2009 Season Notes

 

September 18, 2009

I guess this will be my monthly update for those that like to keep up with Lake Park Baseball.  I have completed my final visit to all of the local baseball associations and have the full support of Itasca, Roselle, and Bloomingdale (please don’t think because I put Itasca first means anything) with the implementation of the Lancer Certification Program.  This will be a series of FREE clinics for any in house and travel coach from each of these towns.  Each town may have certain requirements for their travel coaches such as: residency requirements of the players, good standing in the local associations etc.  I will not get involved in that.  I will post the times, dates, and location later this year.  Look for the clinics to take place in January or February of next year.

 

The purpose of the clinic is to help the area baseball coaches in any way possible to enhance the level of baseball in our area.  In no way am I saying that I am the end-all, be-all of baseball knowledge.  I am certainly not.  I want the players from the area to be exposed to the routines and the expectations that they will be experiencing here at Lake Park.  It will enhance our ability to be successful at Lake Park if the incoming players are able to run our drills, bunt defenses, pick off plays, routines, etc  for a few years prior to getting here. I believe this will be a win-win situation and look forward to doing this. 

 

Rumor Alert:  I am not sure why people don’t call or email me to get the story straight.  As of this writing here is the 2010 Lake Park Baseball staff. 

 

Freshmen Coaches:  Bob Fogarty (A) and Jeff Palac (B).  THERE WILL BE NO CHANGES IN OUR STAFF!!!

 

Sophomore Coaches:            Dave Mikes and Brian Bahn  They have been together for years and do a great job.

 

Varsity Coaches:  Me and KJ  our 12th year together.  And still going strong.  

 

As always, we do look for qualified volunteers to help throughout the season and this year is no different.  If there is anyone that is interested in volunteering and does not have a proverbial “Horse in the race” (kid on the team or trying out) feel free to contact me at dcolucci@lphs.org to set up a meeting.

 

I also would like to address another rumor. 

 

Yes like many coaches, I have given lessons in the off-season.  My players are not required to take lessons from me.  I have given lessons to many kids that are not even in the Lake Park program.  It is not a requirement to take any lessons from me to make the team.  Players that take lessons from me are not guaranteed a spot on the team.  Players that attend Lake Park camps are not guaranteed a spot on the team.  Players that come to tryouts prepared to show that they are fundamentally sound, athletic, and have desire and hustle have the best chance of making the team.  If I again choose to give lessons this off-season, the lessons are open to anyone 9 years and up.  Many people choose to have their sons take lessons.  I think it is great to do this.  Who has more of an interest in truly seeing the kids from this area grow and prosper as baseball players? 

 

Therefore, can we agree that if there are any more rumors please contact me to dispel them before they get out of hand?

 

 

August 13, 2009

The first day of school is approaching fast.  The teachers are here for day one today in preparation. I have some news that I would like to share with my loyal following.

 

LP Baseball News:  Peter Spear has committed to play baseball at the University of Evansville.  Peter will be a Purple Ace after he completes his senior year for the Lancers.  Matt Kaiser has committed to play baseball at Eastern Illinois University.  Congratulations to these two on the opportunities that await them after LP.  This is the first time since I have coached at LP that we have two DI signings in the same year.  The bar has been raised!

 

Lake Park Community News:  I would like to introduce a program that will be offered to all qualifying coaches in the area.  The following program has been introduced to the Roselle Medinah Baseball board and I will be talking with Bloomingdale and Itasca in the coming months.  It is my goal to be able to help the area coaches enhance the quality of baseball in our area.  I would like to say in advance that I am not the end all, be all of baseball but do have many years of experience to share with the community.  It is time that we sit down for the common goal of making our area the best possible.

 

Lancer Baseball Certification Program

 

Goal of Program:  To help educate and assist Lake Park district travel and in house coaches to prepare players to compete successfully at the high school level.

 

Who is eligible to participate?  All Lake Park feeder in house coaches and travel coaches who are affiliated and in good standing with the Itasca Baseball Association, Bloomingdale Baseball Association or the Roselle Medinah Softball and Baseball Organization. Each team must have 75% of their players residing within the Lake Park School District. 

 

Cost:  Free

 

Certification Process:  All coaches that wish to become a Lancer Baseball Certified coach would:

1.                  Attend five coaching clinic sessions on the following topics

a.       Offense – Hitting, bunting, and base running

b.      Defense – Defensive fundamentals around the field

c.       Pitching – Mechanics and drills

d.      Practice Planning and Lake Park Baseball Routines

e.       Pass an exam covering the above topics.

 

2.                  Agree to implement the following into their program:

a.       Lake Park pitcher’s warm up routine

b.      Pre game (practice) throwing routine

c.       LP bunt coverages and pick off plays (age appropriate)

d.      LP Hustle Rules

e.       Follow a set of practice plans that will be given to all certified coaches

 

 

Coaches will receive copies of all PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc.  I will also be available to field questions throughout the season to assist in any way possible. 

 

 

 

July 14, 2009

 

Summer League Update

 

The varsity summer league team is enjoying a successful summer to date.  We are 13-7 and are seeded 7th out of 22 in the upcoming summer regional tournament.  Our pitching has been solid.  Our defense has improved and we have been enjoying some timely hitting.  We still have some work to do and I will sit down with each player at the end of the summer to give them their evaluations as well as things to work on for next spring. 

 

The summer team beat the alumni team 4-1 last Saturday.  Pete Gedrimas broke up the no hitter with two outs in the 9th inning with a line shot (bloop) triple down the right field line.  It was a fun day.  I struck out looking against Ricky Palandri and walked (really struck out again) against Marc Ostrowski.

 

Rumor alert:  I heard a rumor from a parent that word around town is that I am leaving LP to coach at the collegiate level.  This rumor has no legs.  I plan on being here for a long time.  I have about 21 more years until I retire and would love to coach them all here at LP. 

 

I will post at least one more time before the end of the summer to keep people informed on our summer tournament progress.  I hope everyone is doing well.

 

 

 

June 3, 2009

That didn’t take long.  It is hard to stay away from this great game.  This summer is tentatively dubbed “Back to Basics”.  The negative energy from the spring is now gone.  We are ready to begin a new season with many new faces.  We are looking for a new attitude and enthusiasm.

 

 

During the past week off I have been  thinking about the Keys to LP Baseball Success and I will share them.

 

Team Keys:                Discipline, Focus, Mental Toughness, Physical Conditioning, Hustle, Determination, Teamwork, Support, Enthusiasm, Respect, Work Ethic, and Knowing the signs.

 

Defensive Keys:         Make the routine play, keep the lead off hitter off base, know where to go and where to throw, and keep the runner from taking extra bases

 

Pitching Keys:            Throw quality strikes, PFP (Pitcher’s Fielding Practice), keep runners close and have a good pick off move to all of the bases, and quality off speed pitches that can be thrown in any count

 

Offensive Keys:         Get our lead off hitter on base consistently, situational hitting (get them over or get them in), put pressure on the defense with our hustle, take the extra base, and be able to bunt (sacrifice, for a hit, and squeeze)

 

 

We want to be able to simplify this game as much as possible for our players.  There will be some positive changes made this summer that we will carry forward into next spring.  We (the coaches) are committed to making the 2010 Lake Park baseball season a positive one for all of our levels.  It will take work, it will take some discipline, it will take some sacrifice.  Anything worthwhile in life does.  Baseball is a wonderful game to play and coach.  We as a program owe a lot to this sport. 

 

As we begin our summer season, we look to improve everyday.  We will work to focus on one pitch at a time.  We will work on playing good fundamental high intensity baseball.  We owe it to all of those that have come before us and played this great game with these qualities.  LP will be back. 

 

 

May 28, 2009

This will be one of my last posts of the baseball season.  I will put some notes up on the summer league occasionally but since school is out tomorrow I will not be in the building a lot this summer.  I will be here at LP a lot this summer, just not in the building. 

 

Last night we had our awards presentation.  It was a very nice night.  Thank you parents, players, and coaches for all of your hard work and dedication to the LP program. Regardless of what our record was this year, the coaches really enjoyed working with all of the players.  There are challenges in front of us as a program.  The coaching staff is committed to getting back on the right track and have some high expectations for ourselves and our players.  The coaching staff will make some appropriate changes to help.  All we ask from our players is that they “buy in” to the system and our approach.  Commit to the process of making yourself the best player possible on and off the field.  Make every repetition that you take count.  Constantly push yourself and your teammates to be better everyday. 

 

I would like to mention a few Lancer players that received post-season awards:

 

All Academic All Conference

Dan Suich

Vito Presta

Mac Ostrowski

Ricky Palandri

 

Honorable Mention All Conference

Matt Kaiser

Artie Monaco

 

Junior All Star Showcase June 19-20

Artie Monaco

Matt Kaiser

Jake McNamara

 

Sportsmanship Award

Vito Presta

 

All Conference

Jake McNamara 3B

Brian Norwood C

 

I will be contacting players from the sophomore team today to invite them to play varsity summer baseball.  If you do not receive a call and would like to inquire about what it is you can do to be better for next year feel free to give me a call. 

