Sports
Lincoln-Way Central Armed for Success
Defending conference and regional champion Knights counting on pitching and defense to take them a long way this baseball season.
Coach: Sean Bieterman
Last year’s record: 25-10 overall, 9-3 Southwest Suburban Blue. The Knights won the conference championship as well as the Lincoln-Way East Regional championship.
Quick hit: "Our season will be successful if our young players play well defensively," Bieterman says. "Our pitching should be strong."
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Infield: Kevin Mampe, a freshman, is the projected starter at third base. Evan Branvik (senior) is a returning starter who is expected to hit in the middle of the order and provide steady defense at shortstop. Jack Krull (junior) or Austin Korbel (sophomore) are expected to battle for playing time at second base. If the nod goes to Korbel, look for Krull to start in the outfield. Kevin DeMatteo (senior) or Grant Bartell (sophomore) both will see playing time at first base as well as in the designated hitter role, Bieterman said. Juniors Scott Gerdes and Greg Wymer also will vie for at-bats as the designated hitter. DeMatteo, who could spend some time in the outfield, provides a steady bat, while Bartell is an ominous presence in the box at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds.
Outfield: Rick Amaya (a junior right fielder) is a transfer from El Paso, Texas, and is projected to hit at the top of the lineup. Lucas Jones (sophomore, center fielder) is a speedster with relentless work ethic. Jack Krull (junior, left fielder) is expected to get some playing time at second base. Junior David Rico and Kevin DeMatteo also will play some outfield.
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Pitching staff: The Griffins have some good arms, but the top six hurlers are sophomores and juniors. Matt Mikolaiczak threw a no-hitter in his first start last year and went 4-1. He's likely the leader of the staff. Matt Doherty brings a lot of velocity and potential ace stuff. Hard-throwing left-handed sophomore Grant Bartell gives the team some balance. Joe Gianares is ready to eat up a lot of innings. Matt Filkins' breaking stuff and deceptive motion will be key, as will quality efforts from lanky right-hander junior Tom Schuman.
Catcher: Tyler Gellinger (senior, catcher) hit .321 last season. Zach Miller (senior) will be the back up.
Coach Bieterman says: “The strength of our team will be our quickness and pitching."
College recruits: To be determined
