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Stevenson baseball ready to reload with talented underclassmen - Buffalo Grove Countryside
Stevenson baseball ready to reload with talented underclassmen Rob Dicker/Lake County News-Sun Stevenson's Evan Kiah catches the ball as Warren's Brent Tunelius dives back into first base on May 15 in Gurnee. Stevenson's Evan Kiah catches the ball as Warren's Brent Tunelius dives back into first base on May 15 in Gurnee. (Rob Dicker/Lake County News-Sun) Rich MayorContact ReporterPioneer Press For a program of Stevenson's caliber, the 2017 baseball season could be seen as a year of transition.The Patriots, winners of 24 games last season and eight regional titles since 2003, fell 5-4 to Fremd in a Class 4A regional semifinal on May 25. Stevenson finished 18-13, and the team's roster was an eclectic mix of next-level athletes and up-and-coming underclassmen. We played, in my mind, the best conference in Illinois, coach Pat Block said of the North Suburban Conference. Maybe the best conference in the Midwest. Every game we played, you needed to bring your best or else you'd lose. We were a really good team, and worked really hard, but unless we did everything well every day, it was tough to advance. It's baseball. The Class 4A Glenbrook South Sectional featured 21 teams from six conferences, yet North Suburban schools were awarded five of the top seven seeds. Stevenson was the sixth seed. Mundelein beat Warren for the sectional title on Saturday.The Stevenson senior class had many talented athletes who starred in multiple sports. Right fielder Charlie Bourbon, who will play baseball at Northwestern next season, had a .438 on-base percentage https://www.ducksteamsport.com/gear/zac-morgan-ducks-jersey.aspx . Center fielder and leadoff hitter Henry Marchese, an Iowa football recruit, hit .485 with five home runs, 28 RBIs and 43 runs. Utility player Michael Marchese, an Illinois football walk-on, had a .384 on-base percentage, 23 RBIs and 15 runs. Charlie Ling had a .457 on-base percentage, 17 RBIs and 30 runs as the No. 2 hitter. For Block, one challenge was getting a roster of superb athletes to play cohesive baseball, even if it was their second- or third-best sport. Getting inside their mind, figuring out how to push their buttons so they could succeed, Block said. They were football and basketball players that happened to play baseball also. When to push, when to back off, that was the daily thing. Block is only in his second year as varsity coach but was the freshman coach when the current seniors played on that team. He's seen firsthand the growth of each. Between coaching and teaching them every day, I got to know all of them almost like my sons, which is an absolute pleasure, Block said. From the very first practice this season, as seniors and leaders, they made it known that it was their job not only to win, but to help the younger guys excel in what it meant to be a Patriot baseball player https://www.ducksteamsport.com/gear/tony-brooks-james-ducks-jersey.aspx . That younger group is one Block is excited to coach. Junior Jack Housinger (.542 OBP, 28 RBIs, 26 runs) started at second base as a sophomore, then at shortstop this season. Block said colleges are recruiting Housinger, and he'll be a captain next season. Juniors Nick Bonk and Evan Kiah and sophomores Ryan McElhinny and Michael D'Angelo should also make strides. A rotation of juniors Matthew Mittelmark (39.1 IP, 1.60 ERA) and Michael Thon (28.1 IP, 2.47 ERA), plus sophomores Jacob Rosenkranz and Hayden Brotz (24.1 IP, 1.43 ERA) should be even better next season.The mental approach of the senior class helped the younger players George Moore Jersey . Every day after practice, after a game, I told them to just play, said Ling, a Buffalo Grove native who will attend Illinois in the fall. Don't worry about if Coach yells at you, don't worry about what your parents are going to say after the game. That's what a lot of those guys were worried about. Just be positive, have fun and stay loose, because the better you do with all of that, the better you'll do on the field. Rich Mayor is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press Hunter Kampmoyer Jersey .Twitter @Pioneer_Press Rockford police chief talks about death of officer Protesters rally against Trump in Federal Plaza 200-year-old trees may be removed in Des Plaines SportsBreakingMost PopularOpinionSuburbsEntertainmentBusinessAdvertising42