Latest news with #St.Laurence
Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Introducing the 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball All-Area Team
Three players from state champ St. Laurence and three from state qualifier Brother Rice highlight first and second teams. Jack Bauer, Lincoln-Way East, senior, pitcher: Went 4-2 with 2.36 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings. All-conference. Committed to Mississippi State. Jimmy Benson, St. Laurence, sophomore, pitcher: Finished 11-1 with 1.09 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings for Class 3A state champs. All-state and all-conference. Sean Cody, Richards, senior, infielder/pitcher: Hit .452 with 41 runs, 34 stolen bases, seven doubles and 19 RBIs. Finished 6-1 with 1.04 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. All-state and conference player of the year. Committed to Illinois-Chicago. Brady Cunningham, Brother Rice, sophomore, infielder/pitcher: Went 6-0 with 1.85 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 53 innings for Class 4A fourth-place finishers. Hit .395 with 39 runs, 10 stolen bases, 18 doubles, four homers and 29 RBIs. Conor Essenburg, Lincoln-Way West, senior, outfielder/pitcher: Batted .464 with 42 runs, 19 stolen bases, 11 doubles, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. Went 5-0 with 0.94 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. All-American, all-state and conference player of the year. Committed to Kentucky. Lucas Grant, Joliet Catholic, senior, pitcher: Went 8-4 with 1.05 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings. Conference pitcher of the year. Committed to Purdue. Enzo Infelise, Providence, senior, catcher/utility: Hit .516 with 36 runs, five stolen bases, 12 doubles, 12 homers and 48 RBIs for sectional champs. All-state and Lawless Award winner as Catholic League MVP. Committed to Cincinnati. Mickey Lotus, St. Laurence, junior, infielder: Batted .513 with 56 runs, 40 stolen bases, seven doubles and 27 RBIs. All-state and all-conference. Bren Milburn, Crete-Monee, senior, utility: Hit .439 with 53 runs, 12 doubles, 32 RBIs and an Illinois High School Association-record 93 stolen bases. Went 7-2 with 1.37 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 51 innings. All-state. Conference player and pitcher of the year. Committed to Morton College. Nate O'Donnell, Providence, senior, infielder/pitcher: Batted .439 with 47 runs, 15 stolen bases, 13 doubles, nine homers and 41 RBIs. Went 5-4 with 2.59 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 46 innings. All-state and all-conference. Committed to Minnesota. Jacob Parr, Lemont, senior, outfielder: Hit .404 with 24 runs, five stolen bases, four doubles, five triples and 31 RBIs. Honorable mention all-state. All-conference. Committed to Ohio State. Gavin Triezenberg, Brother Rice, senior, infielder: Hit .420 with 45 runs, 27 stolen bases, 16 doubles, four homers and 41 RBIs. All-state and conference player of the year. Committed to Arizona. Daniel Coyle, St. Laurence, junior, infielder/pitcher: State championship game hero hit .319 with 41 runs, 16 stolen bases, four doubles, three homers and 43 RBIs. Went 4-0 with three saves, 3.15 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 20 innings. Quinn Durkin, Sandburg, sophomore, outfielder: Hit .496 with 41 runs, 18 stolen bases, three doubles, five triples and 23 RBIs. All-conference. Shea Glotzbach, Lemont, senior, infielder/pitcher: Finished 6-1 with 1.98 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. Hit .310 with 33 runs, 15 stolen bases, seven doubles, four homers and 32 RBIs. All-state and all-conference. Committed to Missouri-St. Louis. Caden Kendall, Andrew, junior, pitcher: Went 5-4 with 1.42 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. All-conference. Adam Kozak, Lockport, junior, outfielder: Hit .375 with 27 runs, 21 stolen bases, 10 doubles, three triples and 20 RBIs. All-conference. Jake Matise, Mount Carmel, junior, pitcher: Finished 8-1 with 2.20 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. Conference pitcher of the year. Braydon McKendrick, Brother Rice, sophomore, pitcher: Went 11-1 with 1.79 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. All-state and all-conference. Luke Mensik, Lincoln-Way Central, senior, pitcher: Finished 3-2 with 0.76 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 46 innings. All-conference. Committed to Xavier. John Olejniczak, Oak Lawn, junior, utility: Batted .500 with 34 runs, 10 stolen bases, 15 doubles, two homers and 36 RBIs. Went 8-2 with 2.25 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 59 innings. All-conference. Zach Pomatto, Joliet Catholic, senior, catcher: Hit .454 with nine doubles and 27 RBIs. Conference MVP. Committed to Northern Kentucky. Rafe Slager, Chicago Christian, senior, infielder: Batted .451 with 40 runs, 14 stolen bases, four homers and 39 RBIs. All-conference. Committed to Olivet Nazarene. Rowan Smyth, Evergreen Park, senior, pitcher/outfielder: Hit .406 with 45 runs, 18 stolen bases, 11 doubles, three homers and 21 RBIs. Finished 6-3 with 1.47 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. All-conference. Committed to Lewis.
