If imitation truly is the most sincere form of flattery, OPRF baseball coach Chris Ledbetter saw some potential similarities between the Huskies and their opponent, New Trier, which knocked them out of the playoffs this season.
Tied at 5-5 after five innings, New Trier (36-4-1) pulled away from the Huskies with a four-run sixth culminated by Will Neal’s bases-loaded clearing double off Drew Golz to earn a 9-5 super-sectional win at Alexian Field last week.
“Last season, New Trier was kind of in the situation we find ourselves in now,” Ledbetter said. “They had a good, young team but lost to St. Patrick [2-0] in the playoffs. They came back this season a year stronger, better and ended up finishing second in the state. Hopefully, we can have a run like that next spring.”
With New Trier taking an early 4-0 lead, the Huskies (30-10) showed their mettle with an impressive five-run fifth-inning rally to briefly hold a 5-4 advantage. Neil Mejia, Graham Kilian, Gil Claudio and pinch hitter Mike Michon all provided clutch RBI hits to spark the Huskies’ bid for an upset.
“When we took the lead, we still needed nine outs which against a team like New Trier seems like an eternity,” Ledbetter said. “We were a little nervous at the start of the game and didn’t always help ourselves by kicking the ball around a little but New Trier also made some errors. Like we have all season, we battled but just came up on the short end of this particular game.”
Although it was a disappointing end to their season, the Huskies enjoyed yet another excellent campaign under Ledbetter. After a sluggish 9-9 start, including a 4-5 conference mark, the Huskies reeled off 20 consecutive wins, earned a share (with Lyons Township) of the West Suburban Conference (Silver) title, and captured regional and sectional championships en route to a four-win postseason run.
“With the exception of a few games [losses to Schaumburg and LT] we were in most of our games all season, even the ones we lost,” Ledbetter said. “I’m really proud of the way the kids picked it up during the season.”
The Huskies lose a stellar class of seniors, notably Jack Scotty, Graham Kilian, Zach VanderLaan, Jack Edwards, Gil Claudio, Brett Newman and Sam Grimes.
“We’re obviously losing some talent,” Ledbetter said. “We’ll miss a kid like Scotty McAdams [selected as one of the team’s MVP players] as well. He only played in a handful of games, but provided leadership with his effort and positive attitude.”
A busy off season schedule including participation in summer tourneys and the summer league will provide 20 returning varsity players more experience for next spring.
Key returnees Drew Golz (9-1, 1.50 ERA), Mark Bernthal (.350) along with the strong middle infield combination of second baseman Sam Picchiotti and shortstop Jo Jo Maldonado will lead a deep, versatile roster. Kyle Glancy (threw a no-hitter this year), Dan Jarvis, Mike McFolling, Max Edwards, Scott Rasley and Joe Kelty also should play key roles next season.
“Whenever you have a deep run in the state playoffs where even every practice is intense, there’s perhaps a little letdown after you’re eliminated,” Ledbetter said. “We start playing games again this week. Summer baseball is a good opportunity to build momentum leading into next year.”
OPRF will likely merit a high preseason ranking next spring, as well as contender status in their conference.