By Bobby Narang
With 16 wins in the first 19 games, the Lyons High School baseball team is on the track toward one of its primary goals.
Competing in one of the toughest conferences this season, the Lions (16-3, 9-3) reside in first place in the West Suburban Silver.
Behind a team full of next-level committed players, the Lions hit the final stretch of the regular season closing in on their goal of winning the conference championship.
Head coach Kevin Diete has sent numerous players to college, but calls his most recent group a highly-motivated team capable of making a run at the Class 4A State championship.
“The first goal of our team is to win our Conference, which is tough considering the three-game series and the talented teams of Downers Grove North, Oak Park-River Forest, York, Hinsdale Central, Glenbard West and Proviso West,” Diete said.
“The second goal we would like to achieve is making the Steve Bajenski Tournament finals. This is a difficult tournament that occurs a week before the IHSA (Illinois High School Association) playoffs begins and features top talented teams from the west and south (Chicago) suburbs.
“The last goal we like to achieve is making a deep playoff run in hopes of winning a State championship. It’s a tough road, but this team is capable of making a run with effective pitching, offensive execution, and a scrappy defense.”
Downers Grove North (16-4, 7-2) remains right on the heels of the Lions. Led by numerous college- level players, most notably South Carolina recruit George Wolkow, the Trojans won two out of three against the Lions in a three-game series in early April.
Hinsdale Central, paced by Michigan recruit Ben Oosterbaan, is in third place with records of 10-8 and 6-4 in the three-team race for the Conference championship.
Diete said his team’s is reaping the benefits of a hard offseason and solid team chemistry.
“The players put in a lot of hard work in the offseason,” he said. “They took the time to get stronger and improve their skills and have shown the mental toughness to battle through the toll the baseball season can have on a player…This is a group that works hard to achieve their goals. It’s been a fun group to coach.”