By Bobby Narang
The high school basketball season closed with a memorable finish, so as the calendar turns, the spring season will feature the start of the baseball season.
Several local teams are aiming for a big season.
Hinsdale Central is looking to make some noise in the West Suburban Silver Conference. Hinsdale Central returns six starters from last year’s lineup along with combining them with a strong group of juniors and sophomores. Dylan Kassab, an Indiana commit, leads the offense, while Jackson Clark, an Emory commit, will be counted on to throw some big innings. Third baseman Brayan Hernandez, an Aurora University recruit, is another player to watch. The Red Devils will look to use their aggressiveness on the base paths along with their power at the plate to put up a lot of runs this spring.
“If the pitching and defense come through as expected Hinsdale Central will be near the top of the conference (arguably the toughest in the state) competing for their third conference title in the last five seasons,” Hinsdale Central Jason Ziemer said.
Nazareth is a team with several new faces, but don’t expect them to have a drop off.
After the Class of 2024 won two state titles and 132 victories and produced countless that ended with a loss to Mt. Carmel in the Class 4A Reavis Sectional championship game, the Roadrunners plan on reloading this season to make another run at the conference title and a long playoff push. Losing six Division I players, including David Cox, Cooper Malamazian, and John Hughes will be tough to replace, but the Roadrunners have a wealth of returning talent and strong batch of new players.
“We will see some new faces in a lineup that had consistency from the last four years,” Nazareth Lee Milano said. “The Class of 2024’s record over four varsity years was 132-25 with two conference championships and two state titles. Also, they hold the ninth longest (35 games) and third longest winning streaks (46 games) in the state.”
York is another team with several new players.
The Dukes will have a different look this season, with a new coach and not having superstar pitcher Ryan Sloan headlining the rotation and draws major league scouts to games.
Yes, the Dukes are coming off another great season, finishing fourth at State for the second year in a row. The 2025 Dukes will return 14 seniors, including six hitters with 25-plus game appearances and four pitchers with 17-plus innings.
“We have had some great success, and our players are excited to be out on the diamond again,” Duke first-year coach River Pitlock said.
The Dukes have six seniors who have signed to play baseball in college: Josh Fleming, attending Grand Valley State University; Luke Pieczynski, attending Missouri S&T University; Ben Dizillo, attending Concordia University Wisconsin; Jacob Perry, attending St. John’s University (MN); Ryan Lisowski, attending UW Oshkosh; and Austin Grzywa, attending Concordia University Wisconsin.
“Solid defense, quality at-bats, and competitive pitches will put us in a place to be successful,” Pitlock said. “We look forward to building on the recent success of the program.”
Downers Grove South should be a team to watch again this season with a strong group of returnees mixed in with a promising freshmen class.
“We’re looking to once again compete for a conference championship,” Downers Grove South coach Darren Orel said. “We are also looking forward to our spring trip to Anaheim, Calif.. March 31 to April 4, where we will play against some high-level programs from the southwest. The Mustangs will be young this year with a few freshmen potentially starting for the first time since Ryan Lierman started as a freshman in 1998. We also look for big things from our seniors, like Wyatt Wawro (NIU commit) and Colin Mayer.”
Downers Grove North’s program is on an upswing. Senior Brady Schallmoser is a big-time player, batting .500 with 13 doubles, five triples, three homers and driving in 37 RBIs last season. The Wabash Valley commit is joined in the potent lineup by senior JC Cumbee, a College of DuPage recruit, who passed .333 last season with 10 stolen bases.
“We’re excited to have 14 seniors on our roster this year, many of whom have got a fair amount of innings last year,” DGN coach Kyle Briscoe said. “Six of these seniors have committed to play at the collegiate level, which speaks volumes about their dedication and talent. While we will certainly miss Jimmy Janicki and Jude Warwick in our lineup, I believe we have the right pieces in place to maintain a solid offense. One player to watch is Brady Schallmoser, who has been with us since his sophomore year. He has learned a great deal from our past players like Wolkow, Janicki, and Warwick, and I anticipate he will have a standout year. Overall, I am genuinely excited about this year’s group and the potential they have to make a mark on the season.”