 

 

 

May 27, 2009

The ride is over.  The Lancers lost in the regional quarter finals to St. Charles North 7-1.  The North Stars got off to a good start with three runs in the first inning.  Two close dive plays in the outfield resulted in the three runs.  Alex Mills dove for a double down the left field line and Artie Monaco dove for a line drive double in center.  It was a great effort by both outfielders.  With Nebraska bound lefty Zach Hirsch on the mound for  St. Charles it was bound to be a challenge for LP.  On the day the Lancers were able to manage five hits and one run.  Matt Kaiser drove in Vito Presta (who was running for Brian Norwood after his double) with our lone run.  We were the underdogs and had to play a near perfect game to win.  Brian Konecke and Kevin Steger pitched for the Lancers.  Both will be back next year and I expect great things from them.  Here is the box score.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

5

2

St. Charles North

3

0

0

2

1

1

X

7

10

0

 

LP:      Konecke  4 IP 5R 3ER 6H 6K 5BB

2B:      Norwood

RBI:    Kaiser

SB:      Monaco

 

Tonight is the annual awards presentation at 6 pm in the West Campus Cafeteria.

 

 

May 22, 2009

A marathon game ended in favor of the Lancers last night.  We won by a field goal 17-14.  The Lancer bats came alive in the top of the first as we scored four on a three run HR by Ben Coleman followed by a sol shot by Artie Monaco.  We really had some great at bats in this first inning forcing the pitcher to work.  Our lead off hitter Gajewski and third hitter McNamara both worked an 0-2 count to walk.  Gatorades for both.  In the bottom of the first inning things looked to be going all Elgin’s way as they scored nine runs (3 earned).  The Lancers were down, but not out.   We scored three more times in the third inning on a two run HR by McNamara and a run scoring single by Garry.  The Lancers tied the game at 10 in the fourth inning on a three run bomb by brawny Matt Kaiser.  Elgin quickly took back the lead in the fourth.  In the fifth the Lancers took back the lead for good with a seven run inning which included hits by Mills, Gajewski, Suich (4 for 5 on the day), McNamara, and a grand slam by Artie Monaco his second of the year.  If LP has done anything well this year, it is hitting homeruns.  We have shattered the old school record of 24 and currently have 30. 

 

The KJ Hustle Play of the Day went to KJ himself for getting over the outfield fence in one leap on his way back to LP for the Scholarship Banquet.

Actually, I will present the KJ HPOD for yesterday’s game.  It goes to….Garrett Gajewski and his 9 pitch at bat to start the game.  He set the tone for the day as the rest of the lineup followed with many quality at bats.  Good work Garrett.

 

I updating my alumni email list and am requesting email addresses of all of my seniors that read this blog.  Send me your email address.  I am also putting together a list of current players email addresses, which can be used in recruiting since many college coaches that I contact are requesting this information.  I am also putting together a list of parent emails so I can keep parents of our program updated on items so if our parents can also email me that would be great too. 

 

Check out the Daily Herald article http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=295417 and notice that apparently St. Charles North will be playing Willowbrook on Thursday of next week.  I guess they are already predicting that STCN will beat the Lancers on Monday.  The nice thing about Monday’s game is the fact that it is not played on paper.  We will come ready to play. 

 

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

4

0

3

3

7

0

0

17

13

3

Elgin

9

0

1

2

0

2

0

14

15

1

 

WP:    Miller 2 IP 2ER 2K 3BB

2B:      McNamara

HR:     McNamara, Coleman, Kaiser, and Monaco (2 with a Grand slam)

RBI:    Monaco (5), McNamara (4), Coleman (3), Kaiser (3), Suich, and Garry

 

 

May 21, 2009

The Lancer seniors and their parents were recognized before last night’s game for their support and dedication to the Lake Park Baseball program.  It was a great day to play baseball, but the Lancers have run into a team in Elgin that is playing pretty good baseball.  Early in the game, the Lancers were hitting the ball all over the yard, but just about every smash went right to an Elgin player.  Elgin made diving plays, turned double plays, etc.  The Elgin bats were hitting as well as they had eleven hits on the day off the Lancer’s hurlers.  We had runners on in each inning but were not able to string together the good at bats when we needed them.    In the end, the Lancers dropped to 8-23 on the 8-3 loss to Elgin.  Ricky Palandri gets the start today to try to get the Lancers back into the win column. 

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Elgin

0

0

3

1

0

3

1

8

11

3

Lake Park

0

0

1

2

0

0

0

3

9

1

 

LP:      Suich

2B:      McNamara

3B:      Coleman

RBI:    Garry and Presta

SB:      Presta

 

 

May 20, 2009

Last night the Lancers played Elgin High School and lost in the bottom of the seventh 6-5.  Jake McNamara kept hot going 3 for 4 with a HR and double and two runs driven in.  Jake has had five homeruns in the past five games!   We seemed to lack a bit of spark today after our emotional victory the day before.   Elgin put some pressure on us by stealing, and taking extra bases.  We had opportunities to get outs but didn’t which resulted in a few Elgin runs.  The opposing pitcher did a nice job keeping our hitters off balance and kept himself out of the big inning.  The Lancers were down 5-3 going into the 6th inning when Artie Monaco drove in Matt Kaiser to bring us a step closer.  With two outs in the seventh, Brian Norwood’s double tied the game.  A nice play by the right fielder on Ben Coleman’s slicing fly ball kept the game tied.  In the bottom of the seventh Elgin led off with a hit.  A wild pitch moved the runner to second.  Elgin tried to give us an out by stealing third but we couldn’t properly execute a run down which put the runner on third with no outs.  An intentional walk followed by a hit ended the game.  Disappointing loss, but as I told the players before the game, anyone can beat anyone on any given day. 

 

Today is Senior Day.   It is the final home game of the year. We should have a great day to play.  Go Lancers!!

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

1

1

0

1

1

1

5

9

1

Elgin

1

1

0

1

2

1

1

6

11

1

 

LP:      Koehn 6IP 10 H 5K 1BB 3ER

2B:      McNamara and Norwood

HR:     McNamara (5)

RBI:    McNamara (2), Norwood, and Monaco     

SB:      Kaiser

 

 

May 19, 2009

What an exciting game last night for the Lancers.  Nothing has been easy for us this year, so it is no surprise that we had to come from behind to beat South Elgin in the bottom of the 7th after giving up 5 runs on no hits in the top of the seventh.  The Lancers bats battled back early in the game after being down 4-0 by putting up six runs on five hits in the bottom of the 3rd.  RBI singles by McNamara, Coleman, Monaco, and Ostrowski helped.  Brian Madaj hit a nice sac flay and matt Kaiser stole home on a double steal.  We extended our lead in the 4th on a homerun by Jake McNamara his fourth and a two run blast by Matt Kaiser his third on the year. All seemed to be going our way in the fifth and sixth innings.  In the fifth with the score 9-6 Danny Suich singled, was moved to second on a bunt by Ryan Rapshus, but was thrown out at home on a very close play to end the inning after Garrett Gajewski singled.  I know the fans were a bit pumped up about that one, but with two outs, and the Lancers up three I will send the runner about 98% of the time. It took a perfect play to get Dan and I tip my cap to the South Elgin players for making a nice play.  We always want to pressure the defense.  Nine out of ten times, we score the run.  In the seventh inning with the Lancers up 9-6 we proceeded to walk the first three batters, got an out, walked two more, hit one, struck one out, and had an error to give South Elgin the lead.  We were down, but not out.  In the bottom of the seventh, Artie Monaco started things off with a single.  Dan Suich hit a shot to the third basemen who threw the ball away to give us life.  Eddie Garry came up with a big pinch hit single to close the gap to 11-10.  After a fielder’s choice, Gajewski legged out an infield single.  Another fielder’s choice left the bases loaded with two outs and the Lancers down one with Brian Norwood at bat.  Brian hit a sharp grounder to the shortstop, which hit off his glove for the game ender.  What a nice comeback.  It is great to see our guys pick each other up.  We had played above our mistakes and never quit.    Maybe this is the spark that we have been looking for all season.  The ball may start to bounce our way from this point forward. 

 

Reminder:  Wednesday is our Senior Day!!!!

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

South Elgin

1

3

0

2

0

0

5

11

11

3

Lake Park

0

0

6

3

0

0

3

12

13

2

 

WP:    Konecke 1IP 2R 0ER 1K 2BB 0H

HR:     McNamara (4) and Kaiser (3)

RBI:    McNamara (2), Coleman, Kaiser (2), Monaco, Madaj, Ostrowski, and Garry

SB:      McNamara, Kaiser, and Monaco

 

May 18, 2009

Back by popular demand are this season’s unedited game notes.  I have also made available all previous seasons as well.  I want to thank everyone for their positive feedback.  I understand that the notes are LP history and good or bad they deserve to be made available to all.  I do speak and write from my heart.  I have had some great discussions with people here in the past few weeks.  It is nice to know that our program has your support.  Our entire coaching staff is dedicated to doing our best for the players and parents of this program.  Our staff will be busy working on some new strategies and approaches that will be implemented as soon as possible to help our teams succeed.  We intend on reaching out into the local baseball community to help our feeder teams be more prepared for the high school seasons ahead.  We all agree that we are in this together.  With this being said, if there are any coaches, parents, players, or community members that would like to discuss things that would help our program and the feeder programs succeed feel free to email me at dcolucci@lphs.org and we can discuss your ideas.  The LP staff has brainstormed and have come up with many ideas we feel can help not only our teams but those of the LP community as well.

