Athlete of the Week: Griffins' Chemello Says Goodbye to L-W North’s 30-Win Season

Facing an opponent that entered with a team batting average of .380 and was accustomed to putting up crooked numbers and double digits on the scoreboard, Lincoln-Way East junior right-hander Mark Chemello had a daunting task in Thursday’s Class 4A Sandburg Sectional semifinal.

Chemello was up to the task in . He allowed only two batters to reach third base, he set down the first batter in every  inning but two, and he finished strong, retiring 10 of the final 11 he faced.

“I spotted my fastball and didn't use too much off-speed,” he said. “It was throwing inside to guys and just locating my fastball. Normally with a good hitting team, you mix it up a lot, but right off the bat that didn’t happen a lot.”

Chemello surrendered just five hits and struck out four in tossing his third shutout of the season.

“He was fantastic,” Lincoln-Way East coach Paul Babcock said. “When he was missing, he wasn't missing by much, unless he was trying to miss. He was popping that glove all day long and made a couple of huge pitches."

Chemello improved to 9-1 and has now shut out district schools Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way Central, along with perennial power, Joliet Catholic Academy.

“It meant a lot to our seniors because they were in the same halls with (North) freshman year,” Chemello said. “It feels good. I know a few of them and they shook my hand and said congrats which means a lot.”

In recognition of his efforts, Chemello is Patch’s Athlete of the Week.

Chemello and the Griffins will continue their postseason quest when they face Mount Carmel on Monday at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, in the supersectional round. The Griffins advanced to that game by