Five LHS Student Athletes Make College Commitments

LEMONT, IL — Five Lemont High School seniors have recently made commitments to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. The school said the student-athletes are baseball players Daniel Brannigan (Dominican University), Conrad Tauer (Triton College), James Tauer (Triton College) and Bobby Wisz (Triton College), and soccer player Katie Knutte (Olivet Nazarene University).

Daniel Brannigan – Career Highlights

• Is expected to play a role on the mound and at the plate for head coach Brian Storako in 201
• Transferred to Lemont from St. Rita High School
• Righthanded pitcher who went 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA in 34.2 innings of work as a junior at St. Rita in 2018
• Allowed less than one hit per inning, and struck out 23 batters
• Plays travel baseball for Top Tier
• Will play for head coach Steve Hardman at Dominican University, an NCAA Division III institution that is located in River Forest, and is a member of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Stars went 17-19 a year ago.

Katie Knutte – Career Highlights

• Has earned one letter playing for head coach Rick Prangen
• Earned All-South Suburban Conference honors in her first season of high school soccer as a junior in 2018
• Totaled 41 points on 17 goals and seven assists in 25 games
• Ranked third on the team in points and assists, and was fourth in goals scored
• The team placed third at the 2018 IHSA Class 2A State Finals
• Plays travel soccer for Eclipse Select
• Twice has been named to the Illinois Olympic Development Program State Select Team
• High Honor Roll and National Honor Society student
• Will play for head coach Bill Bahr at Olivet Nazarene University, an NAIA institution that is located in Bourbonnais, and is a member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Last fall, the Tigers went 5-11-2 and tied for fifth in the CCAC with a 5-4-1 league record.

Conrad Tauer – Career Highlights

• Has earned one varsity letter playing for head coach Brian Storako
• Is Lemont’s top returning pitcher and is expected to shoulder a significant load as a senior in 2019
• Earned All-South Suburban Conference accolades in his first full varsity season as a junior in 2018
• Lefthanded hurler who posted a 4-3 record and a team-best 2.02 ERA in 41.2 innings of work
• Posted a team-best 0.91 WHIP, allowing only 38 baserunners
• Fanned 29 batters, and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 3-to-1
• Plays travel baseball for the Illinois Crush
• High Honor Roll and National Honor Society student
• Will play for head coach Harry Torgerson at Triton College, a junior college that is located in River Grove, and is a member of the North Central Community College Conference. The Trojans have won three consecutive N4C and Region 4 championships.

James Tauer – Career Highlights

• Has earned one varsity letter playing for head coach Brian Storako
• Expected to be a significant contributor in the infield and outfield as a senior in 2019
• Earned special mention All-South Suburban Conference honors in his first varsity season as a junior in 2018
• Batted .318 with three doubles, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored, and was perfect on six stolen base attempts
• Was fourth on the team in RBIs, fifth in batting average and sixth in runs scored
• Made only one error in 45 chances in the field
• Plays travel baseball for the Illinois Crush
• Four-year member of the Lemont football program who earned Academic All-State accolades
• High Honor Roll and National Honor Society student
• Will play for head coach Harry Torgerson at Triton College, a junior college that is located in River Grove, and is a member of the North Central Community College Conference. The Trojans have won three consecutive N4C and Region 4 championships.

Bobby Wisz – Career Highlights

• Has earned one varsity letter playing for head coach Brian Storako
• One of the state’s top returning players in 2019, and was cited as a Preseason All-American by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association
• Earned All-South Suburban Conference and Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 3A All-State honors as a junior in 2018
• Lefthanded hitting shortstop who enjoyed a fantastic offensive campaign in his first full varsity season
• Batted .495 with nine doubles, four triples, four home runs and 38 RBIs
• Scored 39 runs, walked nearly twice as much as he struck out (22 BBs, 12 Ks), and was successful on 21-of-23 stolen base attempts
• Plays travel baseball for the Illinois Crush
• Honor Roll student
• Will play for head coach Harry Torgerson at Triton College, a junior college that is located in River Grove, and is a member of the North Central Community College Conference. The Trojans have won three consecutive N4C and Region 4 championships.