 

I would like to thank the varsity parents for their flexibility with Saturday’s senior game.  The event was moved to Streamwood so the senior day aspect of the game did not take place, but the food part did.  Wow!!! What a spread.  I have to get the Italian sausage recipe, so whoever was responsible for cooking the sausage send me a quick email. Our senior day will be rescheduled for Wednesday May 20th against Elgin.  I also want to thank the parents that came out to the field early to help save us for Senior Day. 

 

Now, I have some updating on how the Lancers week went. 

 

Tuesday 18-8 loss against St. Charles North

Down 13-0 early the Lancers make it a game.  Too little too late however and we fall in five.

 

Box Score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

R

H

E

St. Charles North

4

9

1

0

4

18

15

0

Lake Park

0

4

3

1

0

8

8

5

 

LP:      Kaiser 1 IP 9 R 7 ER 5 H 1K 3BB

2B:      Suich and McNamara

3B:      Norwood

RBI:    McNamara (3), Norwood (2), Monaco, and Garry (2)

 

Thursday 9-8 loss to Streamwood

 

This was possibly the toughest loss of the year.  Ricky Palandri pitched five strong innings giving up only one earned run.  The Lancers led the game until the bottom of the 7th.  Streamwood put six runs on the board in the final two innings to beat the Lancers in walk off fashion.  This was a game that we woulda, shoulda, coulda, but didn’ta.  The Lancers raced out to a 5-0 lead and looked great swinging the bat.  Dan Suich and Jake McNamara homered, Garrett Gajewski hit tow doubles, Norwood and Coleman drove in runs.  We were on our way, but the Sabres bats came to life late and we only scored once in the final three innings of the game.  We also committed five errors on the day which didn’t help our cause. 

 

Here is the box score:

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

5

0

2

0

1

0

8

11

5

Streamwood

0

0

1

0

2

4

2

9

14

1

 

LP:      Ostrowski 1/3 IP 2H 1HBP 1K

2B:      Coleman and Gajewski (2)

HR:     Suich and McNamara

RBI:    Gajewski, McNamara (3), Norwood, Coleman (2), and Suich

SB:      Madaj and McNamara

 

On Saturday with the rain on Friday canceling another make up with South Elgin, the Lancers looked to take the field for their Senior Day against Streamwood.  However our field was too wet to play so the game was changed to a home DH at Streamwood. 

 

Game 1:  8-5 Loss

Tough day to hit early as Streamwood threw their ace.  He kept the Lancer bats in check until back-to-back HR’s by Ostrowski and Norwood got LP on the board.  In the bottom of the 7th we made it interesting with a two run HR by Artie Monaco and a run scoring single by Garrett Gajewski.  Marc Ostrowski flew out deep to left to end the game with the tying run in the on deck circle.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Streamwood

0

0

3

4

0

1

0

8

9

1

Lake Park

0

0

0

0

0

2

3

5

7

1

 

LP:      Hammesfahr 3 1/3 IP 8H 7ER 3K 4BB

HR:     Ostrowski, Norwood, and Monaco

RBI:    Ostrwoski, Norwood, Monaco (2), Gajewski

 

Game 2:  11-7 Win

 

After the bats came alive in the last couple of innings in the first game, the Lancers kept hitting into the second game. It didn’t hurt that we had some excellent food in between games courtesy of our wonderful parents.  On the first pitch of the game Garret Gajewski hit a double off the wall in right center.  Jake McNamara followed up with a two-run homerun.  Later in the inning Artie Monaco hit his own two run HR to make it 4-1 Lancers.  We kept hitting in the second as McNamara blasted another two run HR.  Kevin Miller was the beneficiary of the offense as he went the distance for the win.  For the week, the Lancers hit 10 homeruns, which has to be some kind of LP record for a single week.  We blasted eight in the three games against Streamwood. 

 

Here is the Box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Streamwood

1

0

1

3

0

0

2

7

8

1

Lake Park

4

2

1

2

0

2

X

11

9

6

 

WP:    Miller 7IP 8H 1K 2BB 2ER

2B:      Gajewski, Monaco (2), and Ostrowski

HR:     Monaco and McNamara (2)

RBI:    Rapshus, Kaiser, McNamara (4), Monaco (3), Ostrowski

SB:      Gajewski, Dial, Kaiser, and Ostrowski

 

 

 

 

May 12, 2009

Anytime a team plays error free baseball they give themselves a chance to win a ball game. Yesterday the Lancers “D” was flawless and Kevin Miller scattered 11 hits and pitched into the seventh inning for the win.  Marc Ostrowski came in with the tying run on second base and one out.  Marc induced a run scoring ground out, than struck out the #3 hitter to end the game.  Great job LP.  On the offensive side of the ball, Ben Coleman and Matt Kaiser each had two run opposite field homeruns to give the Lancers an early 4-0 lead that held up.  We did have some other opportunities to score but a ground rule double kept us from scoring a run, and we had a runner thrown out at home trying to make it on a wild pitch.  The nice thing about the day was that we played well under pressure.  The Saints had runners on all day.  We turned two double plays, picked a man off first, and made the routine play all day. 

 

The KJ “HPOD” went to Artie Monaco who got himself into a run down between third and home to try to move the hitter up to second base.  He was able to stay in the rundown long enough to move the runner even though we didn’t get to second.  Good work Artie.

 

Today the Lancers play St. Charles North at LP.  Matt Kaiser will take the mound for the Lancers.

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

2

0

0

2

0

0

0

4

8

0

St. Charles East

0

0

0

1

0

0

2

3

11

2

 

WP:    Miller 6 1/3 IP 11H 3R 0K 2BB

2B:      Gajewski

HR:     Coleman (3) and Kaiser (2)

RBI:    Coleman (2) and Kaiser (2)

SB:      Mills

 

 

May 11, 2009

Belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms that read the blog.  I hope you had a great day.  We were able to enjoy a nice day with our kids, bike riding, playing at the park, and a couple of meals out. 

 

The Lancers played UEC opponent St. Charles North in a double header on Saturday.  Game one got off to a good start with the Lancers getting a 4-0 lead.  The Lancers couldn’t hold the lead and ended the day on the short end of a 5-4 loss. Of note in game one, Matt Kaiser was 2 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI.   In game two the North Stars took a 7-0 lead but the Lancers fought back to make it a game but again came out on the wrong side of an 8-7 loss.  In game two Vito Presta drove in 3 runs and scored one and Jake McNamara went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.  We are getting better but we still need to put all aspects of the game together to start winning these close ball games.  Little things are still keeping us from consistently being in the win column.  We will get to work ironing these things out so we can play our best ball during the playoffs.  We are very close.   I think that when we get a taste of success that we will like how it feels and it will give us the confidence to play well against some good teams down the stretch.  The problems that we are having are correctible so we just have to get after them.  The nice thing about playing STCN is that we will also see them in our opening playoff game on May 25th.  We should have a good scouting report made after seeing them for three games. 

 

Here are the box scores:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

2

2

0

0

0

0

4

6

1

St. Charles North

0

0

3

1

0

1

X

5

7

1

 

LP:      Marc Ostrowski 3IP 1R 1H 0ER 1K 0BB

RBI:    Kaiser, Coleman, and Gajweski

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

1

0

4

2

7

7

2

St. Charles North

3

2

2

0

0

1

X

8

8

1

 

LP:      Matt Hammesfahr 4IP 6H 7R 5ER 0K 4BB

2B:      Ostrowski and McNamara

RBI:    Monaco, Madaj, and Presta (3)

 

 

 

May 8, 2009

Last night the Lancers played South Elgin for the second time in three days.  We were rained out at our place on Wednesday.  Matt Kaiser took the mound for his first start of the year and threw five solid innings.  Matt struck out five walked two and gave up only four hits.  Artie Monaco gave the Lancers the lead in the fourth inning when he hit a Grand Slam to right center.   This was just what the Lancers needed.  However, this game wouldn’t be easy, we would have to work for it.  In the bottom of the sixth with the Lancers up 4-1 a lead off bloop was followed by a walk and then a first pitch homerun to tie the game.  Trevor Koehn replaced Kaiser with a man on first.  South Elgin loaded the bases and scored the go ahead run on a walk.  Koehn stopped any further damage and the Lancers went into the top of the seventh down 5-4.  In the top of the seventh after one out Jake McNamara hit a double to right center, Brian Norwood was intentionally walked, and beefy Ben Coleman hit what proved to be the game winner, a three run shot to left center to give LP the lead 7-5.  Marc Ostrowski came on for his second save of the year as holding South Elgin to one run in the seventh to secure the 7-6 Lancer win.  It was a great team effort.  Our pitchers did a great job.  It would be great to have this win get us going for the final two weeks of the season. 

 

The KJ “HPOD” went to Ryan Rapshus for his hustle backing up second base from right field.  Good job Ryan.

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

4

0

0

3

7

10

4

South Elgin

0

0

0

1

0

4

1

6

6

0

 

WP:    Koehn 1IP 1K 2BB 1R

Save:   Ostrowski (2)

2B:      McNamara

HR:     Monaco (GS) (2) and Coleman (2)

RBI:    Monaco (4) and Coleman (3)

 

Overall                        5-16

Conference                4-10

 

In other news, the Lancers received the 22nd seed in the upcoming playoffs.  We should find out later today which regional we will be assigned to and who we will play.  We will be working to play our best baseball by the end of the month. 

