Season Finals

Congratulations to all of the sophomore conference champs.  Wheaton Academy, St. Laurence, Batavia, Lockport, York, Glenbrook North, Naperville Central are future powerhouse teams who have players that will be major contributors to their varsity teams in the 2014 season.

                                                    YORK
     York High School Sophomore team finished with 7 of their starting players batting 400 or more.  They scored 282 runs (8.8 per game) while surrendering 128 (4.0 per game).  They had impressive wins over Lyons, Willowbrook and Oak Park, but as always, good pitching neutralizes good batting.  As a result, they fell to Benet Academy early in the season, and was totally embarrassed by Ryan Fish of Oak Park when he shut out the Dukes.

                                                   WHEATON ACADEMY
     The team with the best runs per game ratio was Wheaton Academy averaging 9.5 per game while surrendering 2.8.  Lead by the incredible bat of Chris Johnson who batted over 600, Wheaton Academy posted a 20 - 3 season.  They had impressive wins against Nazareth, St. Frances and Glenbard West.  They will clearly contribute to the varsity team next season and Wheaton Academy will be one of the top schools for a run at the 3A state championship.
                                                     LOCKPORT
     The Statsandblogs number one rated sophomore team is the Lockport Porters.  With key victories over St. Laurence, Providence, Sanburg, and Bradley, Lockport shut down teams with dominate pitching.  With a 23-3 record, they scored 7.4 runs per game while surrendering just 74 runs (2.8 per game).  This accomplishment is no small task as Lockport also had the toughest schedule in the state.  They rolled through Catholic league competition and dominated their conference.  Coupled with a well oiled varsity machine, this school will cut players next year who could be starters on most any school in the state.  Having a state contending varsity team that will go deep into the playoffs, Lockport looks to be a favorite next year as well.
                                                     BATAVIA
     Batavia may not have had the tough schedule as York or Lockport, but they gave no reason for me to rank them lower than second.  This sophomore team won 23 of 26 games and scored 233 runs (8.0 per game) while fielding a pitching staff that may be comparable to Lockport.  This fascinating powerhouse gave up 71 runs on the season (2.4 per game).   Their quality victories came against Willowbrook, Nequa Valley, and Geneva.
                                                    LYONS TOWNSHIP
     The Lions of Lyons Township is a common name in discussions related to championships.  They have no remarkable pitcher or power hitter driving the ball over the field.  This sophomore team even had one of the more shaky defensive line up.  They won 21 of 28 games and placed second in their conference behind York, however, when these kids put on their game faces, they can execute with precision.  Lead by a great baseball mind and field general, the coaching staff of Lyons Township is on of if not the best in the state.  Lyons scored 231 runs (8.2 per game) while surrendering 88 (3.1 per game).  What was impressive about their win over York was that they succeeded by strategy and not by skill.  Placing slower junk ball pitchers in against a hard hitting and powerful offence, Lyons neutralized their opponent's hitting as their coach called a brilliant game in the rubber match between the two schools.  What casts doubts about this team is their seven slips to teams that they should have beat.  With losses to Hinsdale Central, Willowbrook and Naperville Central it is very difficult to rank the Lyons above the Dukes although they won the season series.  It would be interesting to see how York may have approached the three game series if they needed to win two of the three games in order to win conference.  As it was, the Dukes came out sluggish and with little enthusiasm in game three after they learned that the outcome did not matter.

