PORTERS WIN Conference

Transcription

1 PORTER BASEBALL NEWSLETTER ISSUE #4 SEASON 2011 PORTER BASEBALL PORTERS WIN Conference Beat Plainfield Central in Regional The Porters finished their regular season with a 13-2 five inning pounding of #4 ranked Mt. Carmel. Their final regular season record was Their schedule this season included games against 4 of the top ten ranked teams in the Chicagoland area. In the SWSC Conference the Porters finished first with an 11-3 record. They won conference in dramatic fashion winning 3 games in the final week. Those 3 wins coupled with Sandburg s 2 losses catapulted the Porters to take sole possession of first place in the Southwest Suburban Blue Conference. SENIOR NIGHT Fri. May 20 th vs. Romeoville.. If there was a point in the season that seemed to turn the team around you could argue it was the southern trip that was made on the weekend of May 5 th to Edwardsville. On that Friday night, taking on the highly rated host team, the Porters may have lost in extrainnings but they may have found their game. It was a tournament atmosphere and the Porters responded with a well-played game that found them dropping a 4-3 decision in 8 innings. The Porters went on to defeat Chatham and Highland, two former state champions, and came home with a new found confidence. After returning home the Porters won nine of eleven games, outscoring their opponents in the process. Their defense played consistent raising their season fielding % to a respectable.931 and the pitching improved as well finishing with an ERA of 4.18 and a strikeout to walk ratio. The Porters claimed a #6 seed in the Nequa Valley Sectional out of 23 teams. The field of teams is a difficult one that includes 2010 State Champs Naperville Central, as well as #1 ranked Providence Catholic, #3 ranked Plainfield North, highly regarded Nequa Val- Continued on page 8 7:00pm IHSA CLASS 4A LOCKPORT REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP vs. Nequa May 28 th 10:00am IHSA NEQUA VALLEY SECTIONAL Weds, June 1 st, Thurs, June 2 nd, Sat. June 4th th Special Events of Note No. 4- Season 2011 Highlights Inside May-June-July Calendar A complete listing of games and special events during the last two months of the 2011 season and into the play-offs. Coaches Corner In this issue Assistant Varsity and Hitting Coach Matt Bartley finishes his article on batting tips. Alumni Focus A closer look at Nick Daniels playing his 2 nd season at North Central College and Kyle Billig at Washington U. in St. Louis. Senior Moments This issue will take a look at infielders Garret Kooi and Mike Hamilton as they play in their last season as a Porter. Where Are They Now? A look back at another special Porter who has taken his Porter baseball experience and gone over to the Dark Side. Also inside: *News About the Lower Levels Seasons..pg. 3 *Latest on Golf Outing pg. 6 *Another Look at the Record Book. pg. 9 IHSA U. OF ILLINOIS SUPER-SECTIONAL Mon., June 6 th 6:30pm IHSA STATE TOURNAMENT Fri....June 10 th 3:00.. Sat. June 11 th 3/5:00 PORTERS ANNUAL GOLF OUTING Thurs....July 12 th.. Prairie Bluff 12:00 PM

2 MAY 2011 S M T W T F S S-R VILLE 4:30p V- L-WAY E. 4:30p FA- R VILLE 4:30p S-@L-Way E. 4:30p FA-@L-Way E. 4:30p FB-JOLIET W. 4:30p V- MT. CARMEL 4:30p V-@L-Way East 4:30p V-R VILLE 7:00p V-@Providence 11am S- L-WAY E. 4:30p FB-@Bro. Rice 4:30p S-PROV. (2) 11am FA- L-WAY E. 4:30p FA- PROV. (2) 11am V-IHSA REGIONAL V-IHSA REGIONAL SEMI 4:30p PORTERS. v. Plfd. C. 4:30 pm V-SECTIONAL 6:00p V-SECTIONAL V-IHSA REGIONAL FINAL PORTERS v. Nequa 10 am 4 5 V-SECTIONAL JUNE 2011 HOME GAMES-BOLD CAPS Away Games-Plain Lower Case SWSC-Italics S M T W T F S U. of I. SUPERSECT. Summer Lge. Tryouts Summer Lge. Tryouts 6:30 pm Summer Lge. Tryouts Lkpt. Summer Kickoff Tournament 15 Lkpt. Summer Kickoff Tournament 9 10 IHSA CLASS 4A State Tournament 3:00/5:00pm 16 Lkpt. Summer Kickoff Tournament Battle of Omaha 19U Battle of Omaha 19U Battle of Omaha 19U Battle of Omaha 19U Battle of Omaha 19U Tournament Tournament Tournament Tournament Tournament Evanston H.S. Round Evanston H.S. Round LWW / Providence Robin Tournament Robin IHSA CLASS 4A State Tournament 11 3:00/5:00pm JULY Lockport Round Lockport Round JCA / Joliet Central Robin Tournament Robin Lockport Lkpt. Silver Cross Lkpt. Silver Cross Lkpt. Silver Cross BOOSTER CLUB Tournament Tournament Tournament GOLF OUTING Prairie Bluff 12:00pm Summer State Tournament Regional Site and Times State Tournament 7/25-28 Site/Times 2