 

May 6, 2009

Some have noticed that the season notes are missing.  I will continue to update game summaries and box scores. I will continue to keep people updated on what is going on with the program.  The past is the past.  I cannot take away the words that I have said, but I can delete the words that I have written. J  If anyone wants a particular box score for their scrap book, please email me and I can get it to you.

 

Kevin Miller took the mound yesterday for the Lancers as we took on UEC opponent South Elgin.  Kevin was spotted a one-run lead after Brian Norwood took one deep in the first inning for his fifth homerun of the season.  Brian has been working very hard on his skills and it shows in the type of season he is having.  He has dedicated himself to being the best player he can possibly be and has continued to step up on the field to take charge.  I am very proud of what Brian has been able to accomplish. Brian signed to play baseball next year at Lewis University.  They are getting a good one. Brian also threw for the cycle throwing a runner out at each base yesterday.  Keep up the good work Brian.  With the score 2-1 South who stepped up with runners on and two outs?  You guessed it, Brian Norwood.  He drove a 1-1 pitch into left center to drive in Suich and McNamara who had reached by via a walk and HBP.  The Storm came back to tie the game in the third and the game remained scoreless until the 7th.  Kevin did a nice job on the mound and stranded many Storm runners.  The Lancers missed a couple of opportunities down the stretch.  We had runners on in the 5th, 6th, and 7th but the big hit eluded us. In the bottom of the 7th after a lead off walk we brought in our brawny first baseman Matt Kaiser to try to send the game into extra innings.  Matt fielded a sac bunt attempt and threw the runner out at second.  Great play Matt.  Than after a hit, we intentionally walked the number four hitter to load the bases.  I brought in Garrett Gajewski from the OF to play in the infield.  Matt got the next hitter to fly to Artie Monaco in short right center.  Artie threw a perfect strike to Norwood at home to keep the runner at third.  However, the next hitter hit the first pitch and sent a dying quail into right, which hit green and ended the game 4-3 bad guys.  We are getting close.  We just have to put all aspects of the game together and get a few guys hot and we should start to roll.  We are due.  We can do it.

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

1

0

2

0

0

0

0

3

5

2

South Elgin

2

0

1

0

0

0

1

4

12

2

 

LP:      Miller  6IP  11H  2K  3BB 4R 3ER

2B:      Norwood

HR:     Norwood (5th)

RBI:    Norwood (3)

 

 

May 5, 2009

It is great to see that I have so many loyal readers here on this blog.  Maybe I should start selling ad space so we can get the press box we have been looking to get for the past 8 years. I have appreciated the feedback that I have received.  I am always looking for ways to improve our team.  It is even nice to get letters from people outside the LP program.   Please feel free to have a conversation with me.  My email is dcolucci@lphs.org.  My office phone number is 630 295-5437.  Most parents even have my home and cell number.  However, please don’t call after 9 pm since I have young kids. The only thing I won’t discuss is someone else’s son.  Other than that, I will remove all other previous restrictions.  Please feel free to voice your opinions.  We don’t have to agree for a discussion to make a positive impact on this program.  If you have any ideas that may help this program, I would be more than happy to talk.  Even if people disagree philosophically about coaching it is good to have dialogue.  There is no reason for anonymous letters.  Thank you for the letter and your comments are truly appreciated, but it would be great to be able to talk with you to get some more ideas.  I can’t have dialogue with an anonymous letter. People get the chance to read my words here and react, give me the same chance. 

 

Today LP takes on South Elgin.  Kevin Miller will take the mound.  We are working to play our best baseball going in to the end of the season.

 

 

May 4, 2009

May started out on a high note as the Lancers played their second home game of the week on the road.  Our fields have not seemed to dry out from the rain and we have been forced to play elsewhere this week.   We appreciate all of the work the Bartlett coaches put in to their field to get it ready for the day.  In the game, the Lancers got behind early as Bartlett scored three times in each of the first three innings.  The Lancers answered each time with one run in the first, four in the second, three more in the third, two in the fourth, and two more in the fifth.  It was great to see our guys come out and battle after getting down early.  The big hits of the day were a two run double by Dan Suich in the second, a three run double by Nick Miceli in the third, a two-run homerun by Ben Coleman in the fourth.  Ricky Palandri came in the game in the fifth with two outs and runners on.  Ricky struck out the number three hitter to end the rally and went on to throw two more perfect innings for the win. 

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Bartlett

3

3

3

0

1

0

0

10

9

1

Lake Park

1

4

3

2

2

0

X

12

12

2

 

WP:    Ricky Palandri (2-0) 2 1/3 IP 0H 3K 0BB

2B:      Suich, Miceli, and Monaco

HR:     Coleman

RBI:    Miceli (3), Coleman (2), Suich (2), Gajewski, Norwood, and Monaco

SB:      Gajewski, Suich, and McNamara

 

On Saturday, St. Charles East came to town.  We were able to get our field ready with the help of our maintenance and a few parents.  We were looking to build on the win from the previous day.  We had quite a bit of enthusiasm from the nice win on Friday but something seemed a bit off Saturday.  We didn’t have the same spark or intensity.  We reverted to being tentative.  The first two plays of the game were errors, which lead to two unearned runs on no hits.  Trevor Koehn settled down nicely after making a few adjustments and threw a complete game. At bat, the Lancers could only muster three hits off the STCE staff against 11 strikeouts. Our biggest chance to score came in the second inning.  We had the bases loaded with one out but could only score one run on a walk by Vito Presta. 

 

In game two Marc Ostrowski took the mound for the Lancers and struggled through a 43 pitch first inning that saw three walks, two hits, and two strikeouts.  Marc settled down and pitched into the fifth inning.  Ricky Palandri came into the game in the fifth with men on first and second with no outs.  ST. Charles went on to score three times in the inning and tacked on another three in the 6th to make the scored 8-1.  But…St. Charles left the door open in the bottom of the 6th and the Lancers kicked it in.  We scored six times to make it a game at 8-7.   Three walks and an infield error gave us the opportunity we needed.  Eddie Garry had an RBI infield single, Ben Coleman had a two rbi single, and Artie Monaco added a two run single.  With the momentum on our side all we had to do was put up a zero and get the bats going again.  The baseball gods were not smiling upon LP on this day as STCE scored three more times on four hits and a walk to put the game out of reach. 

 

Game one:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

St. Charles East

2

2

0

0

0

0

1

5

9

1

Lake Park

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

3

4

 

LP:      Koehn 7IP 3ER 1K 0BB 9 H

RBI:    Presta

SB:      McNamara

 

Game two:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

St. Charles East

2

0

0

0

3

3

3

11

16

2

Lake Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

5

2

 

LP:      Ostrowski 4 IP 7K 5BB 5H 4ER

2B:      McNamara

RBI:    Garry, McNamara, Coleman (2), Monaco (2), and Dial

SB:      McNamara

 

April 30,2009

When a team is 3 and 13 certain things start to happen.  The first is frustration.  Players, coaches, and parents all share the frustration of the year.  We all have certain expectations of ourselves and our team.  KJ and I have been at this for over ten years together and we have seen our teams go through good times and bad.  It is always much more enjoyable to win games and to play well, but in our current situation we must make the best out of a bad situation.  Let’s face it.  This team has been decimated with injuries all season.  We have young players learning on the job instead of having a year to season behind a senior.  We have sustained some major losses to the pitching staff.  The weather hasn’t been our friend so our practices have been very limited which has given us limited time to work on our weaknesses.  I am sure there are some players and parents that are questioning the coaching staff (which by the way would happen if we were 13-3). There are some players that I am sure have contemplated leaving the team.  I can’t say I blame them.  I have an open door policy with my players and they can talk to me about anything.  If they are not happy with their situation, they can voice their opinions with me.  I have told them that I would not say anything behind their backs that I wouldn’t say to their face and this is the truth.  I extend this open door policy to any parent that wants to talk as well.  Maybe if the lines of communication were opened people would understand me a bit more.  In my mind, I have a certain level of expectation for all of the players in this program.  I will constantly push our players to work on their game to make them the best player possible. I truly want to see all of our players to be successful.  Sometimes players will take this the wrong way. KJ and I both care about these players more than any of them can even begin to imagine.  It hurts me to hear that some of our players are starting to turn on us (mostly me).  I think of this program as I would my marriage.  I took a vow to be in my marriage through good times and in bad.  I take that same vow here with the LP baseball program.  We have seen great times in my tenure and we have seen some tough ones.  I am confident that if we keep at it we will see it through.  We should commit to the process of being great.  To be focused on the pursuit of excellence.  Never give in and give up.  I understand that it is hard to do this.  People start looking for ways out when the going gets tough.  If someone wants out I will wish them the best of luck and both sides will move on. People start looking towards the end of the season.  People start looking for their own personal time away from the team for various reasons.  I can understand this too.  All I ask of our team is to keep at it. Stay committed to the team.  Keep working hard.  Keep their heads up and support each other during these tough times.  I am here and will continue to do my best.  I will never give up on my players and I ask them to do the same for this program.

