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Chicago Tribune
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Uncommitted Daniel Coyle delivers three big hits as St. Laurence rolls past Lemont. ‘Never give up.'
A varsity starter since he was a freshman at St. Laurence, junior infielder Daniel Coyle has been one of the Catholic League's most productive hitters throughout his career. But while several of the conference's stars have scholarship offers from major colleges, Coyle's recruiting so far has been quiet. That's just motivation for Coyle, who still has a point to prove. 'I love playing with that pressure on my back to keep going and show everyone what I can do,' Coyle said. 'I love when people doubt me, honestly. People see me and they're like, 'Oh, look at that short kid.' 'I'll prove you wrong any day.' Consider Coyle's point made on Saturday. He came up with three big hits, including an RBI double, and scored two runs as the host Vikings rolled to an 11-1 win over Lemont in six innings in the Class 3A St. Laurence Sectional championship game. Danny Donovan had a two-run double for the top-seeded Vikings (34-5). Adrian Perez went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, Wisconsin-Stout recruit Connor Marino finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and South Suburban College commit Ben Geary was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. It's the first sectional title since 2021 and seventh overall for St. Laurence, which will take on Simeon (20-12-1) at 5 p.m. Monday in the Crestwood Supersectional at Ozinga Field. John Strzechowski allowed four hits and six walks but just one run over 4 1/3 innings to earn the win as he consistently pitched out of jams. 'As soon as the coaches gave me this game, I was so fired up,' Strzechowski said. 'The guys were fired up. I knew I've got the guys behind me to win a sectional championship with.' Oakton recruit Zach Corse went 2-for-3, while Missouri-St. Louis commit Matt Devoy reached base three times and scored on a sacrifice fly by Zane Schneider for second-seeded Lemont (30-8-1), which fell short of making it back to state after last season's runner-up finish. That run last spring included a 9-0 win over St. Laurence in a sectional semifinal, and the Vikings were certainly hungry for revenge Saturday. 'This felt great,' Coyle said. 'That hurt last year. I really thought we had a great team last year, but this year, we have an even better one. We're tough, we're gritty and we're going to do whatever it takes to win.' Those adjectives certainly apply to Coyle. Just ask St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus. 'He's played with my son, Mickey, since they were really young and I've seen Dan be the best player on the field since he was a really young kid,' Lotus said. 'Over the years, other kids have gotten bigger or a little more physical than him, but he's still the same player. 'He's one of if not the best player on the field every single day. I think he does carry that chip because some other guys might get more college looks than him. But he's a baseball player and we'll take him anywhere on the field.' St. Laurence scored four runs in the second inning and four more in the fifth. Coyle's RBI double in the fifth came right after Lemont had cut the deficit to 4-1. 'He never gives up,' Donovan said of Coyle. 'He's always working. He's the biggest leader on our team, I'd say. He gets all the guys going no matter what, even if he's playing bad. 'Today, he had big hits. He can do it all.' Coyle is hitting .324 with 39 runs, 16 stolen bases, three homers and 41 RBIs. Batting third in St. Laurence's order, he's certainly smaller than most people who bat in that spot. But that hasn't stopped him yet. 'I believe there's no one better than me,' Coyle said. 'When I get to the plate, all I'm thinking is 'This pitcher can not beat me.' I believe I'm the best one out there. 'Not cocky, but confident.'
Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
An aspiring teacher, Katie Monroe helps Warren try to fulfill its potential. The senior catcher ‘inspires.'
