Oak Lawn Spartans Baseball Heads To Alabama For High School Tourney

OAK LAWN, IL — Oak Lawn Community High School head baseball coach William Gerny had an idea that this year’s Spartans were going to need a challenge in order to reach their goals. With eight returning starters, the Oak Lawn baseball team is poised to make a run at the South Suburban Conference Red championship that eluded them last year.

However, the road to a conference championship will take a slight detour through Alabama. During spring break, the Spartans will travel to Hoover, Ala., for the Buccaneer Classic High School Baseball Tourney, and with six games in three days, the Spartans will need contributions from everyone. After a travel day on Tuesday, March 28, the Spartans will square off against Shelby County, Chelsea, and Helena for varsity games and Hewitt, Pratville, and Hartselle in junior varsity games.

The Spartans return their entire pitching staff from the 2022 season: seniors Jack McGlynn, Cristian Ruiz, and KJ Mallo, and junior Ethan Collins. Newcomers junior Brett Gatch, and freshmen John Olejniczak and Jack Dempsey are also expected to contribute on the mound.

“The baseball team has been fundraising since the fall to go on a trip to Alabama, and we have met our goal after a lot of hard work and dedication,” McGlynn said. “Coach Gerny has been a huge help from the start by helping us set up fundraisers and looking for a high-end tournament to compete at. The 2023 Spartans are looking better than ever and ready to take over Bama!”

~ Contributed by Brian Frangella, OLCHS Staff Writer