 

When I post my thoughts in this forum, it is never intended to take shots at our team or any individuals.  If I have offended anyone, I want to publicly apologize.  I have apologized to my team about my level of frustration with our play this year.  I’ll admit that I haven’t been the most positive guy this season.  It is hard to be at times.  It is hard to find the positives when things are falling apart but I will do a better job in finding the positives with our team and addressing those. 

 

Yesterday the Lancers fell to Neuqua Valley 6-0.  We are scheduled to play St. Charles East today…weather permitting.

 

 

 

April 29, 2009

Certain things must happen in order for a team to win baseball games.  I keep telling our players that winning is a result of playing the game well.  Execution in crucial situations is necessary.  Teams that do not execute will more times than not wind up on the wrong side of a win.  At times yesterday, we looked very good.  Jake McNamara had a textbook two-strike swing driving in Dan Suich in the first inning on a single through the right side.  However with men on first and second and no outs in the same inning we missed a bunt sign which could have put runners in scoring position.  Also in the first inning with men on 2nd and 3rd with less than two outs we struck out looking and failed to score another run in the inning.  In the second inning after a lead off walk, we failed to get a bunt down resulting in the lead runner being thrown out at second.  In the third, we threatened again but after a lead off single we were picked off first, than after two walks and a strikeout Matt Kaiser’s single drove in Dave Dial who was running for Brian Norwood.  The inning ended as our runner was tagged out trying to advance to third on the throw.  Every out is precious and we have to be able to conserve them.  The Lancers went quietly in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings.  In the 7th inning down one run, we lead off with a single.  We failed to get down our second bunt of the game, than were picked off for the second time removing the tying run from base stopping any potential rally from starting.  The mistakes that we are making are magnified because of the close games that we are playing.  If we were scoring ten runs a game and beating teams by six runs these mistakes wouldn’t matter as much.  In one-run games they are huge. Things are starting to snowball for us to the bad side.  It is up to our players to say to themselves that they are done losing and to start playing to their potential. No excuses!  Kevin Miller pitched a complete game and deserved to win.  The Lancers deserve better than this as a team. 

 

Today we take on Neuqua Valley with Nick Miceli on the mound for LP.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Waubonsie Valley

0

2

0

1

0

0

1

4

6

0

Lake Park

2

0

1

0

0

0

0

3

7

4

 

LP:      Miller (1-2) 7IP 3K 4R 2ER 3BB

2B:      Gajewski

RBI:    McNamara and Kaiser

SB:      Suich and Gajewski

 

Overall Record:         3-12

Conference:               2-6

 

 

April 28, 2009

Even though the weather at times looked like it would keep the Lancers from playing the Waubonsie Valley Warriors we still played.  Trevor Keohn was on the mound for LP and we looked to get the week started off on a high note.  We have seven scheduled games in six days this week.  The Warriors got out to the early lead with two runs in the second inning on four hits.  The big hit was a two out two-run single to right.  Waubonsie added another run in the 4th after a two out bunt single, steal, and double.  The Lancers were kept off balance all day by Waubonsie’s pitcher.  We did manage to threaten in the 6th inning with men on second and third with one out but two strikeouts later the rally fell short and we came up empty handed.  In the seventh Jake McNamara lead off the inning with a HBP and scored on Matt Kaiser’s booming two run homerun to right center.  This put us right back in the game, however the Lancer rally ended with the tying run on first.  I will not forget to mention the mistakes that I made in sending runners.  Dan Suich was thrown out at home in the first inning after an error by the third baseman.  The ball remained in the infield and I didn’t see the second baseman that was near the ball and Danny was thrown out easily at home.  I also misjudged a short fly ball by Marc Ostrowski that I was certain would drop and Matt Kaiser was doubled off second base. 

 

Here is what our season is coming down to.  I may go on a bit here, so bear with me.  Here are the things that KJ and I have asked our players to do: Hustle, focus, play aggressive, never give up, be fans of LP baseball, play fundamentally sound, focus on the process and not the result, get a good pitch to hit and take a good aggressive swing, be enthusiastic about your team and teammates, out work the other team, prepare your body, prepare your mind, know what you are going to do with the ball before it is hit to you, green lights and red lights only (no yellows), buy in to the two strike approach, put pressure on the defense, make the routine play, pick up your teammates, play with confidence, be mentally tough, have no fear, constantly work to get better on every repetition, control the things you can control, and I am sure that there are a few that I have left out.  I love to win as much as the next coach.  I also despise losing. It actually hurts to lose.  Our record of 3-11 is not where we ever dreamed a team that we coach would ever be.  We shouldn’t be here, but we deserve it.  We haven’t played to our potential because we haven’t sold out to the philosophy.  We are not playing to our potential because we refuse to learn from our mistakes.  We don’t trust ourselves, teammates, and coaches.  We still haven’t figured out that we need to stay focused before and during the game to be successful at our jobs on the field.  If we fail to take pride in how we prepare we are destined to fail. We are not taking control of the things that we have absolute control over. We control our intensity, focus, hustle, etc.  Losing has become acceptable to our team right now.  It is becoming a habit and I can’t stand that.  It is not fun to watch a team with more potential just let the season slip away.  It doesn’t seem to hurt our players when we lose.  They don’t seem to care the way KJ and I do.  They should care a bit more.  It is disheartening to hear kids get more excited about having their personal stats count in a suspended game rather than being upset that the TEAM is 3-11.  Where is our Lancer Pride?  Do we as a team even have it? 

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

2

4

3

Waubonsie Valley

0

2

0

1

0

0

X

3

8

3

 

LP:      Koehn (0-4) 6 IP 3R 2K 2BB 8H

2B:      Suich and Gajewski

HR:     Kaiser

RBI:    Kaiser (2)

 

 

 

April 27, 2009

Over the weekend, the Lancers completed a series with East Aurora and dodged the rain and lightning to play Buffalo Grove in a DH on Saturday.  On Friday the Lancers picked up were they left off Thursday and scored eleven first inning runs against the Tomcats en route to a 17-3 5 inning victory.  Ricky Palandri went the distance for the Lancers giving up two hits and one earned run. Six Lancer batters had multiple hits during the game.   Dan Suich had two doubles and an RBI, Brian Norwood had a HR and four RBI’s, Matt Kaiser had a triple and double with two RBI’s, Jake McNamara went three for three with a double and three RBI’s, Garrett Gajewski was two for two with an RBI, and Marc Ostrowski went two for two with a double, two runs scored, two walks, and two RBI’s.  On the day, the Lancers had 15 hits but also committed five errors.   I will have to consult with KJ on his HPOD for Friday.  Here is the box score.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

R

H

E

East Aurora

0

1

1

0

1

3

2

2

Lake Park

11

2

3

1

X

17

15

5

 

WP:    Ricky Palandri (1-0) 5 IP 1K 2BB 2H 1ER

2B:      Mills, Suich (2), Kaiser, McNamara, and Ostrowski

3B:      Kaiser and Gajewski

HR:     Norwood

RBI:    Monaco, Suich, Norwood (4), Kaiser (2), McNamara (3), Gajewski, Ostrowski (2), and Rapshus (2)

 

Saturday’s weather was playing some games with us.  We had to start late due to some lightning, and we did not complete game two due to rain.   But we did play a game and a half.  In game one, Matt Hammesfahr looked to get his first win of the season.  Buffalo Grove jumped out to a one run lead after a first inning solo homerun.  The Lancers answered with a run of their own in the second inning on a lead off walk to Monaco, a single by Madaj, a sac bunt by Ostrowski, a bunt single by Mills tied the game, but the rally ended there.  The Lancers never really threatened again as we lost some of our hitting focus and hit into some easy outs.  BG added a run in the 4th after a lead off walk, double, and later a single.  Hammesfahr did a very good job of limiting the damage today.  He even earned himself a steak dinner for getting three outs in an inning, but it was quite unusual.  In the third inning BG lead off with a first pitch single, than a first pitch sac bunt attempt where Matt through the runner out at second. Batter number three hit the first pitch and hit into a 5-4 force play.  Matt than proceeded to pick off the runner at first to end the inning on only three pitches.  To reward Matt and any pitcher who can start and complete three outs in an inning on three pitches I will buy them a steak dinner.  The last pitcher to do it was Mark Poplonski in 2004 (I think).  In the sixth BG extended their lead with a lead off HR to end the scoring for the day at 3-1 BG.  It was a wel played game on defense for both sides with no errors committed.  Both pitchers threw well.  The only difference was the approach the Lancers took at the plate.  We are still looking to be more confident and committed in our hitting approach. 

 

In game two, the Lancers sent Marc Ostrowski to the mound looking for the split.  Things looked shaky in the first inning as BG jumped out to a two-run lead.  The Lancers responded with four of their own in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Norwood, Garry, Gajewski, and Madaj.  Dan Suich extended the lead with an opposite field HR and Dave Dials squeeze bunt made it 6-2 going into the fourth inning.  In the fourth inning with Ostrowski cruising the wheels fell off.  With two outs and no one on a seemingly inning ending ground ball ended up in a wild throw pulling Garry off first.  This was quickly followed by a stolen base in which we dropped the throw, a single which cut the lead to two, a two run HR, another fielding error, a walk, and a single.  Wow!!  Four unearned runs.  However, before the Lancers could answer the rains came.  There is a possibility that this game may be made up at the end of the season.  We shall see. 