Warren catcher Katie Monroe's patience has been rewarded on the softball field. Monroe has learned the importance of that quality off the field too. She said she wants to be a teacher like her mother, who works in special education at Woodland Elementary School. Monroe has assisted her mother in the classroom. 'It's taught me patience,' she said. 'It's a tough job. So just seeing any improvements, even if they're small or big, are important. It's fun to see the kids doing better academically and socially.' Monroe played on the junior varsity team for two seasons while Ally Badgley was the Blue Devils' starting catcher. 'It was hard, but I know I had a great catcher in front of me,' Monroe said. 'I just did my time. I hit the weight room at home and in class and really put the time in to get better and be ready. 'I was pretty excited to get to start catching. I learned a lot and think I did well.' Indeed, Monroe was an All-North Suburban Conference selection last season, her first as the varsity starter, and the Wisconsin-Stout recruit has continued to backstop the Blue Devils (17-8, 9-4) with grit in her senior season. Monroe, who is batting .338 with a 1.044 OPS, three home runs and 22 RBIs, has thrown out five runners trying to steal and picked off four others. Not reflected in the scorebook, Monroe is also adept at blocking. 'Katie is such a good catcher because of the way she will sell out for everything behind the plate,' Warren junior outfielder Annalise Stich said. 'The way she will block anything in the dirt and throw a girl out at any base are things that make her stand out. She's a competitive and dedicated player.' Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said Monroe does everything she can to help the pitcher succeed. 'Katie does a great job of being a partner for her pitcher,' Charbonneau said. 'She knows when she should go out and have a talk and manage the pace of the game. Katie has improved the most on receiving the ball. I know she has put a lot of time and effort in the offseason, and it really shows. She works really hard behind the plate for her pitchers.' Warren junior pitcher Camryn Guldberg knows that well. 'What makes Katie such an amazing catcher is the way she talks to her pitchers,' Guldberg said. 'She competes every pitch that's thrown to her, takes charge of the field and keeps everything honest in any situation with feedback. 'Katie's work ethic inspires others on the team, and she shows true leadership by keeping people in the game mentally.' Stich agreed that Monroe's impact is widespread. 'Katie is such a good teammate,' Stich said. 'She's there every time to help out a teammate.' Monroe said she spent most of the offseason working on her defense but also wanted to improve as a leader. 'Being an older person on the team, I try to help out the younger teammates,' she said. Monroe has helped Warren at the plate too. In April, she had three hits and three RBIs in a win against Antioch and three hits and five RBIs in a win against Mundelein, two teams that reached the state semifinals last year. With the playoffs approaching, Monroe hit .643 with a 1.524 OPS and four RBIs during a recent stretch. The second-seeded Blue Devils will play either 15th-seeded Wheeling or 18th-seeded Waukegan in the Class 4A New Trier Regional semifinals on Tuesday. 'We have a lot of potential,' she said, 'and are still getting better and learning.'
Chicago Tribune
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Late because of an exam, Connor Marino passes test as St. Laurence rolls past Providence. ‘It was a crazy day.'
St. Laurence's Connor Marino hopes he aced two tests on a hectic Monday afternoon. He certainly passed the baseball one with flying colors. Marino had an International Baccalaureate history exam that lasted until 4 p.m. in Burbank. The senior infielder then drove himself to Providence, where he drove in three runs after arriving after the game's 4:30 p.m. start and coming in as a pinch hitter. 'It was a crazy day and I had to rush over here pretty quickly, but I embraced it,' Marino said. 'I love playing Providence, and I always love the tough competition. 'I felt like I was able to really lock in while driving over here, and I felt like I had a good level of focus to put that test behind me and come in and play baseball.' Marino, a Wisconsin-Stout recruit, had three of the Vikings' 17 hits as they rolled to a 16-5 Catholic League Blue win over the Celtics in New Lenox. Adrian Perez and Danny Donovan both went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs each for St. Laurence (21-3, 7-0), which extended its winning streak to 17. Mickey Lotus finished 2-for-5 with three runs, while South Suburban College recruit Enrique Villanueva went 3-for-3 with an RBI. John Strzechowski earned the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs in six innings. He struck out eight and allowed eight hits and two walks. Vikings coach Pete Lotus was thrilled with the blowout win over the defending Class 4A state champions. 'I don't know if this has ever happened for us here and we've been coming here a long time,' he said. 'They're a great team and you expect a tight game — and it was early on — but our guys did a great job continuing to put runs on the board and John had an outstanding outing.' Minnesota recruit Nate O'Donnell went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI for Providence (16-8, 4-2). St. Norbert commit Declan Kane added a two-run double and Sammy Atkinson finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Marino, meanwhile, had been penciled in to bat in his typical leadoff spot and play first base, but was scratched from the lineup once it became apparent he might arrive late. Pete Lotus thus inserted pitcher Samuel Chin as the designed hitter in the No. 9 spot in the starting lineup, knowing someone would pinch hit for Chin in his first at-bat. The question was if Marino would be there in time. 'We were trying to figure it out because we didn't want to waste a hitter, so we threw Samuel Chin in that No. 9 spot as the designed hitter,' Pete Lotus said. 'I've never seen him swing a bat.' Marino arrived in the bottom of the first inning, but he had to make a quick stop before heading to the dugout. 'The drive took about 37 minutes,' he said. 'I got here and I had to go to the bathroom, but then I was ready.' Indeed, he was. Marino walked and scored a run in his first plate appearance in the third inning. He later added three singles, three RBIs and another run. Marino is now hitting .421 with a .505 on-base percentage, 28 runs, 21 stolen bases and 21 RBIs. 'He's always getting on base, whether it's getting a hit or drawing a walk, then he always steals a base,' Mickey Lotus said. 'He always gets us started.' And being in scramble mode Monday worked out just fine for Marino. 'I had a lot of time to zone in,' he said. 'There weren't the distractions like sometimes there are when you're on the bus with the team. I was focused on driving and thinking about the game instead of, usually, I'm sleeping on the bus or doing something else. 'I felt like I was a lot more locked in for this game.'
