Southwest Prairie Conference Baseball Preview 2018

2018 Southwest Prairie Conference Preview
February 19, 2018
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Greg Banansky

Southwest Prairie Conference Preview
(Listed in no specific order, prediction will come at the end.)

Romeoville Spartans
2017 Record: 9-23
Head Coach: Michael Skroch
MVP: Zach Swearingen (Earlham Commit)
Top Pitcher: Tyler Horvath (Illinois-Springfield commit)
Key addition (Transfer or Junior): Hunter Frost
X Factor: Josh Golibrzuch (Judson commit)/ Jeremy McFarland (William Penn commit)
Top Underclassmen: Dylan Scafuri (Freshman)
Key losses: Jeffery Zack (New Mexico State), Chris Sheputis (Lakeland)
Outlook: Romeoville has struggled to obtain a balanced roster for a while now. They seem to always have one star player on the roster at a time, (Matt Bottcher in 2016, Jeff Zack in 2017) and now in 2018, they will have a balanced roster, but without a star player. This team has 15 returning seniors, and they look poised for a resurgent season. Senior Shortstop Zach Swearingen is in his 3rd year as a varsity starter, and could be in store for a big season. Senior pitcher Tyler Horvath can dominate on the mound, and the duo of Michael McGuire/ Justin Welch is formidable behind him. Junior Hunter Frost had a great sophomore season, and he should be a key part of this team in the coming years. Freshman Corner Infielder Dylan Scafuri is a high follow 2021 bat that could potentially be a big threat in the conference. If the Spartans can have great team play, and limit mistakes, they could surprise a lot of teams.

Oswego Panthers
2017 Record: 18-13
Head Coach: Joe Giarrante
MVP: Joseph Miller (Murray State commit)
Top Pitcher: Andrew Schimmoler
Key addition: Garry Maynard
X Factor: Nathan Ricken
Top Underclassman: Cal Hejza
Key losses: Cole Aughenbaugh (Saint Ambrose), Gabriel Panza (Dubuque)
Outlook: Oswego had a good team last season but drew a tough card in the regional against Ryan Eiermann and Naperville Central. Joesph Miller is one of the best 2019 catchers in the state, and will need to have a big impact to propel Oswego. Andrew Schimmoler is a good right hander who will need to oppose Divelbiss, Ricko, Doyle, and Hoffman in the big games this season. Junior Garry Maynard is a physical third baseman with a huge bat who could be in store for a huge season. Senior Pitcher Nathan Ricken will need to pitch better than ever in order to win those tough 2nd games against great pitchers. Sophomore shortstop Cal Hejza (assuming he gets Varsity time) could make a name for himself this season as he performed very well playing up with the sophomores last season. Oswego looks to be a middle-of-the-pack team, but if everything goes right, they could be a surprise team this upcoming season.

Oswego East Wolves
2017 Record: 26-10
Head Coach: Mike Engelhardt
MVP: Colin Witzke
Top Pitcher: Colin Witzke
Key addition: Nick Boissiere
X Factor: Jake Dirksen
Top Underclassmen: Connor Gill and Tyler Heidkamp
Key losses: Garrett Goetz (Waubonsee CC), Dylan Jones (Waubonsee CC), Devon Zielke, Mason Madilinski (Olivet Nazarene)
Outlook: Oswego East had a great season last year, however they lost almost their entire team to graduation. Junior pitcher and third baseman Colin Witzke figures to be the Wolves’ key player this upcoming season. He will need to grow as a player, and leader, in order for the Wolves’ to be successful. Nick Boissiere is an underrated bat in the lineup that could be a surprise to many in the area. Junior Jake Dirksen will need to step up in a big way on the mound this season to keep Oswego East afloat. All that being said, the future is very bright for this team. Sophomores Connor Gill and Tyler Heidkamp are two of the top sophomores in the conference, and could have an opportunity to be impact players. Oswego East figures to have a rebuilding season, but if the young players step up, they could challenge some teams.

Joliet West
2017 Record: 6-24-2
Head Coach: John Karczewski
MVP: Tyler Pransky
Top Pitcher: Mason Kasprisin
Key addition: Cody Holford
X Factor: Lorenzo Serrato
Top Underclassman: Dylan Wolff
Key losses: Breven Daugherity (Chicago State), Eastin May (John A. Logan CC)
Outlook: The 2018 Joliet West Tigers will be led by Junior Shortstop Tyler Pransky, who has been getting Varsity time since his freshman year. He will need to lead the charge offensively, and be a vacuum up the middle. Mason Kasprisin is an interesting case on the mound. He has all the tools, and size, to be an ace but he has struggled mightily at times with control. Cody Holford is an underrated player who could have an impact on the mound if he worked hard this past offseason. Senior Lorenzo Cerrato (Aquinas Commit) will need to greatly increase his offensive output in order to help Pransky shoulder the load. I am very excited about Sophomore Dylan Wolff, who is an outstanding young pitcher. He dominated many strong teams at the sophomore level last year, and given a year or two, he could develop to be one of the top pitchers in the state. 2018 may be a rough season for the Tigers, but if the young players can play up to their potential, they may be able to win some critical games.

