Baseball is Hotter than Spring Weather

      Although the weather was colder than what we hoped, the baseball diamonds were heating up.  Alongside of wind aided base hits in the form of bloopers and drifting liners, there were some great defensive plays to keep the games exciting.

 

      Among some of those great plays was Proviso West sophomore center fielder Jalani Givens who made two impressive catches against Riverside Brookfield batters. He followed up with another great play on a line drive off the bat of Nolan Spencer Saturday in their game against York.  Another impressive Panther player is Thad Daniel who jumped to the top of Stats and Blogs leader board by raising his batting average to 585 against York pitching.  Daniel, #6, has been impressive against pitching from Hinsdale Central as well as York.  His recent play gives his team a shining light in an otherwise dim and gloomy season.  The coaching staff at Proviso West, victimized by a disorganized school district and few feeder programs, struggle to contend well enough to simply play beyond the fifth inning when the mercy rule takes effect. They are challenged with changing the team culture and implanting a working system.  With a young team and a few players to build around, they have a great chance to do something spectacular.

      Elsewhere in the state and on the Varsity level, Stats and Blogs preseason IHSA pick Lockport High School which is anchored by Mike Formella on the mound and supported by Lorenzo Blazekovich continue to role and put up good numbers as the Southwest Athletic Conference tries to get overdue respect in the state.  Last year, the West suburban Athletic Conference flexed their muscles and proved to be the most superior baseball conference in the state.  This year, the Southwest suburban conference may have a loud voice in the conversation. Lemont High School can ride far in the playoffs with the pop of Mike Wisz’s bat.  Let’s not forget Plainfield North and Zach Zyburt’s deadly change up. 

Glenbard East ran into a strong Huntley team this week and fell to them after a late seventh inning comeback.  They learned from their mistakes and held off York with a 9 – 8 victory on the rebound.

                                            Stats & Blogs Sophomore offensive leaders

Name                          Average                        On Base %           Slugging%                    RBI

Thad Daniel (PRW)	585	579	667	0
Costa Sampras (DGN)	565	610	765	12
Jabari Morris (York)	550	619	700	10
Nick Potaczek (York)	500	643	611	10
Bobby Mueller (York)	500	545	500	0

Larry Cicchiello’s Tip: “Take the shortest route to granny’s house.” A fraction of a second is an eternity in hitting!  The SLIGHTEST loop in your swing will create problems.

                                www.LarryBaseball.com

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