All-Area Baseball Second Team

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June 28, 2009

� Nick Daniels, Lockport, senior, third baseman: All-Southwest Suburban Blue ... Hit .364 with .440 on-base percentage, .551 slugging ... Had 8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 27 RBIs ... Will play at North Central ... "Nick played every inning of every game and played a great third base," Porters coach Steve Stanicek said.

� Brandon Duplessis, Lockport, senior, pitcher: All-Southwest Suburban Blue ... Finished 9-1 with a 2.46 ERA ... Struck out 64 in 54 innings ... "Brandon had an outstanding record and pitched in relief in the two regional games we won," Porters coach Steve Stanicek said. "He got a lot of innings as a junior, which helped this year."

� Dietrich Enns, Lincoln-Way E., senior, pitcher: Went 5-3 with 1 save and a 2.57 ERA ... Struck out 88 in 60 innings ... Owns school career ERA and strikeout records ... "Dietrich had us in every game," Griffins coach Paul Babcock said. "He got beat a couple times when we did not play well. I was very pleased with how he threw."

� Brett Evak, Plainfield N., senior, pitcher: All-Southwest Prairie ... Finished 9-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 53 2/3 innings ... Threw 2 no-hitters ... Considering JJC .... "We knew Brett would hve a good year, but he had a great year," Tigers coach John Darlington said. "If he doesn't have his best stuff, he still battles you."

� Mike Foltynewicz, Minooka, junior, pitcher/DH: Two-year varsity starter ... Finished 3-2 with a 2.23 ERA ... First baseman and DH when not pitching ... Hit .287 with 4 home runs, 25 RBIs ... MVP of the WJOL Area Baseball Invite ... "Mike had a good year, just not the kind of year he would have liked to have," Indians coach Jeff Petrovic said.

� Mike Goshorn, Lincoln-Way C., senior, second baseman: All-Southwest Suburban Red ... Voted team MVP ... Hit .363 with .414 on-base percentage, .516 slugging ... Had 3 home runs, 25 RBIs ... Will play at Prairie State ... "Mike made 2-3 errors all year and pitched in relief a little (1-1, 2.84 ERA)," Knights coach Marty Dykas said.

� Tim Hanrahan, Providence, junior, outfielder: All-Chicago Catholic League ... Hit .371 with 4 doubles, 3 home runs and 26 RBIs ... Stole 7 bases ... Outstanding running back in football ... "Tim wants to go to the Ivy League for football, but you'd never know it from his work ethic for baseball," Celtics coach Mark Smith said.

� Kevin Hulbert, JCA, senior, first baseman: All-East Suburban Catholic ... Hit .430 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and drove in 28 runs ... "Kevin made consistently hard contact the second half of the season," Hilltoppers coach Jared Voss said. "He did a great job defensively, too."

� Joe Martin, Lockport, senior, catcher: All-Southwest Suburban Blue ... Hit .397 with .470 on-base percentage, .526 slugging ... Had 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 27 RBIs ... Will concentrate on academics at Illinois ... "Joe was in the 4-spot in our lineup and had a real nice year," Porters coach Steve Stanicek said.

� Alex Parks, Plainfield C., senior, shortstop/pitcher: All-Southwest Prairie ... Hit .426 with 5 doubles, 1 home run, 25 RBIs ... Was 4-4 as a pitcher with a 3.46 ERA ... Will play at JJC ... "Alex got a lot of big hits, and on the mound, he was a tough-luck loser," Wildcats coach Bob Dobbertin said. "He deserved a better record."

� George Patteson, Lincoln-Way E., senior, DH: All-Southwest Suburban Red ... Hit .398 with 12 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs and 35 RBIs ... Had .482 on-base percentage, .742 slugging ... Will play at South Suburban ... "George put up good offensive numbers," Griffins coach Paul Babcock said.

� Jordan Pemble, Romoeville, sophomore, pitcher/outfielder: Hit .449 with 2 home runs, 6 doubles and 21 RBIs in second varsity season ... Had .654 slugging percentage, .477 on-base mark ... Was 4-2 pitching with a 2.12 ERA ... Struck out 39 and walked 10 in 43 innings ... "The ceiling is high on Jordan," Spartans coach Tony Smith said.

� Deric Punke, Seneca, senior, catcher: Three-time All-Interstate Eight ... Hit .455 with 10 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 29 RBIs ... Will play at Aurora University ... "Deric had 18 assists on throwing out base stealers or on pickoffs at first or second," Irish coach Kirk Houchin said. "I think he's the best catcher in our conference."

� Nate Ruzich, JCA, junior, catcher: All-East Suburban Catholic ... Hit .380 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run and drove in 35 runs ... Son of South Suburban coach Steve Ruzich ... "Even as a junior, expectations were high for Nate, and he delivered," Hilltoppers coach Jared Voss said. "He has all the tools."