Chicago Tribune
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Aoibhe Landers, named Grace for one day, helps St. Laurence to fourth place in state. ‘Everyone looks up to her.'
PEORIA — Trusting your instinct can take you a long way. That's how it worked out for senior second baseman Aoibhe Landers when it came time to choosing a high school, specifically St. Laurence. Actually, she trusted herself — and best friend Jordan Ogean. 'A lot of our friends we played softball with when we were younger went to Marist and some of the bigger schools,' Landers said. 'Me and Jordan just decided to do something different. 'We liked what coach Teagan (Walsh) had at St. Laurence and we trusted her a lot. But we also had to put a lot of belief in ourselves and work hard.' Saturday, they stood proud after the Vikings finished their season in fourth place at state. The trophy they took home was the first for any girls team in school history. It certainly made things a lot less painful during a 12-0 loss in five innings to Prairie Ridge in the Class 3A third-place game at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. 'I'm just proud of our team for never giving up this season,' Landers said. 'I feel a lot of people doubted us, especially in the middle of the season when we had kind of a rough patch. 'But we came out and did the best we could.' Kayla Howard came through with a pair of hits for St. Laurence (23-9) in the setback against Prairie Ridge (29-2-1). Ogean added a single for the Vikings. Landers, meanwhile, wrapped up her softball career with a superb senior season in which she batted .388 with seven doubles, one home run and 36 RBIs. Her stats as a junior were similar, but some fine-tuning made her even more effective. 'She's just that kid who as a junior took the critiques and worked on them in the offseason,' Walsh said of Landers. 'She just bought in. She's that kid who is hitting a thousand balls that we have to tell her, 'OK, you've done enough swings. Now take a break.' 'Aoibhe has always been an above-and-beyond kid. She doesn't do complacency. She wants to one up herself every day. She's her biggest competitor, making herself better and making everyone around her better.' And feeling good about themselves. 'I think Aoibhe sets a good tone for everybody,' Ogean said. 'There is an in-between of having fun but also playing hard. 'If anyone needs to make an adjustment, she'll put it out there in a friendly way. And everyone listens to her because everyone looks up to her. So it works.' Now. The name. It's Aoibhe. It gets noticed. Yes, it's unusual around these parts. But it's a common name in Ireland, where both of her parents grew up. Not many newbies at school would guess correctly that Aoibhe is pronounced Ava. For herself, Ogean knew how to say it before she even tried to spell it. 'We were in first grade, so I basically didn't know how to read,' Ogean said, laughing. 'I didn't know if it was spelled weirdly or not. I think the hardest part was understanding her dad. He has a heavier accent.' There's also another neat story behind Aoibhe's name. 'Funny enough, when I was born, I was Grace for one day,' Landers said. 'But then they changed it to Aoibhe to give me a harder name.' It's now a part of St. Laurence softball history. 'After we won in the supersectional, I was so relieved,' Landers said. 'I remember the next day, Jordan and I got into the car for practice and we were like, 'This doesn't even feel real.' 'We worked so hard for this all season. It feels good.'
Chicago Tribune
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Daniel Coyle delivers on mound, at plate as St. Laurence wins Class 3A state title. ‘Live for that type of stuff.'
The bat. The ball. St. Laurence baseball history. Daniel Coyle wanted it all in his hands. The junior infielder had not pitched in the playoffs. But he was sent to the mound Saturday with the first state championship in program history on the line. He wouldn't have had it any other way. 'I was a little bit nervous that they wouldn't give me it, but I wanted it so bad,' Coyle said. 'I wanted to finish it. I wanted to bring it home for coach Pete (Lotus) and coach Adam (Lotus).' Coyle then went out and delivered, earning the pitching win and providing the go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning as the Vikings beat Benet 8-5 in the Class 3A state championship game at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet. South Suburban College commit Enrique Villanueva added two RBIs for St. Laurence (37-5), while Adrian Perez, SSC recruit Ben Geary and Orlando Vazquez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI. It's the third team state championship across all sports for the Vikings, along with a Class 5A football title in 1976 and a Class AA state title in boys wrestling in the 1989-90 season. 'I couldn't picture it better myself,' Coyle said. 'I love it. I live for that type of stuff. 'It just feels good to bring one home finally.' Down 5-2 after three innings, Benet (27-13) rallied and forced a 5-5 tie in the fifth as Josh Gugora came through with an RBI double off Coyle. Coyle didn't have to wait long for redemption. In the top of the sixth, he came up with a runner on second and ripped an RBI double into left field. 'I knew I was going to do some damage,' Coyle said. 'He was leaving his slider up. I saw it up, I just pieced it. That's all I can do. It felt great. 'Having the bat in my hands in that situation, it's awesome.' Coyle allowed one run on three hits and struck out four over the final three innings. He hadn't pitched in the playoffs and hadn't thrown three innings in an outing since an April 29 win over St. Rita, but his coaches were confident Coyle was the one to make history happen. 'He's one of the toughest kids,' Pete Lotus said of Coyle. 'He's never afraid of the moment. We knew that when he was a freshman.' The Vikings added two insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI single from Villanueva and a sacrifice fly from Danny Donovan. In between, Donovan started a fantastic defensive sequence, making a strong throw from the warning track in right-center and hitting junior second baseman Mickey Lotus, who threw out Dominik Tomala at third on a would-be triple. St. Laurence previously had won four state trophies, including three under Pete Lotus, but had yet to grab the big one. Mickey Lotus, Pete's son, was around for some of the near misses. 'I've always wished,' Mickey said. 'I've always dreamed about playing in this game, especially after watching them obviously not succeed. It's so awesome that we're here.' The Vikings had just three seniors in their starting lineup. They came into the spring with several new faces in prominent roles and lost their ace, Louisville recruit Joe Olson, with a season-ending injury before the season began. Yet this was the St. Laurence team to finally break through. 'We said from the start that people might count us out, but we're not going to count ourselves out,' Pete Lotus said. 'We're just going to believe in each other. 'And I think that's what they did better than anyone was believe in each other.' Everyone certainly had faith Saturday in Coyle. 'He's always just been a dog,' Mickey Lotus said of Coyle. 'He's built for those moments. I was talking to him and he wanted the ball. 'He wanted it.'
