Pitching Depth Boosts Wildkits On Diamond

No one knows the difference between just plain depth --- and quality depth --- better than Evanston head coach Frank Consiglio.

And everywhere the veteran baseball coach looked in preseason practice, he saw nothing but quality live arms and pitchers who can dominate the strike zone.

Consiglio can’t be certain just how many “high leverage” mound situations the Wildkits will face this spring, starting with Thursday’s scheduled opener against Oak Park-River Forest at 7 p.m. at Triton College. That’s a rematch of last year’s Class 4A sectional tournament showdown, which the Huskies won 7-6.

But he knows he’s got plenty of hurlers he can count on in those situations.

“Usually you have 8 or 9 guys who can throw, eat some innings and give you some depth,” said Consiglio. “This year we’ve got 13 guys on the roster who are pitchers, and I know I can count on 8 or 9 of them in high leverage situations.

“We have our ace back (junior) Hank Liss, and that’s really important right there. But we have a bunch of other guys who will really help us. The way it lines up this year on the mound, it’s the juniors, then the sophomores, and then the seniors, and of all the teams I’ve coached here, I can’t remember it lining up quite like that. I think we’ll eventually have a rotation with 1-2-3 guys, with maybe a fourth starter in there. It will be dictated by how many strikes they can throw. We really preach about that first pitch strike percentage, and if you don’t throw strike 1, you won’t get many innings.”

Liss, the hard-throwing right-hander who emerged as the staff ace as a sophomore, averaged in the high 80s with his fastball over the summer and helped the Wildkits to a 23-12-1 record last year. He’ll also start in center field when he’s not on the mound --- and in attack mode there.

“Hank’s up in the 80s (miles per hour) with his fastball, and any time a high school pitcher is up there, there will be an uncomfortable at-bat for someone,” Consiglio pointed out. “What makes Hank so special is the way he competes out there. He has good control and he just attacks batters. He’s a beast when it comes to his mentality.”

Senior Owen Brooks is also back. The righty was an important cog, both as a starter and a reliever, as a junior and no moment is too big for the other veteran hurler Consiglio can count on.

The rest of the staff is long on potential, if a bit short on varsity experience. Junior Jared Lortie will challenge Brooks for the No. 2 spot in the rotation, and waiting in the wings for their opportunities are senior lefty Clive Harvey, junior Mason Denlow and sophomores Eron Vega and Charlie Kalil.

“I thought Jared had a fantastic summer, and his stuff is right up there with Hank’s,” said Consiglio. “He has really good stuff and that’s going to be some 1-2 punch for us the next couple of years. He has a plus fastball and he stays down in the (strike) zone. Jared really turned some heads this summer. I think he can be an impact guy for us as a junior.

“Clive Harvey should be an innings eater for us. He had a summer of good development and learned how to approach hitters better. Denlow has a live arm and I know he’ll be tough in high leverage situations. I really like the sophomores, too. They just have to get some experience and learn how to get results early in the counts.”

Evanston’s defense should be strong up the middle --- the foundation any true contender wants on the diamond --- with Liss in center, all-conference whiz Alex Vasquez at shortstop and Brandon Brokowski back as the starting catcher. Vasquez will also get some opportunities on the mound, if necessary.

“Vasquez is super talented and I think he’s one of the best shortstops in the Central Suburban League,” praised Consiglio. “He sets the example for the younger guys.”

Vega, a sophomore, has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order hitter and will switch to first base this spring. Senior Hank Ballard is the front-runner at third base and second base should be a battle between Kalil and Sam Sheikh.

Ben Gutowski is a returning starter in left field and the mix in right field includes Sheikh, Liam Koehler and Addison Blough.

“This is a talented team everywhere you look, but we’ll probably only start 4 guys out of 9 who have a lot of varsity at-bats,” Consiglio acknowledged. “It’s a talented team, but we’re not that deep when it comes to our position players. They just need more game experience. We have to hope that we stay healthy and that some of the other guys (non-starters) develop and give us some position depth.

“Give this team 15 games or half a season, and I think there’s a chance for us to make a big jump after that.”