

Honored at West Point

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:53:43 -0600

For the second week in a row, Army freshman Ariana Mankus (Benet) has been named the Patriot League's rookie of the week in women's volleyball. Check out the full release here.

CST School of the Week: Naperville North

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:23:05 -0600

The Huskies get spotlight treatment this week in the Chicago Sun-Times. It includes an essay submitted by North defensive coordinator Sean Drendel, a 1990 graduate. Drendel writes in part:

Football coach Larry McKeon, my mentor, brought in weight lifting. We never lifted before that. If you aren't playing another sport, he said, you better be lifting. I didn't enjoy lifting. So I played other sports.

But coaches such as McKeon, Carl Hunckler, Paul Ryan and Tom Vargos taught us that hard work pays off, that if you put time and effort in, there will be value in it, as an athlete and a person. Character counts, too. And everyone on the team matters. There are no cuts at Naperville North.

Tough night for Hairston

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:57:28 -0600

The Yankees and Jerry Hairston were left to wonder what could have been after Monday night's 5-1 victory in Baltimore. With two outs in the seventh inning, Andy Pettitte's perfect game ended once Hairston allowed a ground ball to roll through his legs at third base. The Naperville North graduate seemed to handle the error like a pro. New York Daily News columnist John Harper has the story here.

NCTV gearing up for fall

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:12:00 -0600

"Naperville Sports Weekly" will be back on the air just as the prep seasons begin again. The show starts its third season on Naperville Community Television on Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Viewers have three ways to watch: Channel 17; NCTV17.com through simultaneous streaming and on-demand; and iTunes podcast. The complete schedule can also be found at NCTV17.com.

The half-hour program has highlights and features from Benet, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley.

Cross country teams featured in magazine

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:26:06 -0600

Naperville and its high school cross country teams are currently featured at Running Times magazine.

Conlon transfers from St. Rita to Central

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:47:12 -0600

UPDATE: Conlon, a kicker at St. Rita, is not out for football, according to Central coach Mike Stine.

Naperville Central, which will return the majority of its everyday lineup from a team that won a sectional title last season, is welcoming another Division I baseball athlete into its program.

Redhawks coach Bill Seiple confirmed that left-handed pitcher/first baseman Shane Conlon - who has verbally committed to Kansas State - is transferring from St. Rita to Central.

"Shane enrolled (here) last week," Seiple wrote in an e-mail. "I'm hoping he chooses to play baseball. I anticipate that he will be eligible to play."

Conlon helped lead St. Rita to a state finals appearance last season and a championship in the summer state series. The lefty went 9-1 as a junior, and Central's expectations just jumped that much higher. For more background information on Conlon, check out Prep Baseball Report news from Sean Duncan and Drake Skleba. PBR first broke the story.

Krol signs with A's; Powers returns to Miss. St.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:54:02 -0600

Ian Krol, a seventh-round pick out of Neuqua Valley, has agreed to terms with the Oakland Athletics. The lefty pitcher declined his scholarship offer from the University of Arizona and instead signed a professional contract before Tuesday's 12:01 a.m. deadline.

Credit Sun sports editor Brad Engel for the information and look for more in Tuesday's print edition.

Connor Powers apparently couldn't reach an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and decided to return to Mississippi State. The corner infielder out of Benet - who showcased his swing this summer by winning the Cape Cod League's home run derby at Fenway Park - was picked in the 11th round. According to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers signed each of their first 11 picks from the first 10 rounds of the June draft.

"It was long and drawn out," Powers told The Clarion-Ledger (Miss.) on Monday. "I had expectations coming into the draft. I told the teams that and they understood. I just, unfortunately, couldn't get anything done."

Linne headed to Northwestern (for baseball)

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:08:02 -0600

After weighing all his options, Naperville Central senior Nick Linne has committed to play baseball at Northwestern.

The three-sport athlete will focus on baseball instead of actively searching for more football opportunities. The Redhawks quarterback threw for 1,711 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior, later drawing an offer from Illinois State.

Linne, a versatile infielder/outfielder, said that Central baseball coach Bill Seiple and his Illinois Sparks travel team coaches did too much selling to Northwestern on his behalf to reconsider the decision.

"It's just a verbal right now, but I'm not gonna change my mind. It's not gonna happen," Linne said Thursday after football practice. "I'm really excited to get up there next year."

North pitcher Klosak commits

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:53:32 -0600

According to Prep Baseball Report, Naperville North pitcher Kyle Klosak has committed to Oakton Community College. PBR ranks the right-hander as the state's 26th-best prospect in the class of 2010. Klosak appeared in 15 games, primarily as a reliever, for the Huskies last season, going 3-3 with a 5.71 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 30-plus innings.

Tracking Evans

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:51:31 -0600

Joe Henricksen of City/Suburban Hoops Report has a recruiting update on 6-foot-5-inch Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans, who -- if everything breaks right -- could eventually join his friend Drew Crawford (Naperville Central) at Northwestern. Henricksen writes:

After a strong finish in the high school season and a solid start in the spring AAU season, Evans did not play his best basketball during the July evaluation period. Although he has been a highly productive player who finds ways to get things done, he still has the dreaded 'tweener label attached to him.

Hoops Report Analysis: While Northwestern is still heavily involved and the biggest player in the Evans recruiting, the mid-major level would be ideal for Evans. If Evans to Northwestern doesn't get done, keep an eye on these schools as we inch closer to November and the signing period: Loyola, Drake, Toledo, Western Michigan and Fairfield.

White headed to Maryland

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:52:28 -0600

Naperville North senior outfielder Charlie White has committed to Maryland. White hit .479 with five home runs, 39 RBI, 36 runs scored and 14 stolen bases as a junior. On the mound, the lefty finished 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA, two complete games and two saves, becoming perhaps the most reliable arm on a staff that already had two pitchers committed to Division I programs. White projects as an outfielder for the Terrapins, who went 27-27 last season.