By Bobby Narang
The high school baseball season is rounding into the final week of the regular season. Two-time defending Class 3A State champion Nazareth Academy is one of the leading teams in the State.
Blessed with a lineup full of college-level players, along with a stellar pitching staff, the Roadrunners are on the hunt for their third straight championship. In the process, the Roadrunners are looking to make history.
Nazareth improved to 28-0 by knocking off Prairie Ridge in a five-inning 28-0 rout. The Roadrunners won all 12 of their East Suburban Catholic Conference games to win the championship. Nazareth is on track to make State history, with the last team to finish a season undefeated dating back to Edwardsville’s finishing 40-0 in 1998, according to IHSA records. The Roadrunners won 35 in a row May 7, 2022 to April 24, 2023.
•The West Suburban Silver Division is shaping up to be Downers Grove North’s adding to its stellar run of sports championships with a 13-0 record. Downers Grove North (22-5, 13-0) defeated Lyons (18-6, 12-2) 10-4 Monday, May 6 in the first game of a three-game set.
Downers Grove North senior catcher Jimmy Janicki, a Troy State University recruit, said his team has big goals.
“The goal of the team is winning conference and winning state,” Janicki said. “We have to put in the work to achieve that goal. The seniors are very motivated to make a run and have another year of success. We’ve been working on leading the team and showing the young guys what it means to win.”
Janicki, a starting linebacker/punter on the Trojans’ Class 7A runnerup team this season, is having a big season on the diamond. After racking up 63 tackles, intercepting three passes and averaging 41 yards per punt despite missing six games due to an injury, Janicki is looking to lead his team to another 30-plus season. The Trojans finished 32-5 last season.
“Jimmy has had several key at-bats for us this year in the last two conference sweeps over Oak Park-River Forest and Glenbard West,” Downers Grove North head coach Kyle Briscoe said. “Jude has been our table setter all year long offensively and been solid at shortstop. Jimmy and Jude have done things on the offensive and defensive side that you can’t help but crack a smile.”
First baseman Brady Schallmoser is hitting the ball hard, batting .418 for the Trojans. Pitcher Ben Llewellyn is 7-1 with a 2.19 ERA to lead the pitching staff.