Final Power Ratings

1.       Lockport

2.       Batavia

3.       York

4.       Lyons

5.       St. Laurence

6.       Sandburg

7.       Providence

8.       Nequa Valley

9.       Lincoln Way North

10.   Wheaton Academy

11.   Glenbrook North

12.   Benet Academy

13.   Willowbrook

14.   St. Rita

15.   Oak Park

16.   St Frances

17.   Naperville Central

18.   Lincoln Way West

19.  Geneva

20.   Downers Grove South

21.    Lake Park

22.   Edwardsville

23.   Deerfeild

24.   Jacobs

25.   New Trier

26.   St. Charles North

27.   Andrew

28.   Mount Carmel

29.   Oak Lawn

30.   Nazareth

31.   Lane Tech

32.   Joliet Catholic

33.   Main South

34.   Crystal Lake  

35.   Libertyville

Glenbard East West Aurora	13 3	St. Charles North York	3 4	Evanston Lake Zurich	5 6	York Addison Trail	11 4
Glenbard South Glenbard East	0 18	Carmel Marian Central	5 0	Batavia Morris	2  9 1  2	Reavis Stagg	1 12
Lane Tech Whitney Young	6 3	Joliet Catholic Nazareth	2 6	Payton Lane Tech	1 11	Bartlet Matea Valley	2 12
Buffalo Grove Schaumburg	11 6	Wheeling Schaumburg	4 5	Round Lake Libertyville	1 20	Streamwood Batavia	3 13
Providence Lockport	1  4 2  5	Brother Rice Lockport	3 3	Nazareth Fenwick	13 2	Antioch Lake Forest	6 10
Glenbard West Huntley	10 5	Stagg Lemont	7  12 1   6	Lane Hersey	9 6	Lincoln Way W Lincoln Way N	3 13
Highland Park Main West	3 2	Mundeline Highland Park	3  8 3  0	Glenbard West Lake Park	6 3	Lincoln Way W Minooka	6 1
Wheaton Academy Chicago Christian	5 6	New Trier Mount Carmel	8  5 2  0	Guerin Wheaton Academy	2 10	Oak Park Hinsdale Central	9 4

In my next blog, I will use the Billy Beane Moneyball formula to predict how these Sophomore teams will impact the Varsity and discuss the 2014 State Champion contenders.

Sports Nutrition

This Week’s Eye Catching Games

Wheaton Warrenville S Glenbard East	2 1	Geneva Batavia	9 10	Lyons Hinsdale Central	5 3
Marist Nazareth	3 6	York Downers Grove N	8 2	Batavia St. Charles North	10 0
Schaumburg Hoffman Estates	9 5	Schaumburg Conant	20 3	Palatine Schaumburg	4 3
Wheaton Academy Marmion	0 4	Highland Park Glenbrook North	4 9	Glenbrook North Highland Park	16 3
Lake Forest Libertyville	16 6	Libertyville Lake Forest	5 9	Notre Dame Glenbrook North	6 11
Oak Forest Argo	9 2	Oak Park Hinsdale South	8 13	South Elgin Matea Valley	3 2
Lake Zurich Stevenson	3 4	Willowbrook Glenbard West	4 5	Willowbrook York	0 6
Stagg Thornridge	25 0	Proviso East Oak Park	1 13	Vernon Hills Antioch	9 14
Lockport Lincoln Way Central	14 0	Lincoln Way W. Sandburg	4 14	Geneva Waubonsie Valley	9 7
New Trier Evanston	9 1	Evanston New Trier	0 11	Proviso West Oak Park	0 11
Carmel Wauconda	9 3	St. Laurence Brother Rice	8 0	Grant Lake Zurich	3 4

Top 5 Pitchers

1.       Cole Bellair (Lockport)

2.       Austin Moralis (Lockport)

3.       Evan Acosta (Batavia)

4.       Brian Peterson (York)

5.       Ryan Fish (Oak Park)

Barrington Lake Forest	4 5	Highland Park Evanston	4  2 9  8	Main South Glenbrook North	13 1 3   11
Lockport Stevenson	15 10 5    4	Burlington Central Libertyville	5  7 9  4	St. Patrick Nazareth	8    1 14  2
Lyons York	10 2 3   5	I.C Wheaton Academy	0 12	St. Charles Batavia	2  8 6  12
Carmel Benet	0  1 9  4	Oak Lawn Stagg	0 20	Brother Rice Lawrence	2 6
New Trier Niles North	5 1	Glenbard West Downers Grove South	3 14	Argo Eisenhower	0 10

Underclassmen All-star news

Bobby Mueller (York) is first to accept the invite to play in the June 9 All star game.  Mueller leads the high powered York offence in total bases (41)

Batting leaders with 35 at bats

Name                               school                                AVG     OBP   SLG      HR

Chris Johnson	Wheaton Academy	629	634	943	1
Kyle Coughlin	York	544	613	702	0
Carlson Bartles	Nazareth	488	596	681	0
Ryan Fish	Oak Park	481	594	667	0
Canaan Coffey	Batavia	475	563	500	0
Eric Huzinga	Batavia	474	591	636	1
Tanner Phillips	Wheaton Academy	467	556	644	1
Jabari Morris	York	452	593	524	0
Noland Spencer	York	446	687	615	0
John Allen	Glenbard East	429	479	619	0

