Gimme 5: L-W North Baseball Hero Lives Up to His Name

Reed Hero was named MVP of the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) Phil Lawler Summer Classic tournament.

Lincoln-Way North baseball coach Joe Skarbek knew junior Reed Hero was something special. He knew it this spring but elected to have Hero play with his longtime friends on the sophomore team. He also had a quiet leader to play in senior Brandon Collins at first base. Skarbek also knew about Hero well before this spring. "We've watched him since he was in fifth grade because we have camps, and we've loved him at the camps because he's a great guy that loves to have fun and joke around," Skarbek said. "What a great swing he has and a great feel for the game. Just watch him run the bases. He's so intuitive. I was really happy that he won that individual award." The IHSBCA championship wasn't anything really new for Hero, who helped his Summit…

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Local Sports Notebook

Lincoln-Way North’s Juniors Reacquainted With Baseball Championship

Deja vu all over again: Phoenix juniors also won state baseball title as eighth-graders at Summit Hill.

When the Lincoln-Way North baseball team posted a 30-4 record last spring, the sophomores also were busy playing a full season at their own level, preparing for what would lie ahead at the varsity level the following year. Those sophomores became juniors over the summer season, playing for the Phoenix during the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Phil Lawler Summer Classic. With the majority of the starters from the 30-4 team lost to graduation, plenty of newcomers were given an opportunity to play every day. They certainly made the most of the opportunity, helping lead the Phoenix to a championship. While playing on the summer’s biggest high school stage could’ve been nerve-wracking for most, the Phoenix played like they …

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L-W North Hopes Everything Keeps Clicking in Tonight's State Title Game

Several come-from-behind wins kept the Phoenix alive during regional play of the summer baseball playoffs, but North jumped on Maine South early to ensure a trip to Thursday's Phil Lawler Summer Classic state title game.

You can't give a good hitting team extra outs. Any coach at any level will tell you that. On Wednesday at Benedictine University in Lisle, Maine South was reminded of that painful lesson, as Lincoln-Way North claimed an 11-3 victory in the summer baseball state semifinals. Maine South wasn't able to turn what appeared to be a tailor-made double play ball off the bat of Lincoln-Way North catcher Ryan Pellack in the top of the first inning. The hard hopper to third base resulted in a forceout at second base, but Pellack reached first base to save an at bat for red-hot cleanup man Reed Hero. Hero, who was 5-for-7 with 5 RBIs during Lincoln-Way North's two victories on Wednesday, launched a two-run home run down the left-field line to give the…

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