3 Farm Report.Lower Level Update Porter Sophomores The Sophomore Porters finished with a 26-5 record. The Porters also won the Sophomore Southwest Suburban Conference Blue title with a 12-2 record. The sophs won the title outright in dramatic fashion with a 17 inning win over Sandburg in the continuation of a tie game earlier in the season. Coaches Dan Blaskovitz, Dave Jeglinski and Mike ( McCreevy ) Creevy and all of the sophomores are to be congratulated on a great season. They finished with a team batting avg. of.374 and had an amazing 327 hits, 107 of which (82-2B, 18-3B,7-HR) went for extra bases. From the mound, the team had an ERA of 2.42 with a strikeouts-walks ratio. Fielding, the team had a % of.908. Here is a look at some of the leaders based on available GameChanger statistics. Bat. Avg.(50+ AB) Hits Runs Scored RBI Stolen Bases 1. Doug Matthews (.477) 1. Doug Matthews (42) 1. Doug Matthews (30) 1. Doug Matthews (39) 1. Dan Sullivan (20) 2. Austin Kolmodin (.458) 2. Dan Sullivan (33) Dan Sullivan (30) 2. Eric Duzan (30) 2. Doug Matthews (17) 3. Ron Sessler (.441) 3. Eric Duzan (32) Jeff Duschene (30) 3. Austin Kolmodin (26) 3. Jeff Duschene (16) Wins ERA(20+IP) Strikeouts Putouts Assists 1. Connor Ryan (5) 1. KC Erickson (1.91) 1. Evan Martens (42) 1. Brett Stogsdill (95( 1. Doug Matthews (15) Evan Martens (5) 2. Connor Ryan (2.52) 2. KC Erickson (34) 2. Jake Stanton (62) 2. Jeff Pattison (12) 2. KC Erickson (4) 3. Evan Martens (2.68) 3. Nick Lindemann (24) 3. Eric Duzan (61) 3. Dan Sullivan (10) Tyler Pastore (24) Porter Freshmen The Freshman Porters Porters A team finished the season The Frosh B Bombers finished 9-5. Unfortunately, the bad weather cost both squads a few games that were not made up. Coaches Tim Harmatys, Adam Wason, Ben Duggan, and Kevin O Donovan and all of the players are to commended in dealing with cancellations, reschedules and rough playing conditions and having a very successful season. At time of issue the teams had a collective batting avg. of.390 and had 205 hits. From the mound, the team had an ERA of 4.22 with a strikeouts-walks ratio. Fielding, the team had a % of.876. Here is a look at some of the leaders based on available GameChanger statistics. Bat. Avg.(30+ AB) Hits Runs Scored RBI Stolen Bases 1. L. Blazekovich (.486) 1. L. Blazekovich (17) 1. Frank Diaz (15) 1. Frank Diaz (18) 1. Mike Ciciora (10) 2. Frank Diaz (.484) 2. Frank Diaz (15) 2. Avery Lochow (12) 2. Ken Mashek (9) 2. Avery Lochow (7) 3. Tyler Strutz (.406) 3. Mike Ciciora (13) 3. 5 tied with 11 L. Blazekovich (9) Ryan Reed (7) Tyler Strutz (13) 3. 3 tied with 8 3. Frank Diaz (6) Wins ERA(10+IP) Strikeouts Putouts Assists 1. Not Available at time of 1. L. Blazekovich (2.47) 1. Evan Thomas (25) 1. Tyler Strutz (58) 1. Joe Findley (6) issue 2. Evan Thomas (3.56) 2. Chris Doubek (13) 2. Dan Westra (33) Ryan Dalton (6) 3. Noah Masa (4.81) L. Blazekovich (13) 3. J. Krzeczkowski (22) 2. Ken Mashek (5) 3