 

Here are some important lessons that we are learning this year.  Confidence and aggressiveness will help this team win games. We are too far into the season to say we are young and inexperienced.  It is time to step up and play the type of baseball that KJ and I have been preaching all year. 

 

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Buffalo Grove

1

0

0

1

0

1

0

3

5

0

Lake Park

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

4

0

 

LP:      Hammesfahr (0-3) 7IP 3ER 5H 1K 2BB

RBI:    Mills

SB:      Miller (2) and Mills

 

Game 2 Suspended after 3 ½ innings

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Buffalo Grove

2

0

0

4

 

 

 

6

7

1

Lake Park

4

1

1

 

 

 

 

6

8

3

2B:      Gajewski

HR:     Suich

RBI:    Suich, Norwood, Garry, Gajewski, Madaj, and Dial

SB:      Monaco and Gajewski

 

April 24, 2009

The past week has been very frustrating for the players, coaches, and parents (I’m guessing) of the Lake Park Baseball team.  The Lancers’ loss to Bartlett on Wednesday marked six in a row and put us at 1-9 to start the season.  Not all hope is lost however.  The young Lancers are learning and are going to be getting better.  We have had some very positive talks and it seems as though they are trying too hard and thinking too much. 

There isn’t much to talk about for the Bartlett game. We were out hit, out pitched, and just plain out played.  They are a pretty good team and we helped them out a bit.  Here is the box score for Wednesday.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

5

5

Bartlett

2

0

3

1

3

0

X

9

15

0

 

LP:      Koehn (0-3)  4 2/3 IP 14 H 0K 0BB 6ER

2B:      McNamara

HR:     Norwood

RBI:    Norwood

 

On Thursday, LP played East Aurora.  Kevin Miller took the mound looking to stop the Lancer slide.  We got on the board first with a two run first inning highlighted by an Alex Mills triple, and a sacrifice fly by Dan Suich.  In the second inning, the Lancers put two more runs.  On the day the Lancers scored eleven times, pitched well, and played great defense.  The KJ HPOD went to speedster Matt Kaiser as he took home on a very short wild pitch.  Great aggressive play Matt.  He is the box score.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

2

2

1

2

2

0

2

11

11

0

East Aurora

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

5

5

 

WP:    Miller (1-1) 7 IP 5H 1ER 8K 1BB

2B:      Madaj

3B:      Mills and Norwood

HR:     Norwood and Rapshus

RBI:    Suich, McNamara, Madaj, Rapshus, and Norwood (3)

SB:      Mills, Monaco, and McNamara (2)

 

Overall record           (2-9)

Conference                (1-4)

 

 

April 20, 2009

The last time I had a chance to blog I talked about working hard, and that it was a brand new day.  Well, Friday was a brand new day and the Lancers found another way not to win a game.  Larkin came in and played with aggressiveness, enthusiasm, hustle, and a little cockiness.  They got out to a 10-1 by the middle of the third inning.  Four walks, eight hits, and three errors in the first three innings put us in a big hole.  As many Lancer fans made the quick exit, the Lancers found some life in the fourth and fifth innings to make it a game.  The Lancers pounded out eight hits and scored six times.  This is the spark that I have been looking for.   However, the deficit was just too much to overcome and the rally fell a bit short as we lost 11-8. 

 

The bright spots of the day were Jake McNamara’s 3 for 3 performance, Artie Monaco went 2 for 4, Matt Kaiser was 2 for 4, Nick Miceli struck out 5 in 2 1/3 and Ricky Palandri threw 1 1/3 IP and had 2 K’s.  as a team we cut our strikeouts way down and hit the ball to the opposite field very well. 

 

On Saturday we looked to get into the win column against Glenbard North.  Things looked very good for the Lancers early as we jumped out to a three run lead in the 3rd on an RBI double by Dan Suich and a two run single by Brian Norwood.  The Panthers answered with two runs of their own.  In the fifth it looked as if the Lancers finally found it.  We scored 4 times on two run double by Matt Kaiser, an RBI single by Jack McNamara, and a sac fly by Brian Madaj.  But the bottom of the 5th proved to be fatal to the Lancers bid to win.  Marc Ostrowski did a fine job pitching but his pitch count was getting up there.  Marc was removed after a lead off single and the wheels fell off.  In the inning the Lancers used four pitchers, had four walks, one HBP, four errors, and coupled with five hits equaled ten Panther runs.  At times, our players looked lost, confused, and very tentative during this inning.  We need to be able to learn from our mistakes.  Here is the recipe for success.  Make the routine play, throw strikes, get a good pitch to hit and put an aggressive swing on it, hustle, and play with enthusiasm.  We are making things more difficult than they should be.  We must simplify this game.

 

Here are the box scores for both games.

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Larkin

1

5

4

0

1

0

0

11

10

3

Lake Park

0

1

0

2

4

1

0

8

13

4

 

LP:      Miller (0-1) 1 1/3 IP 4H 6R 1K 3BB

2B:      Gajewski, McNamara, and Dial

RBI:    Kaiser, McNamara, Dial, and Norwood (2)

SB:      Norwood and Monaco

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

3

0

4

1

0

8

9

6

Glenbard North

0

0

2

0

10

0

X

12

9

1

 

LP:      Hammesfahr (0-2) 2/3 IP 7 R 4 ER 2BB 4H

2B:      Gajewski, Kaiser, and Suich (2)

RBI:    Suich, McNamara, Madaj, Norwood (2), and Kaiser (3)

 

Overall Record          (1-8)

Conference                (0-3)

 

April 17, 2009

The Lancer squad fresh off a loss to Neuqua looked to get back on the winning track Thursday against Larkin.  Things started well for the Lancers in the first inning as Nick Miceli drove in two with a single to right field.  Nick had a great at bat fouling off a few pitches before depositing the ball in right.  Larkin came right back in the bottom of the first after two one out hits and an error plated two runs.  Larkin extended their lead in the second with three runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and two LP errors.  In the third Larkin tacked on another run on a passed ball.  The Lancers didn’t give up and scored one in the fifth on a Brian Norwood homerun and two in the 6th on a two out bases loaded single by Dan Suich to make the score 6-5.  However the defense didn’t hold and two errors in the bottom of the 6th lead to 4 unearned runs to put the game out of reach at 10-5.  On the day the Lancers had 6 errors, 2 passed balls, and stuck out 14 times (seven looking).  It is amazing we were one run down in the 6th.  8 of the 10 runs were unearned and we left 10 runners on base.  We will continue to work hard on the things that we need to improve.  Today is a brand new day. 

 

Here is the box score

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

2

0

0

0

1

2

0

5

9

6

Larkin

2

3

1

0

0

4

X

10

13

1

 

LP:      Konecke (1-2) 3IP 6 R 2 ER 8H 2BB 4K

HR:     Norwood

RBI:    Norwood, Suich (2), Miceli (2)

SB:      Mills, Garry, Ostrowski, and Gajewski (2)

 

Overall Record          (1-6)

Conference                (0-2)

 

April 16, 2009

Yesterday the Lancers opened up the 2009 Upstate Eight Conference season with a loss to Neuqua Valley 10-0. I will discuss the game later, but first I have some things that are on my mind.  I want to be able to focus on the things that I want.  Here is goes.  I want my players to play every game as if it is their last.  To go out and play aggressive, no fear, hustle baseball.  I want my players to be able to make the adjustments necessary in their game to succeed at the varsity level.  I want my players to play with the confidence that they can beat any opponent no matter who they are.  The minute you start talking about how “good” a team is, or how “nasty” an opposing pitcher is you may as well not play the game.  I want my players to strive to be their best at all times before, during, and after the game.  I want my players to be great teammates.  Be supportive, be avid fans of Lake Park Baseball.  I want my players to trust each other and to trust the coaches.  Losing baseball games is no fun, but I am not going to focus on the things that I don’t want, I am going to focus on the things that I do want.  Now back to the recap of last night’s game.

 

Matt Hammesfahr started for the first time last night after sitting out the last few weeks with an ankle injury.  Matt plays with no fear.  He got into and out of a couple of jams in the first two innings.  He looked really sharp at times, but was a bit inconsistent.  In the third inning Neuqua Valley scored eight times on six hits, however we could have gotten out of the inning with no runs if we would have made a play or two on defense.  Teams can’t be given extra opportunities.  We gave Neuqua Valley extra outs to play with and they took advantage.  On the offensive side of the baseball, the Lancers didn’t crack the scoreboard for the second time this year.  In our five losses, we have scored  9 runs and 7 were in one game.  As a team, we have to have a better approach at bat and to take aggressive swings at good pitches.  My hitting philosophy is simple, get a good pitch to hit and put a fundamentally sound aggressive swing on it.  Sounds simple enough.    On the mound, the Lancers walked or hit 10 players.  My pitching philosophy is almost as simple as my hitting philosophy.  Throw strikes and let your defense work.  We strive to get hitters out within three pitches. I want out pitchers to be aggressive and confident on the mound.  Today the Lancers get another shot at the win column as we face Elgin Larkin in another UEC match up. Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

R

H

E

Neuqua Valley

0

0

8

0

2

10

9

1

Lake Park

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

4

 

LP:  Hammesfahr (0-1)  2 2/3 IP 6H 3K 4BB 4 ER

 

Overall Record          (1-5)

Conference                (0-1)   

 

 

April 15, 2009

Happy tax day!  I haven’t had the chance to update the site for a few days and am just now sitting down to give everyone a recap of the Elk Grove game last Thursday.  Lake Park came in to the game on a one game winning streak. (Does one game constitute a streak?)  Elk Grove threw their number one pitcher who proceeded to shut down the Lancer bats for most of the game.  On the day, 10 Lancers struck out and we had five hits.  Four of the five hits came in the 6th and 7th inning.  Elk Grove took an early lead with three first inning runs and extended the lead to five with a two run homerun in the third.  The Lancers didn’t seem to have it going on this day.  We need to be able to turn the intensity up a notch and to be more aggressive all around.  This game did not have a KJ HPOD. Here is the box score. 

