Craig Brueske

4 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | Craig Brueske

South Elgin’s baseball program has had one varsity coach since the school’s first season — without seniors — in 2007. Jim Kating, who has guided the Storm to seven 20-win seasons, 6 regional titles and a pair of sectional championships, highlighted by the team’s third-place Class 4A state finish in 2014 — the school’s first state trophy, announced his plans to retire following the 2025 campaign.

1 month ago | dailyherald.com | Craig Brueske

Football is not the only sport that can be a game of inches. And those inches can make the champion. Waubonsie Valley (16-11, 10-5) fought off a late Naperville Central comeback, thanks in part to a hard-nosed pitching performance from Owen Roberts along with a couple of breaks along the way to nail down a 5-4 victory and share of the DuPage Valley Conference baseball championship Thursday afternoon in Naperville.

1 month ago | shawlocal.com | Craig Brueske

WHEATON – Peter Solloway pitched no-hit ball for the first 5⅓ innings, while James McGrath hit a home run, triple, and provided excellent defense in center field as St. Francis blanked Marmion, 9-0, Saturday in Wheaton. Solloway, who walked four and struck out four in six innings, improved his record to 7-0 while the Spartans (21-3) extended their winning streak to 17. “He’s one of the most dominant juniors in the state,” Spartans coach Tom Ciombor said of his right-handed pitcher.

1 month ago | dailyherald.com | Craig Brueske

Entering the game with a 5-game winning streak, South Elgin’s baseball team received a rude awakening from host West Chicago in the first inning of their Upstate Eight Conference clash Thursday afternoon. Batting around, the Wildcats (5-16, 5-8) grabbed a 5-0 lead thanks in part to an outfield error, 2 walks, RBI singles from Ryan Bell and Lucas Wheat (2 for 3), and a 2-run single off the bat of Dylan Mason. It didn’t take the Storm (16-9, 11-1) long to answer.

1 month ago | dailyherald.com | Craig Brueske

Zach Bava now stands atop the Naperville North record book. Bava, a 5-foot-8 senior catcher, set a school career mark for base hits with his first-inning single to right during the Huskies’ eventual 1-0, 12-inning victory over Waubonsie Valley Tuesday in Naperville. He finished 2 for 3 with a pair of walks, and now has 127 base hits during his 4-year varsity career, surpassing 2012 graduate Mariano Long (125).