Joliet Central
2017 Record: 12-20-3
Head Coach: Kevin Fitzgerald
MVP: Nico Guitierez
Top Pitcher: Robert Farrell
Key addition: Ethan Darley
X Factor: Jared King
Key losses: Ryan King (Wartburg), JoJo McNair
Outlook: Kevin Fitzgerald is a great coach, and he is truly building a program at Joliet Central. Senior Nico Guitierez (College of Dupage commit) will need to shoulder a large load offensively and leadership wise. Junior Robert Farrell is an outstanding young lefty arm. Doesn’t blow you away with velo, but carved up nationally ranked teams in travel ball last season with Rhino. Junior Catcher Ethan Darley will need to step up in a big way to fill the void left by Ryan King. Joliet Central is continuing to build, but it will be a while until they have the talent to compete at a high level.

Minooka
2017 Record: 23-11
Head Coach: Jeff Petrovic
MVP: Hayden Laczynski/ Cherokee LeBeau
Top Pitcher: Dean Procarione
Key addition: Zach Stoner
X Factor: Michael Schellhorn
Top underclassman: Cooper Herold
Key losses: Nick Airola (Joliet JC), Jonny Butler (North Carolina State), Deston Martin (Purdue-NW), Antonio Milazzo (Dominican), Jackson Shepard (Mesa CC), Tyler Talbot (Lewis), Devin Smith (Joliet JC)
Outlook: The 2018 Minooka Indians are a very interesting case. They perhaps have two of the best players in the conference in LeBeau and Laczynski, but they lost 7 college commits in their 2017 class. Minooka has great talent on the mound headed by the 2 Herold brothers, Senior Simon and Sophomore Cooper. They throw in very different styles but they are both very effective in their own ways. Senior First baseman Michael Schellhorn will need have a good impact at the plate in order to protect LeBeau and Laczynski. Juniors Dean Procarione and Zach Stoner are very good young players that should have nice seasons. All in all, Minooka easily has the talent to win the SPC, but I am concerned about their depth with all the Seniors that left. If their depth can hold their own, this team will be in serious contention for the Southwest Prairie Conference championship.

Plainfield East
2017 Record: 23-16
Head Coach: Adam O’Reel
MVP: Andrew Hoffmann
Top Pitcher: Andrew Hoffmann
Key addition: Brandon Ruehle
X Factor: Dalton Crowder
Top underclassman: Jack Crowder (Illinois Commit)
Key losses: Logan Schimtt (Miami OH), JJ Zywicel (Concordia WI), David Salazar (Concordia WI)
Outlook: Plainfield East has a load 2018 class with a lot of low level commits. The team is led by Oakland University signee Andrew Hoffmann. Hoffmann has some big shoes to fill as the staff ace after the departure of Logan Schimitt. The offensive charge is led by Sean Hebreard, Nick Baldassano, Dalton Crowder, and Joey Fox. Their pitching staff is elite, with 5 college commitments among them. Billy Pierce (Truman State Commit) has a very heavy fastball and an electric curveball. He could, given the role, be one of the elite closers in the area. They are very deep in the Senior class but I worry about the production from the younger guys. Realistically, the Bengals will definitely compete with the powers of the SPC, but they will need their team-play and depth to carry them because they just don’t have the pure playmaking talent as some of the other teams have. All that being said, they have a great Senior class, and they definitely will be able to dominate a lot of teams.

