Elgin, Larkin still easing into season

After a strong showing last week, Larkin pitcher Lucas Geier may pitch today against the Maroons.
(Jessie King/For The Courier News)

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In a spring that's been far from ordinary, it seems only fitting that Elgin and Larkin will renew their baseball rivalry at an unusually early date.

Less than a week into the month of April, the Maroons and Royals will begin a two-game Upstate Eight Conference series today at Elgin High. The scene then shifts to Larkin on Tuesday as both teams try to find their footing in a spring season that's been filled with more time spent practicing inside the gym than playing on the baseball diamond.

Forgive the two squads if the series isn't played as crisply the Elgin-Larkin meetings of years past. After all, bad weather and soaked playing fields have meant the Royals have played only five games this season while the Maroons finally played their first two contests late last week.

"We're still trying to find our way a little bit and I'm sure they are too," Larkin coach Doug Ellett said. "It's strange that we've only played five ballgames and now we're playing (Elgin) already. But it's been a weird spring to begin with, so I guess it's sort of par for the course."

In another departure from the norm, this marks the first time in six years that neither of the Elgin-Larkin games will be played at Trout Park.

The two schools played the entire series at the facility located on Elgin's northeast side from 2003-05, and Elgin hosted its home game at Trout Park in each of the past two seasons. However, the early date combined with the recent foul weather means the facility isn't open for use this week.

Elgin coach Dave Foerster said he hopes his team can schedule a game at Trout Park later in the season against neighboring Streamwood or South Elgin. For now, though, the Maroons are focused on making strides after showing considerable rust in a pair of losses against Bartlett last week.

The task gets no easier for Elgin (0-2) as it prepares to take on its crosstown rival and continue its head-first dive into the conference portion of its schedule after having all of its six early season non-conference games postponed.

"It's tough to jump right into conference, but it is what it is," Foerster said. "In our first two games we saw what we need to improve on and what we need to work on.

"The only problem is that now that the weather is getting better, we'll have a lot of games coming up in a row here. But a lot of teams are in the same boat, so it's not just us that's affected."

Larkin swept the season series against Elgin last year and has won six of its past seven meetings with the Maroons. The Royals hope to continue that trend and improve on a 2-3 record that included a split in a two-game series against Streamwood last week.

Foerster said senior Isaac Serna is the probable starter for today's game while junior Tom Roth will likely start on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Ellett said his rotation was thrown out of whack when the Royals had a doubleheader at Crystal Lake South cancelled on Saturday due to wet field conditions.

Last week, senior Tyler Shore and junior Lucas Geier impressed in starting roles. Brandon Anderson also looked strong earlier this season, and all three are among a group who might take the hill against the Maroons.