4 Coaches Corner: Hitting Tips Mental Aspects of hitting Along with the physical mechanics of hitting that include: grip, stance, load, stride, hand/ bat path, weight transfer, extension, and finish it is critical to develop the mental side of hitting. If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that a confident hitter who has a mental routine that is positive and repeatable will be much more successful than a hitter without such a routine. Hitting is as much about confidence as it is mechanics. Therefore, there are several things we teach our hitters at Lockport High School. When our hitters are in the hole waiting to go on deck, they are taught to visualize themselves being successful on all pitches and locations that they may encounter in the batter s box. We believe if they see it happen first, they have a greater chance for it to successfully happen. When our hitters are in the on deck circle they are taught to prepare their swings and time up the pitcher while continually prepping themselves with positive self-talk. Then finally, when our hitters are in the batter s box their thoughts are simple. We teach our hitters to think, gap to gap when they do not have a strike. If our hitters have one strike, they are taught to think, Hard up the middle. With two strikes, they are taught to expand their zone and think, stay alive. Our hitters are thinking every pitch is a strike until the last possible moment we can recognize that it is a ball. This allows our hitters to stay aggres Continued on page 8 Matt Bartley Hitting Coach Lockport Porters Varsity Porter Baseball Alumni Focus Nick Daniels.Class of 09 Nick was a 2 yr. varsity player for the Porters. In two seasons he had a career batting average of.409. After graduating, Nick took his baseball talents to Naperville at North Central College. In his first season Nick saw limited time on the field playing in eight games and batting.154. In was a different story this season as Nick played in 38 games, starting 36. He batted.277 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 20 RBI s and 18 runs scored. He also batted.307 with 15 RBI in conference play. Nick enjoyed a 12-game hitting streak from Mar. 29-Apr. 17, the longest streak of the season for the Cardinals. Kyle Billig.Class of 10 Kyle was a 2 yr. varsity player and team captain of the 2010 Porters. He was also quarterback of the Porters football team as well. As a Porter Kyle had a career batting avg. of.347 and was SWSC All-Conference and an AP Scholar. Attending Washington University in St. Louis, in his 1 st season, Kyle started 43 of the Bears 46 games, hit.342 with 22 RBI and stole 34of 40 bases. He finished with a.487 Slugging % and a.420 On-Base %. 4

5 Porter Baseball Senior Moments Garret Kooi..2B Garret is a two year varsity pitcher for the Porters. The 2011 season saw G fight through several injuries to have an outstanding year. He finished with a record and 2.67 ERA that included an unblemished SWSC 5-0 record and 1.67 ERA. His main goal this season was to step into any roll that I could to help the team.whether it was starting or relieving. To accomplish that goal, Garret said that he needed to improve spotting my off speed pitches. In the past he was too inconsistent and that he needed to work on getting more confident in throwing them where I want. Garret takes his responsibility as a senior seriously. There is a big responsibility (as a senior) in the baseball program. You are expected to do everything right and show the juniors. As role models, G looked up to Kyle Billig and Colin Hart. He admired how Kyle worked hard and that Colin continued to be an important part of the team even though injured. After this season he hopes to continue playing baseball but as of yet is undecided where. He wants to study Physical Therapy and become a Certified Physical Therapist. His favorite player is Nomar Garciaparra and his favorite team is the White Sox. He likes hard rock music and lists The Town as his favorite movie. Mike Hamilton P What are the odds that the very last candidate for the freshman team would end up the #1 pitcher his senior year? Just ask Ham, he knows. His control was inconsistent and his tryout was forgettable but varsity pitching coach Butch Markelz prevailed saying you should never cut a kid who throws hard and is a lefty. Mike s career at Lockport makes Coach Markelz look like a genius. His efforts during the 2011 saw him pitch 65 innings, strike out 80 batters (tied for 10 th on all-time list) and finish the regular season with a record and a 2.80 ERA. In SWSC Conference action Mike was with a 2.85 ERA. Mike has committed to St. Francis University in Joliet where he will pitch for legendary coach Gordie Gillespie and LTHS alumni Brian Michalak. This season his team goals were to have a winning season and win the conference (which the Porters did). Personally Mike needed to improve command of his curveball and be more consistent on location. As a senior with many juniors, Mike recognized the importance of showing leadership especially on the pitching staff. He looked up to Josh Marszalek on last year s team because he was consistent. Ham s personal favorites include the Texas Rangers and Josh Hamilton. Off the field Mike has many musical favorites but lists Notorious as his most favorite. The movie Transformers is also a favorite. 5