Plainfield South
2017 Record: 23-11-1
Head Coach: Phil Bodine
MVP: Trey Ricko (Tennessee-Martin commit)
Top Pitcher: Trey Ricko
Key addition: Tony Mosher
X Factor: Justin McGuigan
Top Underclassman: Jonny Hernandez
Key losses: Austin Marozas (Kentucky), Konnor Ash (Missouri), Jordan Mikel (Western Illinois), Eric Fitzmaurice (St. Francis), Nick Becker (Joliet JC), Anthony Gutierrez (St. Francis), Nick Mayerhoffer (Illinois-Springfield), Trey Stewart (Joliet JC)
Outlook: The Cougars had a great run last year, starting with a 2016 Summer Ball state championship and ending with a deep run in the playoffs. But they lost their two stars in Marozas and Ash, and it is unclear whether or not they will have enough talent to fill the voids left by the other seniors. Trey Ricko is one of the top senior arms in the conference, and he will need to carry their rotation. Crafty lefty Austin Richardson could surprise people and have a varsity impact on the mound. Junior outfielder Tony Mosher is a hulking prospect that has a cannon for an arm. He pairs that with great speed and a good bat. The X-factor will be Junior catcher Justin McGuigan, he has been the varsity starter since summer ball after his freshman year. He had a very minimal offensive responsibility last season, but he will need to step up in a big way to carry this offense. The Cougars are a good team, but I don’t see them having as much talent as some of the other teams. Ultimately, this team will ride on how far McGuigan and Ricko can take them.

Plainfield Central
2017 Record: 23-10
Head Coach: John Rosner
MVP: David Ascencio (Parkland commit)
Top Pitcher: Justin Divelbiss
Key addition: Chris Conrad
X Factor: Anthony Noble
Top underclassman: Jake Donahue
Key losses: Cade Thornberry (St. Francis), Kyle Cockrell, Brandon Callender (Judson), Rocco Pascente (Pensacola College), Nate Yusko
Outlook: The 2018 Wildcats look to be a very well-rounded squad with tons of talent up and down the roster. With this roster, everything starts with Senior David Ascencio who is the top third baseman in the conference. He has outstanding defensive actions and a big bat that carried the team last year. The pitching staff will be led by Junior Justin Divelbiss, who is an extremely underrated right hander. He consistently carved up every team in conference at the Sophomore level, and he pitched great against Providence and received the win in the WJOL final last year. Junior Chris Conrad will need to be a consistent producer on the mound, and will need to be big in big games. While he only tops out at 81, his curveball is a true 12-6. The X-factor to this team’s success is Junior two-way player Anthony Noble, I clocked him at 86mph on the mound against Lincoln-Way East during summer ball, and he has a big bat that will need to fill the void left by Pascente and Callender. Sophomore Jake Donahue is a potential D1 prospect that could potentially lead this program in a year two, and most likely will get serious varsity time this season. This team has a great coach to go along with a very underrated but talented lineup that will certainly be making a lot of noise in the state the next couple years.

Plainfield North
2017 Record: 28-10
Head Coach: John Darlington
MVP: Brady Miller and Gavin Doyle (Western Michigan commits)
Top Pitcher: Brady Miller and Gavin Doyle
Key addition: Nate Curtis
X Factor: Cam Kissel
Top underclassman: Eben Heine
Key losses: Brady Corrigan (Arizona State), Dylan Diorio (Rose-Hulman), Anthony Fumagalli (Central College), Connor Peplow (Illinois State), Alex Steinbach (Parkland)
Outlook: This team is absolutely STACKED. Seniors Brady Miller and Gavin Doyle lead this team and they might be the top duo in the area. Their pitching staff is outstanding with Miller, Doyle, Nick Cerrato (WI-Platteville), Keegan Bates (Valpo), Jacob Goss (Illinois-Springfield), Dylan Szajkovics, Curtis, Cody Harrison, and Cam Kissel. Obviously this may be the most stacked pitching staff in perhaps the entire state. Offensively, this team will be led by Doyle, but Nate Curtis, Cam Kissel, and Garrett Cook will need to have huge impacts to carry this team. If Cam Kissel can play up to level he is easily capable, we could be talking about an all-area player. The Tigers lost Corrigan and Peplow last year but their rotation won’t even skip a beat. The Juniors on this team have formed a great rivalry with Plainfield Central, as Central won the conference as freshman, and North won it as sophomores. However, Central’s 2019 class still leads in competition with them winning 4 out of their 6 meetings. But this year will be North’s to dominate with the help of the 2018 class. This conference is definitely North’s to lose, and while they will be challenged, there is no doubt that they can beat anybody in the entire state.
Prediction:
1. Plainfield North
2. Minooka
3. Plainfield Central
4. Plainfield East
5. Plainfield South
6. Oswego
7. Oswego East
8. Joliet Central
9. Romeoville
10. Joliet West
This year should be a fun one in the SPC, as the talent could rival some of the top conferences like South Suburban. Realistically, I could see 6 different teams winning the conference, but I would bet on Plainfield North running the show this year, with Minooka and Plainfield Central close behind, and Plainfield South and East very close behind.

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