� Colt Smith, Coal City, junior, pitcher: All-Interstate Eight ... Finished 8-3 with 1 save and a 2.11 ERA ... Struck out 84 and walked 20 in 73 innings ... Hit .310 with 2 home runs, 22 RBIs ... Football quarterback ... "Colt matured a lot on the mound," Coalers coach Jerry McDowell said. "He can be overpowering and mixed in a good offspeed pitch."

� Matt Trowbridge, Providence, sophomore pitcher: Left-hander went 5-1 with a 2.67 ERA ... Struck out 78 in 57 2/3 innings ... Hit .438 in 32 at-bats with 7 doubles, 1 home run and 10 RBIs ... "Matt was our workhorse," Celtics coach Mark Smith said. "He faced all the big boys. People underestimated him because he isn't very big, but he has three good pitches."

� Justin Troyner, Minooka, senior, pitcher/first baseman: Two-year varsity starter ... All-Southwest Prairie ... Closer early on, but became a starter during season and went 7-2 with 1.75 ERA ... First baseman when not pitching ... "Justin had a real good year pitching," Indians coach Jeff Petrovic said.

� Austin Wallace, Lincoln-Way E., senior, pitcher: Left-hander finished 7-2 with a 2.75 ERA ... Opponents batted .203 ... Struck out 41 in 51 innings ... Will pitch at St. Joseph's in Indiana ... "Austin and Deitrich (Enns) gave us a nice top two on our pitching staff," Griffins coach Paul Babcock said.

� Derek Wolff, Plainfield South, senior, pitcher: All-Southwest Prairie ... Finished 5-2 with 1.69 ERA ... Struck out 33 in 41 1/3 innings ... "Derek pitched the big games and turned out to be our best," Cougars coach Phil Bodine said. "He had a 1-0 win over Oswego and beat Oswego East in the regional."

� Tyler Willis, Lockport, senior, pitcher: All-Southwest Suburban Blue ... Finished 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA in 44 2/3 innings ... Will play at Augustana ... "Tyler missed 9 games early, then came back and was one of our better pitchers toward the end," Porters coach Steve Stanicek said. "He's very good."

Third Team

� David Balzer, Morris, senior, shortstop/third baseman: All-Southwest Prairie ... Hit .417 in conference, .337 overall ... Had 7 doubles, 4 home runs, 21 RBIs and .558 slugging percentage ... Will play at Augustana ... "David has been our glue and team captain," Redskins coach Todd Kein said. "He's had a great career."

� Joe Briner, Dwight, senior, first baseman: All-Interstate Eight ... Hit .409 with 11 doubles, 8 home runs and 27 RBIs ... Had .807 slugging percentage, .515 on-base ... Pitched 41 2/3 innings ... "Joe was a consistent hitter," Trojans coach Dan Kaiser said. "He got big hits, including a big home run in the sectional final."

� Tyler Brown, JT, junior, outfielder/pitcher: All-Southwest Suburban Blue ... Hit .337 with .472 on-base percentage ... Stole 8 bases ... Was 1-3 but with a 2.38 ERA ... "Tyler was one of our leading hitters and led us in sacrifices," Steelmen coach Terry Piazza said. "And his pitching record does not reflect how well he threw."

� Kyle Cahill, Dwight, senior, pitcher: All-Interstate Eight ... Went 7-5 with a 3.89 ERA in an area-high 85 2/3 innings ... Struck out 108 and walked 20 ... Hit .337 with 2 home runs, 19 RBIs ... "Kyle went 2-0 with 2 saves in the state series and carried us to the (1A) supers," Trojans coach Dan Kaiser said.

� Ben Crater, Gardner-SW, junior, pitcher/third baseman: Hit .421 with 6 doubles, a triple, 6 home runs and 29 RBIs ... Had .763 slugging percentage, .560 on-base ... Was 7-2 with 2 saves and a 2.14 ERA in 59 innings ... "Ben had a pretty good year pitching and definitely has pop in his bat," Panthers coach Jon Posing said.

� Alex Eaton, Lincoln-Way N., junior, third baseman: All-Southwest Suburban Red ... Hit .412 with 4 home runs ... Also a pitcher ... "Alex is a streaky hitter," Phoenix coach Joe Skarbek said. "As a pitcher, he was 2-3 but he beat Andrew on a 3-hitter and beat Plainfield North, two very good teams."

� Dan Eichholzer, JT, senior, outfielder: All-Southwest Suburban Blue ... Hit .393 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs and 21 RBIs ... Made no errors in the outfield ... "Dan moved up to the 5-hole about a third of the way through the season and anchored the middle of our lineup," Steelmen coach Terry Piazza said.