Chicago Tribune
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
For Benet's Nathan Cerocke, neither precipitation nor Cary-Grove can rain on hit parade in state semifinals
Junior second baseman Nathan Cerocke went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored as Benet defeated Cary-Grove in the Class 3A state semifinals on Friday. Rain fell early in the game at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet, but that didn't slow down Cerocke. As the leadoff hitter, he kick-started the Redwings, who scored a run in the first inning, four runs in the third, one run in the sixth and five runs in the decisive seventh. He was involved in the scoring in three of those four frames. Cerocke also turned a double play that got Benet out of trouble in the sixth after Cary-Grove tied the game at 6-6. Junior pitcher Lucas Kohlmeyer got the win in relief for the Redwings (27-12), who will play St. Laurence (36-5) in the state championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Chicago Tribune
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Shaking off an illness, Ben Geary returns to get St. Laurence past Troy Triad. One hit at a time. ‘Pass the torch.'
Aside from the usual excitement of playing in a state semifinal game, senior infielder Ben Geary had another reason to be extra grateful to be taking the field Friday for St. Laurence. The South Suburban College recruit missed Monday's 2-1 supersectional win over Simeon with an illness. Knowing there was a chance his high school career could end with him at home sick, Geary was thankful his teammates came through and gave him another chance to play. 'I was sweating and biting my nails following the game on Monday night,' Geary said. 'I wasn't expecting it to be as close as it was. I didn't want that to be my final high school game and not even be there for my teammates, but I knew it wouldn't be. I had confidence in my teammates. 'It meant the world to be out there. This is my home. I need to be there with my teammates.' Geary returned and delivered an RBI single Friday morning, helping the Vikings roll to an 11-6 win over Troy Triad in a Class 3A semifinal at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet. Wisconsin-Stout recruit Connor Marino went 2-for-5 with four RBIs to lead St. Laurence (36-5). Danny Donovan finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, while Adrian Perez added two hits, two runs and an RBI and Mickey Lotus went 3-for-4 with a run. The Vikings will try to win their first state title in program history at 1 p.m. Saturday against the semifinal winner between Benet (26-12) and Cary-Grove (25-12). It's their second appearance in the state championship game. In 2019, St. Laurence lost 6-3 to Montini in the Class 3A final. Sophomore left-hander Jimmy Benson threw 5 2/3 strong innings Friday against a lefty-heavy lineup for Triad (34-7). He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and struck out six for the win. 'It was fun,' Benson said. 'I was waiting for this moment. I want to pitch in the biggest game possible for us. I like the feeling of pitching in big games with the adrenaline and all that. 'I feel like it helps me do better.' Geary, meanwhile, started feeling ill Sunday and it only got worse as Monday rolled around. 'I couldn't sleep the whole night on Sunday,' Geary said. 'I was just as sick as can be. I just didn't feel like I could play. I could barely stand up. 'I just got a lot of fluids in my body and tried to be ready for state.' Geary said he still wasn't feeling close to 100% Friday, but there was no way he was missing this. He came through with an RBI single during a four-run fourth inning and also drew a walk. 'I wasn't feeling as good as I had hoped, but I just wanted to stay simple,' Geary said. 'Try not to do too much at the plate. Just do my job, play my role and pass the torch on to the next guy.' That is essentially the motto for St. Laurence's entire lineup. The Vikings, who led 8-0 after five innings, put together three long rallies — scoring four times in the second inning, four times in the fourth and three in the seventh. St. Laurence finished with 12 hits, including 10 singles, plus doubles from Lotus and Donovan. 'I feel like we've always been kind of scrappy hitters,' Lotus said. 'We have Cory Les, but other than that, we don't really have anyone that can hit the ball crazy far or anything. 'We made that first pitcher work, and I don't think he's worked like that before. I feel like we really got to him.' And now, the Vikings are one win away from history. 'This is what we work for,' Geary said. 'I think our team deserves it, and I'm glad we get the opportunity. We're going to play our hearts out.'