  

Class of 2015 Top 25

1.        Providence

2.       Nequa Valley

3.       York

4.       Lockport

5.       St. Lawrence

6.       Batavia

7.       St. Rita

8.       Sandberg

9.       Benet Academy

10.   Wheaton Academy

11.   Mount Carmel

12.   St. Frances

13.   Glenbrook North

14.   Willowbrook

15.   Lyons

16.   Joliet Catholic

17.   Downers Grove South

18.   Lincoln Way West

19.   Oak Park

20.   Naperville Central

21.   Lincoln Way North

22.   Jacobs

23.   Bradley

24.   Deerfeild

25.   Geneva

SPORTS NUTRITION

When it comes to sports nutrition, the competition is steep between various companies.  Like most people, I’ve bounced around from one product to the next basically experimenting like a self-made lab rat.  In the course of all of this, I’ve come up with some interesting understanding of sports nutrition.  First of all, having a proper athletic diet is essential.  We must remember that in sports nutrition, supplements are meant to enhance and add to the normal diet.  Unfortunately, the foods we eat combined with our cultural eating habits do not allow us to get the right amount of nutrition needed for athletes to train, compete and recover.  Athletes need higher amounts of B vitamins, proteins, potassium, and hydration than a regular person.  Most importantly, athletes are in more danger of suffering from the effects of free-radicals.  This is why anti-oxidants are very important in sports nutrition drinks. There is not one product line that is absolutely the best in all categories, but I seemed to like the NUTRILITE products more in general.

As I researched some of the products, I found the following information on the products that I think are the best in their sports nutrition line.

NUTRILITE® Sports Drinks outplay the competition. When you see what isn’t in NUTRILITE Sports Drinks, you’ll feel good about drinking them: no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial colors, and no high-fructose corn syrup. Plus, NUTRILITE is the only one of these with antioxidant benefits. Drink up! 

Compare NUTRILITE® Sports Drinks to Gatorade and Powerade.

	NUTRILITE® Sports Drinks	Gatorade G Original™	Powerade Sports Drinks
Calories	60-70	50	57
Sodium	120 mg	110 mg	51 mg
Potassium	35 mg	30 mg	32 mg
Sugars	14-17 g	14 g	15 g
B-Vitamins	Yes	No	Yes
Antioxidants	Yes	No	No
Artificial Colors	No	Yes	Yes
Artificial Flavors	No	No	No
Preservatives	No	No	No

_{Based on Internet and label claims, September 2011. Serving size = 8 oz.. Trademarks: Gatorade and G-Original (Stokely-Van Camp, Inc., Chicago, IL.); Powerade Sports Drinks (Coca Cola Company, Atlanta, Ga.).} 

Nutrilite Energy Cubes

Benefits

·         Endurance Cubes contain electrolytes to help replace the sodium and potassium the body loses during exercise.

·         Formulated to deliver a quick energy boost and prolonged endurance.

·         The NUTRILITE® C-Lenium Blend helps provide antioxidant protection from harmful free radicals generated by intense and prolonged exercise.

·         Provides B vitamins (6 and 12) to aid in energy production.

·         Each serving contains a 25 mg shot of caffeine for energy.

·         Each serving provides 10% RDV of selenium to help protect your cells against harmful free radicals.

·         Carbohydrate source speeds energy to muscles where it is burned quickly and efficiently as fuel.

·         One pack (two servings) will fuel up to two hours of physical activity.

·         Easy to handle (portable, convenient packaging and delivery).

·         Antioxidant infused.

·         Easy to chew.

·         Two great flavors.

Protein Bar Cinnamon bun flavor

·         NO high-fructose corn syrup.

·         NO hydrogenated oils.

·         NO artificial colors.

·         NO artificial flavors.

·         NO artificial sweeteners.

·         NO preservatives.

With a sweet cinnamon bun flavor, this bar is not only good for you, but delicious too!

If you:

·         are trying to lose weight or maintain your ideal weight,

·         want a high-protein bar that tastes good without the carbs or artificial sweeteners,

·         need quick and nutritious meal replacement or snack options,

NUTRILITE Protein Bars are for you!

Benefits

·         Delicious and nutritious.

