Sports
Lincoln-Way North Holds an Ace Up its Sleeve
Jake Harper returns to head the Phoenix pitching staff. If others blossom behind him, it'll be a "Wonderful World" of baseball in Frankfort this spring.
Coach: Joe Skarbek.
Last year’s record: 24-12, 9-5 Southwest Suburban, conference champions, Marist Regional champions.
Quick hit: "Our season will be a successful if one of our pitchers can become a legit No. 2 to Jake Harper's No. 1," Lincoln-Way North coach Joe Skarbek said. "We have three guys with the talent that could do it. If all three get there, then we are going to have a lot of fun."
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Infield: Luke Waldier, senior, second baseman. Waldier will start for his third straight year up the middle. Jack Troike, junior, shortstop. Troike is talented and can play both shortstop and third base. Alex Eaton, senior, third baseman. Eaton will look to return to his all-conference form. Brandon Collins, senior, first baseman. According to Skarbek, Collins is one of the best defensive first baseman in the area, if not the state.
Outfield: Jack Irace, senior, left field. Colin Hannigan, senior, right field. Irace and Hannigan have been playing at the varsity level since their sophomore year. Marc Hein, senior, center field. Hein started almost every game in center field as a junior. All three players possess great speed, good arms and can hit the ball hard in the gap.
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Pitching staff: The Phoenix undoubtedly have an ace in Jake Harper, one of the top prospects in the area. There's plenty of talented arms surrounding Harper but how they perform remains to be seen. If the Phoenix hope to duplicate last season's success, they’re going to need big seasons from Sam Cook, Dominick Paolella and Alex Lesiak.
Catcher: A.J. Neufeld, senior. Hit over .520 last year. Excellent with the bat, which can overshadow his defense. It shouldn't. Skarbek considers him to be one of the top defensive catchers in the state. Has started since his sophomore year.
Coach Joe Skarbek says: “I do not think we will be able to sneak up on anyone this year. We had a great summer and a strong finish to the spring, so we anticipate seeing a lot of No. 1s. We need to stay positive, keep working, and maintain our vision on our goals, the first being to contend for a conference championship.”
College recruits: Jake Harper (St. Joseph’s in Rensselaer, Ind.), Alex Eaton (Joliet Junior College), Luke Waldier (North Central), A.J. Neufeld (TBA), Sam Cook (TBA), Marc Hein (TBA) and Colin Hannigan (TBA).