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

5

2

Elk Grove

3

0

2

0

0

0

X

5

8

1

 

LP:      Koehn (0-2) 3IP  5R  3ER  6H  1K  0BB

2B:      Suich and Norwood

RBI:    Norwood

 

Overall record (1-4)

 

On Monday and Tuesday we were rained out against Bartlett.  We will play Neuqua Valley today in the UEC opener for the Lancers.  Matt Hammesfahr will throw for the first time this year.  The rest of the week looks good.  We play Larkin tomorrow and Friday and Glenbard North on Saturday.  It is time for our young guys to step up and play focused, aggressive, yet fundamental baseball. 

 

 

April 9, 2009

Last night the Lancers finally got into the win column against a good Conant team.  Brian Konecke started his second game of the year and pitched five strong innings giving up only one first innings run.  Brian pitched out of a few jams to help his cause.  Marc Ostrowski came in to shut the door with two strong innings for the save. 

 

The Lancer hitters came out swinging hot bats with four hits and two runs in the first inning.   Artie Monaco started things off with a single up the middle and went to third on Dan Suich’s double.  Both scored on a Brian Norwood double.  The Lancers extended the lead in the 5th when Dan Suich hit a one out single, advanced on a walk to Norwood, both moved up on a balk, than Matt Kaiser scored Suich with a ground out. 

 

We are still working on getting the hitting going.  We are working hard at having a better approach at the plate. Today the Lancers will face Elk Grove at Elk Grove.  We are preparing for the upcoming conference season that starts Monday against Bartlett.

 

The KJ “HPOD” went to Dan Suich on his 100% hustle to first on a ground ball back to the pitcher.  Great day Dan!!

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

2

0

0

0

1

0

0

3

6

2

Conant

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

6

0

 

WP:    Konecke (1-1)  5IP 6H 4K 5BB 1ER

Save:   Ostrowski (1)  2IP 0H 2K 1BB

2B:      Norwood and Suich

RBI:    Norwood (2) and Kaiser

 

Overall Record:  (1-3)

 

 

April 7, 2009

Ignore my March 18th post about the great weather.  This stinks.  We just finished our “spring” break and had games rained out, snowed out, and couldn’t play on the good days because the field was in such terrible shape.  But we did play three games this spring break.  It was good to get them in to see what we have to work with this year.  The Lancers played Schaumburg on Thursday and lost 2-0. 

 

In the Schaumburg game, the weather was a bit cold and windy but the Lancers came to play.  Brian Konecke through a complete game one hitter but the Lancer bats couldn’t get it going and we lost 2-0 to a good team.  It was our first game and I am confident that our bats will come around.  Besides the pitching of Konecke, another bright area was our defense.  We played error free ball and made some nice plays in the field.  The first KJ Hustle Play of the Day (HPOD) went to Artie Monaco.  On the last play of the game Artie hit a two hopper to the second basemen.  The ball was fumbled briefly and Artie made it a very close play at first ( I actually think he was safe). 

 

Here is the box score:

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Lake Park

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

Schaumburg

0

0

0

1

0

1

X

2

1

1

 

LP:      Brian Konecke (0-1)  6 IP  1 H 5 K 6 BB 1 IBB 2 ER

SB:      Gajewski

 

On Saturday the Lancers played a double header against Glenbard East.  It was a great opportunity to see just about everyone play to give KJ and I a chance to evaluate our talent for the upcoming Upstate Eight Conference season.  In game one Trevor Koehn threw 4 innings and gave up two runs (one earned) while striking out four against two walks.  The Lancers defense that was so good on Thursday wasn’t on Saturday.  We committed five errors in the opening game and our hitting was still a bit behind.  The game ended in an 8-1 Lancer loss,  The KJ “HPOD” went silently to Vito Presta for his relentless hustle backing up bases in RF.  Congrats Vito. 

 

In game two, the Lancers sent Kevin Miller to the mound.  Kevin threw three innings allowing five runs on five hits, with six walks.  Marc Ostrowski came into the game to pitch the fourth through the seventh and got the loss giving up three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.  On the day the Lancers walked 13 batters which must improve.  In the field the Lancers were a bit better, but mistakes still cost us some runs.  The bats finally came around a bit as we were more aggressive at the plate.  Vito Presta went 2 for 3 with two runs batted in and Dave Dial drove in two big runs to tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the third.  The Lancers took the lead in the 5th on a Ryan Rapshus single, but couldn’t tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th.  In the top of the 7th after a lead off single, a strikeout, and a sac bunt the Lancers were on the verge of a victory.  The go ahead run was put on with a walk and then a full count double just out of the reach of our outfielder gave Glenbard the lead for good.  The Lancers lost 8-7.  We have some talented players but we are young and inexperienced right now.  We have to grow up quickly to have a successful year.  We made lots of little mistakes that cost us game 2.  I am confident that we will learn from these mistakes and will be better because of them.  The game two KJ “HPOD” went to Marc Ostrowski and Brian Norwood for their in between inning hustle to get our warm up pitches in.

 

Here are the box scores. 

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Glenbard East

2

0

0

0

5

0

1

8

12

0

Lake Park

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

5

5

 

LP:      Trevor Koehn (0-1) 4 IP 4H 4K 2BB 1ER

2B:      Ostrowski

HR:     Monaco

RBI:    Monaco

SB:      Ostrowski and Mills

 

Team

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

Glenbard East

1

0

4

1

0

0

2

8

10

3

Lake Park

1

0

4

0

2

0

0

7

9

1

 

LP:      Marc Ostrowski (0-1) 4 IP 3R 5H 5K 3BB

2B:      Norwood and Presta

3B:      Monaco

RBI:    Norwood , Presta (2), Dial (2), and Rapshus

SB:      Presta (2) and Suich

 

March 18, 2009

 

I don’t usually get a chance to say this, but the weather has been great this week.  The Lancers were out in the grass over the past few days.  We played a coach pitch game on Monday and followed up with a good BP yesterday.  We also did some field maintenance. Saturday’s practice will involve all levels and will be field prep day.   We need to get the fields ready to play. 

 

First game 3/28!! It will be here before we know it.

 

I still have Lancer Baseball stocking hats for sale.  Email me at dcolucci@lphs.org .  Cost is $10. 

 

 

March 13, 2009

 

Yesterday all of the Lancer’s pitchers came together for some work.  It was a site to see with 30+ pitchers doing drills lead by the varsity pitchers.  At the end of the day former MLB pitcher and Bloomingdale resident Donn Pall came in to talk to the guys about what it takes to succeed as a pitcher.  He talked about the hard work, determination, and dedication it took him to become a Major League pitcher.  It is important for our players to take to heart the things that Donn said.  He also showed off his World Series ring which was quite impressive.  I would like to publicly thank Donn for his time, we really appreciated this.  We also talked about things that will help us be a more successful pitching staff.  Here are some of those items:

 

1.      Composure – It is important for a pitcher to be calm and composed on the mound at all times. We talked about stepping off the rubber, or mound itself to regain lost composure.  When we are on the pitching rubber we are at a green light and are ready to go.  If we need a quick moment, we step off (yellow light) regain composure and get back to our green light area.  If we really need to reset we can step off the mound altogether, this is our red light area.

 

  1. Command – Being able to throw your pitches where you want. 

 

  1. Confidence and Positive Thinking – It would be hard to be successful as a pitcher if you constantly doubt your abilities.  We want our guys seeing themselves be successful.  Thinking that they are the best.  Staying in the moment and not thinking in the past and too far into the future.

 

  1. Visualization – See yourself completing the task successfully before the actual physical performance.   Focus on what you want, and not on what you don’t want.  Example:  Pitcher A doesn’t want to hang his curve.  Pitcher B wants to throw his curve with great life on the outside corner at the knees.  Which pitcher do you want on the mound?

 

  1. There are things you can control and things that you cannot control.  No pitcher can control an umpire’s call, a play behind him, or the weather.  But he can control his reaction to it.  When bad things happen to a pitcher they can be compounded by the pitcher’s bad reaction to it.  It is hard sometimes for young players not to get too emotional or frustrated with a situation outside of their control. However, if they are thinking about what just happened and are frustrated, mad, or whatever, how effective are they going to be on the next pitch?

 

  1. The hitter is on or out within three pitches.  We want our pitchers pitching to contact.  Which means that we want them to throw quality strikes low in the zone with some movement to get the hitter to put the ball in play as weakly as possible to allow our defense to get them out.  Walks eat up pitches.  When a pitcher puts people on via the walk they usually don’t last long into the game.  We want to prevent these “freebies”.  Make the hitter earn his way on. Trust the defense.