6 News From the Booster Club.. Porter Baseball Boosters Golf Outing Bob Duplessis- Golf Sponsor Organizer Other Booster News: -The Booster Club s assistance on the Porters trip to Edwardsville was invaluable. The Boosters helped arrange for lodging, food and beverage and other logistical items. Even more invaluable was their support during the three games. It was great to have a very vocal cheering section and the players and coaches appreciated the help very much. -The portable and collapsible batting cage for use at Flink Field arrived a few weeks ago and is in the process of being assembled. Varsity coaches (who shall go unnamed) attempted to put it together and anyone watching would have sworn that the coaches reminded them of a famous trio of slapstick comedians who starred in several short films in the 50 s. As far as which coach was Moe, Larry, Shemp or Curly is a matter of opinion. After their efforts, the batting cage is still not functional and is awaiting the assistance of someone who knows what they are doing. -The Boosters who attended the Edwardsville trip were awed by the tremendous athletic facilities they viewed. The turf JV baseball field, brick varsity baseball stadium, turf football/soccer field, wrestling building, and new outdoor track (separate from the football field) were all built with donations from various individuals, alumni, and businesses in the city of Edwardsville. Very little tax money was used. (See accompanying article and photos) 6

7 # 6 Seed (cont d) Mental Aspects/Hitting cont d -ley and Downers Grove South. The Porters beat Plainfield Central in it s 1 st Regional game 4-2 and will play Nequa Valley in the regional championship on Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 am. It s been an amazing ride this season in which the Porters faced many challenges due to injury, bad weather and inconsistent play at times but through it all the Porters have steadily improved and are ready for the IHSA Class 4A Tournament. sive, but controlled. No matter how good your hitting mechanics are, if your swinging at a lot of pitches outside of the strike zone your chances for success greatly declines. These are a few of the major mental aspects of hitting we emphasize within our Lockport High School Hitting Philosophy. If anyone would like more information about the Porter Philosophy about hitting, feel free to contact Coach Bartley at: mbartley@lths.org Pics From Edwardsville Trip Flink Field Update 2011 Spring weather has continued to play games with the schedule of the Porters even into the tournament. Due to the hard work and dedication of the maintenance staff of Joe Olszta, Kirk Stapinski, Mark Dulkowski, and Roger Smith we played a full schedule of 35 regular season games. They worked tirelessly in horrible weather to help us get our field ready for games. This is in addition to their regular duties of maintaining the school grounds. They also repaired our tarps which helped us keep the field in playing condition even after severe rain. These are just a few pictures that were taken of the beautiful baseball complex at Edwardsville H.S. where the Porters played in May. Everything that you see was donated through private corporate and individual donations. Plaques and bricks recognizing those donations are shown. The coaches and players greatly appreciated their time and commitment and would like to extend a giant thank you to these guys!!! We couldn t have done it without you. 7