� Alex Evans, Lincoln-Way E., junior, outfielder: Hit .371 with 5 doubles, 6 home runs and 24 RBIs ... Had .482 on-base percentage, .700 slugging ... Excellent receiver in football ... "Alex will play both sports here next year and has a good chance to play either or both in college," Griffins coach Paul Babcock said.

� Jacob Evans, Reed-Custer, senior, pitcher: Two-time All-Interstate Eight ... Left-hander finished 6-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 70 2/3 innings ... Completed 7 of 11 starts ... Struck out 46 and walked 20 ... Will pitch at USF ... "Jacob was our No. 1 guy on the mound, and he played first base when he didn't pitch," Comets coach Jerry Cougill said.

� Kevin Gabehart, Coal City, senior, second baseman/shortstop: All-Interstate Eight ... Hit .363 with team-leading 8 doubles and 23 RBIs from leadoff spot ... Struck out 5 times all year ... Looking to play at a junior college ... "Kevin has a nice glove and is a good all-around player who loves the game," Coalers coach Jerry McDowell said.

� John Gerl, JCA, junior, outfielder: ... Hit .383 with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 24 RBIs, largely as the 4-hitter for the state champion Hilltoppers ... Infielder by trade but converted to left field ... "John is a free swinger who puts the ball in play," Hilltoppers coach Jared Voss said. "He has a strong passion for the game."

� Tim Gindville, Lincoln-Way C., senior, third baseman: Two-year starter ... Hit .397 with 7 doubles and 16 RBIs ... Will play at Benedictine ... "Tim is a doubles kind of hitter," Knights coach Marty Dykas said. "He had a good offensive year, especially down the stretch."

� Kyle Goergen, Lemont, sophomore, shortstop: Hit .407 with 11 doubles and 18 RBIs, usually from the leadoff slot ... Excellent defensively at shortstop ... "Guys in our conference talk about Kyle all the time," Indians coach Joe Rodeghero said. "I think he will progress into one of the best shortstops in the area."

� Rich Heintz, Wilmington, junior, shortstop: All-Interstate Eight ... Hit above .500 first half of season and finished at .456 with 9 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 9 stolen bases, 33 RBIs and a .733 slugging percentage ... "Rich carried us early, and he did a very nice job at shortstop," Wildcats coach Chad Farrell said.

� Josh Higgins, Seneca, junior, pitcher/outfielder: All-Interstate Eight ... Went 6-2 on the mound with a 3.34 ERA and struck out 69 in 65 innings ... Hit .446 with 9 doubles, 6 home runs, 30 RBIs ... "Josh gets the ball against tough teams, and his offensive stats are very good," Irish coach Kirk Houchin said.

� Brock Liston, JCA, senior, pitcher: Finished 9-0 with a 1.75 ERA in 60 innings ... Was the winning pitcher in the 3A state championship game, allowing 1 run in 5 innings ... Will pitch at Wisconsin-Whitewater ... "Brock had only one bad outing," Hilltopeprs coach Jared Voss said. "He had an outstanding record and ERA."

� A.J. Neufeld, Lincoln-Way N., sophomore, catcher: All-Southwest Suburban Red ... Had .429 on-base percentage and .530 slugging percentage ... "Alex was 7-for-7 throwing out runners in conference games," Phoenix coach Joe Skarbek said. "Nobody pushed it after they saw his arm."

� Matt Skrzypiec, Lockport, sophomore, outfielder: Hit .365 with .456 on-base percentage, .484 slugging mark from leadoff slot ... Had 8 doubles, 2 home runs and 18 RBIs ... "Matt filled two holes as a sophomore, a leadoff man and with (Tyler) Willis out early, we had no left fielder," Porters coach Steve Stanicek said.

� Eric Sowa, JT, junior, pitcher/second baseman: Finished 4-2 with a 4.42 ERA ... Hit .283 with .424 on-base percentage ... Outstanding defensively at second base ... "Eric led us with three wins in the conference, and when he wasn't pitching, he did a great job at second base," Steelmen coach Terry Piazza said.

� Drew Turk, Plainfield S., senior, center fielder: All-Southwest Prairie ... Hit .354 with 6 doubles ... Scored 30 runs and stole 14 bases ... Will play at Concordia in St. Paul ... "Drew is a fantastic defensive center fielder and prototypical 2-hitter," Cougars coach Phil Bodine said. "He had 11 sacrifice bunts and several hit-and-runs where he came through."

� Casey Wilgosiewicz, Plainfield N., senior, DH: All-Southwest Prairie ... Hit .384 with 10 doubles, 7 home runs, 36 RBIs ... Had .744 slugging percentage, .461 on-base mark ... "Casey always seemed to get the big hit," Tigers coach John Darlington said. "He struggled early but really came on."