Oakton baseball ranked No. 10 nationally; hosts playoffs May 5

In the most recent National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Baseball Poll released on May 1, Oakton Community College’s baseball team (33-15) is ranked No. 10.

The Owls went 6-3 during the week of April 23, outscoring opponents 68-43. This is the third time this season Oakton has been nationally ranked. Oakton’s highest ranking came in the poll released on March 27, when the Owls checked in at No. 9

“Being nationally ranked is a prestigious honor for us,” Owls head coach Bill Fratto says. “We’ve been playing good ball of late, and that’s a credit to our players and coaching staff. There’s a lot of good teams out there, and we’re peaking at the right time.”

Fratto is hoping that momentum carries over to this weekend, when the top-seeded Owls host the NJCAA Division III sectionals at the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road. Oakton will take on Illinois Valley Community College (16-30) in the best-of-three playoff. Game one is scheduled at noon Saturday, May 5, with the second game commencing at 3 p.m. If needed, game three will be played at noon Sunday.

The Owls swept IVCC in a doubleheader on April 29. However, Fratto knows playing the Eagles again will be a battle even though Oakton boasts a .739 winning percentage on its home field.

“In the playoffs you can’t take anyone lightly,” he says. “We’ll be fighting for our lives. If we lose two games to IVCC our season will be over. It’s playoff time, and we’re on a roll of late and looking for our guys to stay hot. Saturday will be ‘go time,’ and the team will be confident and ready.”

As a team, Oakton is averaging 8.4 runs per game with a .325 batting average and .471 slugging percentage. First baseman Dan Sullivan (Palatine, Saint Viator High School) leads the Owls with 49 RBI, a .664 slugging percentage and seven homers.