Web Extra!
A few hours before their showdown against New Trier at the Schaumburg Supersectional, the OPRF baseball players were an extremely focused bunch practicing on their home field, in uniform, before embarking on their “business trip” to Alexian Field.
Unfortunately, the Trevians were the ones who closed the deal during their 9-5 victory over OPRF, which earned the New Trier a berth in the Elite Eight of the Class AA IHSA State tournament.
With New Trier (34-3-1) holding a 4-0 lead, the Huskies (30-10) showed their mettle with a five-run fifth inning to briefly take the lead in the latter stages of the game. Neil Mejia smashed a double and pinch hitter Mike Michon added an RBI single to spark the Huskies’ offensive rally.
Tied at 5-5 after five innings, New Trier (34-3-1) pulled away with a four-run sixth culminated by Will Neal’s bases-loaded clearing double.
Although it was a disappointing end to their season, the Huskies enjoyed yet another excellent campaign under head coach Chris Ledbetter. After a sluggish 9-9 start, the Huskies reeled off 20 consecutive wins, earned a share (with Lyons Township) of the West Suburban (Silver) Conference title, and captured regional and sectional championships en route to a four-win postseason run.
The Huskies lose a stellar class of seniors, notably Jack Scotty, Graham Kilian, Zach VanderLaan, Jack Edwards, Gil Claudio, Brett Newman and Sam Grimes. However, a busy summer including participation in the Class AA IHSA State summer league and 20 returning varsity players, bodes well for OPRF. Led by Drew Golz, Sam Picchiotti, Jo Jo Maldanado and Mark Bernthal, the Huskies will likely merit a high preseason ranking next spring, as well as contender status in their conference.