By Bobby Narang
High school baseball is in full swing.
After a mild Winter, the first two weeks of the season is being hit with a cold wave that led to several cancellations.
The Chicagoland area is filled with talented teams and players.
St. Charles East (27-5 last season) is looking to make another run at the DuKane Conference championship. Star hurler Joey Arend is among the top returnees.
“We graduated seven starters from last season, but we have a talented crop of underclassmen hungry to make their mark in the program,” St. Charles East coach Derek Sutor said. “Our pitching and defense will keep us in games this season.”
St. Charles North is coming off a 25-win season, as catcher Mike Buono is a key player back for the North Stars.
“We will rely on our pitching staff, a solid core of athletes on defense and a very capable offense,” St. Charles North head coach Todd Genke said. “Offensively, we should be able to score runs in bunches.”
Batavia, which posted a 19-17 record last season, is led by right fielder Ryne Woods, an Upper Iowa University recruit, is one of the top returnees in the west suburban area. Geneva is seeking a winning season following a 14-20 record, led by a strong pitching staff and a solid hitting attack.
Bryce Breon and Seth Kisner are the leaders on the mound.
“Our defense is loaded with returning starters this year, specifically up the middle,” Geneva head coach Brad Wendell said. “We also have just over 155 varsity innings returning in our staff.”
West Aurora (12-18) features standout pitcher Carson Bantz. The Elgin Community College recruit hit .309 last season with two homers and 21 RBIs.
Aurora Central Catholic (17-11) is filled with depth and talent all over the diamond. Senior Carson Bailey will provide innings and lead the offense. Sophomore Brodie Curry is one of the top returnees for a young team.
Aurora Christian, coached by Andy Zorger, won 21 games last season. The program is deep with 45 players across all levels.
“(High numbers) provides us some quality depth and competition at various positions,” Zorger said. “We will need some pitchers to contribute quality innings. Our outfield and infield defense should be very strong, especially up the middle and our lineup looks to be very solid.”