 

 

The weather looks to be warming up soon, so maybe if the guys are lucky we will do some field maintenance next week.  They really love that! 

 

March 12, 2009

All of our teams have been picked for the 2009 Lake Park Baseball season.  There were some hard choices that all of the coaches had to make.  We want to thank everyone for coming out this year.  I know it is difficult for those that did not achieve their goal of making the team.  The LP baseball staff appreciates all of the work and preparation all have done to get ready for the season. 

 

I would like to introduce the 2009 Varsity Baseball Team.  The sophomore and freshman team will have their rosters posted in the 2009 Roster section soon.

 

Seniors:

 

Ben Coleman                         OF and RHP

Matt Hammesfahr                 RHP

Brian Norwood                     Catcher

Dan Suich                              Second base

Eddie Garry                           First base

Nick Miceli                             RHP

Vito Presta                             OF and RHP

Alex Mills                               OF and INF

 

Juniors:

 

Brian Konecke                       First base and RHP

Jake McNamara                    Third base and Catcher

Marc Ostrowski                     Third base and RHP

Brian Madaj                          Third base and RHP

Matt Kaiser                            Infield and RHP

Garrett Gajewski                   Shortstop

Artie Monaco                         OF

Ricky Palandri                      LHP

David Dial                              INF

Trevor Koehn                                    RHP

Kevin Miller                           RHP

Ryan Rapshus                       OF

Peter Spear                            RHP*

 

Here is my brief first impression of our team.  We have some depth at pitching with a good group of junior pitchers.  Our infield defense has looked very good so far.  The kids are working hard on their skills and are excited to come to practice on a daily basis. 

 

We have a younger more inexperienced team than I have had in recent years, but what they may lack in experience, they more than make up for it in hustle, effort, desire, and determination.  We expect our younger players to grow up quickly and to be able to compete from the first game on the varsity level. We have some good ball players that will turn some heads.  We are looking forward to getting out on the field to see how we stack up against some of the areas best teams.  The keys to a successful season are always the same:  throw strikes, make plays, and execute on offense.  If we can get these three areas down this year, we should have a very successful year.  I look forward to working with this group this year.

 

Look for more frequent updates for this site.  I have included a link for travel and in house coaches and players to view.  The link is on the home page at the bottom.  Enjoy.  As always, I encourage feedback on this website.  Feel free to email me at dcolucci@lphs.org. 

 

Thanks again to all of the parents and players that came out for the annual parent night.  We still have hats and stocking caps available. 

 

March 4, 2009

 

Tryouts have begun and all is going well so far.  I think I threw a lifetime of batting practice on Monday.  I probably threw about 750 pitches in BP.  I am still a bit sore.  Monday we had the opportunity to see and grade all of the hitters that tried out on all of the levels.  Tuesday the varsity and sophomore infielders displayed their skills for the coaches.  We were able to get a very good idea of what we have to work with this year.  We are still looking at potential varsity pitchers and have two more days of bullpen work to evaluate.  The players seem excited to be back doing baseball specific activities.

 

After watching the freshmen tryout on Monday I was thinking of putting together a list of fundamentals that players should have before they get to LP.  If you think this would be useful please email me at dcolucci@lphs.org and I will add another link.

 

Be back soon with more updates.

 

 

 

February 26, 2009

Tryouts begin Monday!!!   All players must have all appropriate paperwork in and receive a receipt.  Varsity will be trying out at the RMBA Sears facility on Monday at 10 am.  Please be there about 15 minutes early.  The sophomores will try out at noon and the freshmen at 2.

 

This past week we also concluded our preseason weights and conditioning program.  I would like to share some of the results. 

 

We tested eight different areas before we started our program and again when we completed our program. 

 

Results:                                               Team Improvement

 

Pushup in 30 seconds                                    9.35%

Knee Lifts with 15 pound DB                      19.20%

Dips                                                                13.33%

Vertical Jump                                                5.04%

Pull Up Hang time                                         21.27%

Squat Max                                                     35.42%

Board time reduction                                    7.13%

 

We also tested a running drill called 5-10-5.  In this drill the players run 5 yards in one direction 10 in the other and back 5.  These times are included in the table below, but the test was deemed invalid since I believe the distances were not consistent from the first test to the second. 

 

Here are the results from out off-season weights and conditioning.   The results are sorted by ranking.  Congrats to Brian Norwood who was tops overall in our testing.

 

Name

5.10.5

Rank

Push Ups

Push Ups

Rank

Knee Lifts 15 lbs.

Knee Lifts 15 lbs.

Rank

Dips

Dips

Rank

Vertical Jump inches

Vertical Jump inches

Rank

Pull Up Hang (sec)

Pull Up Hang (sec)

Rank

Squat Max (chart)

Squat Max (chart)

Rank

Board down and back

Board down and back

Rank

Overall Rank

Norwood

4.38

1

38

44

3

40

40

1

20

20

7

27.0

25.50

5

55

72

5

286

321

4

11.44

11.21

1

3.38

McNamara

4.60

8

45

45

1

20

31

9

21

24

4

24.0

25.50

5

20

53

12

323

na

 

13.56

11.93

6

6.43

Coleman

4.56

5

37

38

6

27

34

7

27

25

3

29.0

30.00

2

47

36

17

378

441

1

12.73

12.33

12

6.63

Gajewski

4.49

3

28

33

11

26

30

11

13

23

5

27.5

28.50

3

37

61

9

222

300

8

12.20

11.66

4

6.75

Mills

4.53

4

34

36

8

23

35

5

24

22

6

24.5

24.50

11

88

76

4

241

263

15

12.40

11.31

3

7.00

Miceli

4.59

7

43

44

3

27

30

11

30

35

1

30.0

32.00

1

74

63

6

234

285

11

14.24

13.92

17

7.13

Rapshus

4.81

12

36

45

1

30

36

4

26

26

2

25.0

23.00

15

48

54

11

260

330

3

12.83

12.20

10

7.25

Miller

4.61

9

36

38

6

28

40

1

14

14

13

24.5

25.50

5

60

62

8

280

348

2

13.20

12.94

15

7.38

Suich

4.44

2

34

39

5

30

31

9

15

18

10

24.0

24.00

12

47

51

14

215

303

6

11.96

11.25

2

7.50

Schelling

4.86

15

na

28

17

na

32

8

na

20

7

na

25.50

5

na

87

1

na

300

8

na

12.29

11

9.00

Presta

4.78

11

40

33

11

35

29

13

17

19

9

24.0

24.00

12

58

78

3

265

303

6

13.24

12.07

9

9.25

Dial

4.56

5

32

36

8

30

28

15

8

14

13

24.5

23.00

15

42

63

6

234

300

8

13.00

12.06

8

9.75

Koehn

4.95

16

34

34

10

22

29

13

5

14

13

23.5

25.50

5

70

86

2

149

240

17

14.01

11.82

5

10.13

Ostrowski

5.00

17

25

31

13

27

37

3

19

18

10

23.5

22.50

17

44

55

10

247

285

11

13.23

12.88

14

11.88

Hammesfar

4.61

9

27

30

14

30

25

17

na

15

12

25.0

27.00

4

41

52

13

167

270

14

15.02

12.96

16

12.38

Panzeca

5.03

18

na

28

17

na

35

5

na

6

17

na

23.50

14

na

20

18

na

312

5

na

12.00

7

12.63

Garry

na

 

 

27

20

na

25

17

na

11

15

na

25.50

5

na

na

 

na

na

 

na

na

 

14.25

Palandri

4.81

12

31

29

15

18

25

17

na

10

16

22.5

21.00

18

41

51

14

180

285

11

13.35

12.51

13

14.50

Konecke

na

 

22

29

15

21

27

16

1

6

17

21.5

na

 

20

47

16

167

na

 

15.50

na

 

16.00

Madaj

4.81

12

20

28

17

21

22

20

1

4

20

na

19.00

19

34

14

19

176

246

16

14.96

15.28

18

17.63

Spear

na

 

45

na

 

30

na

 

16

na

 

28.0

na

 

59

na

 

215

na

 

12.97

na

na

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team Avg.

4.69

 

32

35

 

26

31

 

14

17

 

23.8

25.00

 

47

57

 

223

302

 

13.32

12.37

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team Improvement

 

 

9.35%

 

 

19.20%

 

 

13.33%

 

 

5.04%

 

 

21.27%

 

 

35.42%

 

 

7.13%

 

 

 

I wish everyone the best of luck during next week’s tryouts.  Give it everything you have. 

 

 

February 5, 2009

It is that time of year again!  I welcome the opportunity to start blogging my baseball thoughts for all of my loyal readers.  I am sure you all missed me.

A lot has happened since last spring.  The summer Lancers did a fine job.  We have some good talent coming up.  We should have a solid team this year.  The kids are working hard on their conditioning.  P90X, boards, lifting, running, etc. 

 

KJ and his lovely wife become parents in November to Jake Jett Johnson.  Congrats to them.  It won’t be long before Jake is doing back flips off the dugout wall like his dad. 

 

The official tryout date has been set and will be the first Monday in March.