8 Where Are They Now????? Dave Condon Class of 94 Dave was a member of the varsity team at LTHS during the 93 and 94 seasons. His junior year was filled with a great deal of promise since that team was returning a number of starters from the 92 team that finished 4th in the state. In a disappointing game, the Porters lost 2-0 to Plainfield Central in the regional semifinals. In 94, his senior year was looked upon as a rebuilding year as a great deal of freshmen and sophomores were playing up after losing many seniors from the 93 team. Dave s season was shortened by injury but he took more of a leadership role because I knew the foundation was being laid for the Porters to make some deep runs in the state tournament. Dave feels proud to have been a Porter because I could not have been more fortunate to play for some of the best high school coaches in the state (Hicks, Asquini, Hall, Markelz, Dobson and let s not forget Coach Popek and those walking lunges in the hallway). From day one, Coach Hicks (his frosh coach and now principal of Lockport-East Campus) laid the groundwork for what it would take to be a successful student-athlete. That mentality was transitioned every year up to the varsity level. Playing baseball at LTHS provided me with life lessons such as; accountability, time management, how to deal with adversity, goal setting, perseverance- which are all traits that I have carried into my day to day activity. I think the best way to sum up my career at LTHS is, Coach Hall taught you how to be a man and prepare you for life, and you learned a little bit about baseball along the way. After his senior year, Dave attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to study education. He tried out for the team his freshman and sophomore years as a walk-on but did not make the team. His goal was to play Division I college baseball and continue to be part of a team. He worked hard over the summer of his sophomore year and made the team his junior year. I spent my junior and senior year as a middle reliever and had the opportunity to play with 3 local standouts, Jason Frasor (Oak Forest), Joe Schley (Providence) and Jerry Hariston, Jr. (Naperville North) who all have played or are still currently playing professional baseball. At SIUC, Dave earned a bachelor s degree in Physical Education and a Master s Degree in Sports Management. All that remains is his dissertation for a PhD in Higher Education and Administration. During his undergraduate career, he started his transformation to the dark side of baseball by officiating high school football and basketball to make ends meet. When his playing career ended, he started umpiring baseball. He umpire career progressed through the high school level, eventually working four consecutive Class A Super-Sectionals. In 2004, he attended his first Division I camp, was hired by the Missouri Valley Conference in 2005 and then in 2006 he was hired by the Big Ten. Dave has worked three Missouri Valley Conference Tournaments, two Big Ten Conference Tournaments and in 2010, worked his first Division I Regional at the University of Florida, Gainesville. I feel blessed that I am able to stay around the game in a capacity most followers do not even think of. I know my better years of umpiring are still ahead of me, but my eventual goal is work the pinnacle of college baseball, the College World Series in Omaha, NE. You can see Dave regularly on the Big Ten Network officiating games. Having observed a few we can without bias report that Dave is an excellent official who has a consistent strike zone and always carries himself in a professional manner. He will be officiating in this week s Big Ten Tournament and can be seen behind the plate this Sat. at 11:00 am on the Big Ten Channel Currently, Dave lives in Elmwood Park with his Fiancé, Jen Nakoff. Their wedding is set for January 6, He presently is an office manager with AXA-Advisors in Oak Brook. Dave is yet another of the many alumni we are so very proud of! 8

9 PORTER BASEBALL NEWSLETTER ISSUE #4 SEASON 2011 On the Record: 2011 Team Runs Off With the Record Coach Satunas and the Flying Porters In 1980, the record for stolen bases in a season by a team was 99. Since 2002, the record individually was 33 by John Hopkins. This year s version of the Porters has left both records in the dust. By the time this newsletter was issued the 2011 Porters, with a few games to go in the post-season, has 151 stolen bases. No less than 5 present Porters have made the all-time top 10 list with junior Billy Reed tying Hopkins for the all-time season high of 30. Three more, John Kosmowski, Matt Skrzypiec and Ted Snidanko have moved into a tie for 4 th with 23 and Tommy Hook is tied for 10 th with 15. Porters Honor Alumni The Porters honored three alumni with signs placed on the left field wall. One of the honorees, Bill Haller (pictured above with orange hat with the team), was able to attend the event. He talked with the coaches and players in the dugout and then unveiled his sign before the game with Joliet Central. Signs for his brother Tom Haller and Ron Coomer were also unveiled. Over 25 other alumni attended the event which we hope will be expanded in the future and become a regular gathering for our baseball alumni. The quality of a person s life is in direct proportion of their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor Porter Baseball Coach Andy Satunas (asatunas@lths.org) Lockport Township High School East Seventh Street Lockport, Illinois Go Porters! Website: Contact Us: porterbball@comcast.net Our next issue will be in July and will include final State Tournament information as well as information about how our summer programs did.