·         Each bar has 21 grams of high-quality, satisfying protein and only one gram of sugar.

·         Satisfying on-the-go meal with the portable convenience of a bar.

·         Better-for-you bar.

·         No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Free of high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

Active Ingredients

Cinnamon Bun Flavor: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Soy Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt]), Glycerine, Maltitol, Yogurt Coating (Maltitol, Palm Kernel Oil, Yogurt Powder [Cultured Whey Protein Concentrate, Cultured Skim Milk, and Yogurt Culture], Nonfat Dry Milk Solids, Whole Milk Solids, Soya Lecithin, Salt, Natural Flavor), Walnuts, Sunflower Oil, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Cinnamon, Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Rebiana (a Stevia-based Sweetener)
PROCESSED IN A FACILITY THAT ALSO PROCESSES PEANUTS AND TREE NUTS.

You can’t buy these supplements in stores; they are only available through on line ordering. ( www.amway.com/salaminc ).

Doctor Vargas’ comments on NUTRILITE supplements are found on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBqq24kbgoo

The GNC Mega Sport Vitpack is great way to combine multi-vitamins with nutritional supplements at the start of the day to help an athlete through school.  Combined with an serving of energy cubes about one hour before practice, the athlete has a full supply of energy to start an intense workout.

Mega Men® Sport
GNC Mega Men® Sport Vitapak® Program conveniently combines nutrient and special ingredients designed to support the overall health, athletic performance and exercise intensity of active men.

• Mega Men® Sport - Our premium timed-release, clinically studied^ formula includes vitamins and minerals to supplement key nutrients that may be missing in your daily diet.  Mega Men® Sport contains 1,600 IU of vitamin D-3 for colon health and immune support, as well as, B-vitamin that are important for cardiovascular health, energy production and carbohydrate metabolism.* This multivitamin fuels muscles and supports recovery with amino acids including BCAAs; features a joint cushioning blend for healthy joint cartilage; and provides a broad spectrum of cell-protecting antioxidant nutrients that also support immune health.*
• Burn 60™- A clinically proven thermo genic formula that helps to enhance metabolism, burn calories and boost energy.* The powerful ingredients in Burn60™ have been clinically shown to increase calorie burning by up to 60%.**
• L-Glutamine - An important amino acid that plays a pivotal role in the nitrogen balance in the body, provides an anti-catabolic effect and in involved in protein synthesis and hydrating muscle cells.* Glutamine levels in the body are drastically reduced with intense exercise and supplementing with L-glutamine can help the body maintain glutamine levels and maximize your muscle funtion.*
• L-Arginine & L-Citrulline - This powerful combination of ingredients work together to provide extra support for nitric oxide production.*  L-arginine is a precursor to nitric oxide in the body while L-cirulline can be converted to L-arginine, assisting in the nitric oxide pathway.*

Don’t forget the importance of sleep and balanced meals.  Most high school athletes cheat themselves on breakfast and cafeteria lunch is seldom enough for an elite athlete.  If you are an athlete, caution yourself against pre-workout snack food that does not benefit you.  It is a good idea to carry a few protein bars for when that stomach starts to growl in the middle of the school day. 

Lou Collier (Former MLB player) Gives lessons and more.  www.Loucollierbaseball.com

Larry Cicchiello’s books and CDs for fundamental training  www.Larrybaseball.com

Justin Stone Elite training if you’re ready for the next level. www.elitebaseballtraining.com/

INTERNATIONAL BASEBALL

Play baseball in The Dominica Republic or in Japan with Caliendo Sports International. 

Pete Caliendo (847) 781-8039

www.caliendosportsinternational.com

Amateur Baseball Report conducts scouting camps and creates teams for games in Italy.  Contact Brian Wabick 708-675-1500 X 113

Links to Great Camps

Telluride Baseball Camp

www.Telluridebaseballfestival.com

Prep Baseball Report

www.prepbaseballreport.com

13^th Annual New England Catching Camp Summer Camp

Jason Weaver: New England Catching Camp, LLC  (Jay@catchingcamp.com)

Barnstormers Baseball Camps Karl@barnstormersbaseball  www.top96.scoutware.net

College Show Case Links

Eastern Illinois University http://eiupanthers.com/custompages/Sports%20Camps/13_baseball-summershowcase.pdf

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Portions of this blog received information from Game Changer summaries. "Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved."