The East E-Rabs roared to the NIC-10 baseball title last spring on the backs of a talented senior class that featured four first-team all-conference performers and another that was chosen Special Mention.

But graduation hit that 17-1 squad (21-4 overall) hard, and that was reflected in the opinions of the other conference coaches, none of which listed the E-Rabs as a top-four team in this spring’s race.

In fact, it was nearly unanimous that the Big Two this season are Hononegah and Harlem, who finished second and third respectively last year.

Here is a capsule look at this year’s NIC-10 baseball race in predicted order of finish:

For NIC-10 season schedules, click here

HONONEGAH INDIANS

Coach: Matt Simpson (15th season)

Last season: 16-2 in NIC-10 (2nd); 22-10 overall

Returning starters:  Tyler Statler (Sr. 1B/P), Payton Mather (Jr. Inf/P), Braden Sayles (So. OF/P), Gabe Roessler (So. Inf/P), Noah Goddard (So. C)

Other key players:  Will Hissong (Sr. OF/P), Ryan Blunt (Sr. 3B/P), Alex Thompson (Sr. Inf/P), Connor Jones (Sr. C/3B/1B), Aaron Monti (Jr. Inf/P), Tommy Murray (Jr. Inf/OF/P), Ryan Phillips (OF/Inf/P), Zach Rydell (Jr. C), Aidan Swanson (Jr. OF/Inf), Zach Whalen (Jr. Inf/P)

Outlook: While the Indians return just five starters, they feature the big positions up the middle: catcher, shortstop and center field. That includes Sayles, a first-team all-NIC-10 infielder who was among the league leaders in RBI (15) and runs (15) while hitting .323. Catcher Goddard hit .326 as a freshman, and infielder Roessler collected 16 RBI. And Hononegah also brings back its No. 2 and 3 pitchers, led by Statler, another all-NIC-10 first teamer who had five wins, a 0.62 ERA and 66 strikeouts, all among the league’s leaders. And he was pretty good at the plate as well, with 20 RBI to go with a league-high five home runs. He is joined on the mound by Mather, who won five games with 38 strikeouts and a 2.71 ERA.

 

HARLEM HUSKIES

Coach: Scott McCloy (3rd season)

Last season: 11-7 in NIC-10 (3rd); 16-14 overall

Returning starters: Eric Steiner (Sr., P/OF), Timmy Ellinger (Sr., 1B), David Galassi (Sr., C/P), Cade Bibby (Sr., IF/P), Carson Weber (Sr., IF/P), Jordan Anderson (Sr., P/IF/OF), Caden Springer (Jr., IF/OF), Jared Jacobsen (Jr., P/OF).

Other key players: Noah Mandujano (Sr., IF/OF), James Akers (Jr., P/IF/OF), Colin Burkardt (P/OF), Logan Johnson (Jr., IF/OF).

Outlook: The Huskies are loaded with experience, as Steiner will be a four-year starter and Ellinger, Galassi, Bibby and Anderson all are in their third year of starting varsity. Steiner is a two-time all-NIC-10 performer coming off a season in which he collected four wins with a 1.01 ERA and 39 strikeouts. Ellinger was also all-conference last season after hitting .386 with 13 RBI, and Galassi hit .351 with 15 RBI. Coach McCloy said: “With our experience from our seniors and contributions from our juniors, we expect to compete for not only a conference championship but make a big playoff push.”

 

BOYLAN TITANS

Coach: Matt Weber (7th season)

Last year: 9-9 in NIC-10 (Tied for 5th), 16-17 overall

Returning starters: Daniel Contreras (So., C), Luke Stoner (Sr., IF/P), Cole Turman (Sr., 1B/C/P), Caleb Badley (Sr., IF/OF), Matt Dmochowski (Sr., OF/P), Jacob Sciame (Jr., IF/P), Thomas Brown (Sr., OF/P), Justin Kerestes (Jr., 1B/P), David Girgenti (Jr., IF/P), Jacob Butcher (So., IF/P)

Other key players: Zach Hollister (So., IF/OF/P), Nick Fehrle (So., IF/P/C), Jakob Leombruni (Jr., IF/OF/C), William Archer (Jr., OF), Richie Garcia (Sr., IF/P)

Outlook: With tons of experience back, Boylan climbs from a .500 team to a contender. Depending on who is on the mound, the Titans will have seven or eight returning starters on the field for most games, with 90 percent of last year’s pitching innings back as well. The offense will be led by Contreras, who was a first-team all-NIC-10 performer as a freshman last season, when he .345 with 17 RBI. Turman and Stoner collected 15 and 14 RBI respectively last season, while Dmochowski was among the top base stealers. And on the mound, Brown and Sciame each had four wins, while Stoner sat in the top eight in the league with a 1.40 ERA. Butcher (3.17), Sciami (3.32) and Dmochowski (3.79) were also among the league leaders in ERA, while Dmochowski (41) and Sciami (38) were in the top 10 in strikeouts.

 

NORTH BLUE THUNDER

Coach: John Paddock (3rd season)

Last year: 9-9 in NIC-10 (Tied for 5th); 13-17 overall

Returning starters: Brock Ashens (Sr., SS/P), Sean Hesano (Sr., 1B), Jacob Leutscher (Sr., C/P), Josh Tuttle (Sr., LF/P), Jackson Kirane (Sr., P), Carson Blatchford (Jr., CB/P), MIchael Paddock (Jr. , 2B/P), Holden Paddock (Jr., 3B/P).

Other key players: Caleb Andre (Jr., OF/P), Mason Weckler (Fr., P)

Outlook: The Blue Thunder have a strong corps of seniors and juniors, led by Hesano (.379) and Holden Paddock (.389), who both led the NIC-10 in batting average at their respective positions. Coach Paddock sees a team that will be deep in pitching and solid defensively. Ashens and Kirane will carry the workload on the mound. “The big question will be our offense,” Coach Paddock said. “If we can learn to play ‘team baseball,’ we should be competitive.”

 

FREEPORT PRETZELS

Coach: Shaun Dascher (3rd season)

Last year: 10-8 in NIC-10 (4th), 16-12 overall

Returning starters: Ethan Hill (Sr., IF), Gannon Ruckman (Sr., P/1B/OF), Jack Heimer (Sr., P/IF), Matthew Chavers (Jr., C/OF/P), Cameron Bardell (Sr., OF/P), jaden Mittelsteadt (Sr., DH/OF), Jackson Sosnowski (Sr., IF/P), Jalen Plowman (Jr., DH/OF/P), Andrew Simmons (Sr., CF), Preston Engel (Jr., IF/P).

Other key players: Jacob Withrow (Sr., P/1B), Owen Quekboerner (Jr., Util/P), Deven Stewart (Jr., OF/P), Parker Withington (Jr., OF/P), Jace Hail (Jr., IF/P), Fabion Cashow (Jr., OF).

Outlook: Freeport brings back several players with varsity experience, including 11 players that started at some point in the previous seasons. Six seniors are starting their third year on varsity, which means they were part of the 2017 conference champion team. Leading the way is two-time all-NIC-10 player Hill, who hit .415 last year with 30 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Also, Chavers hit .358 with 19 RBI, while Heimer added 22 RBI. Heimer is also the top returning pitcher after collecting five wins with 34 strikeouts to go with a 3.00 ERA. The Pretzels should be at or near the top half of the NIC-10 with overall depth being a strength.

 

EAST E-RABS

Coach: Chris Luttig

Last year: 17-1 in NIC-10 (1st), 24-4 overall

Returning starters: Hunter Scanlon (So., C/CF), Brady Franks (Sr., IF), Fermin Celaya (Sr., 1B/P)

Other key players: Dan McMichael (Sr., IF/P), Seth Edwards (Sr., IF), Zach Moore (Sr., C/P)

Outlook: East had a great season last year, behind a talented group of seniors. But they are gone – including six all-NIC-10 selections –  leaving just three players with varsity starting experience, two of which are seniors. The non-senior starter is Scanlon, who finished in the top 15 in batting last season at .371. With such an inexperienced team, the E-Rabs will likely be hovering around the middle of the pack in the NIC-10 this spring.

 

GUILFORD VIKINGS

Coach: Adam Lewis (6th season)

Last year: 9-9 in the NIC-10 (Tied for 5th); 14-12 overall

Returning starters: Andrew Harris (JR; Util), Tyler Knuth (Jr; Util), Tyson Morris (Jr; OF), Chris Pass (So; 2nd ), Lucas Grall (So; INF/P)

Other key players: Ben Tousey (Jr; INF/P), Andrew Fishe (Jr; P), Nicholas Paun (So; OF/P), Jacob Minnier (So; C), Douglas Barker (Sr; OF), Alesio Pruitt (Sr; INF),

Outlook: Coach Lewis said winning their regional has created a buzz in the program. There are five returning starters, as well as four players who saw playing time at the varsity level last year. They are led by Harris, who hit .390 with a league-leading 30 RBI. How quickly the Vikings can establish their top pitchers should be the key since they graduated top hurlers Jake Klekamp and Troy Swanson, both first-team all-NIC-10 players, with Swanson earning those honors as a third baseman. Also graduated is the Vikings’ ace Max Klein, who now pitches for Indiana State.

 

JEFFERSON J-HAWKS

Coach: Cyrus Wimberly (2nd season)

Last year: 2-16 in NIC-10 (9th); 2-17 overall

Returning starters: Darren Rodgers (Sr., C/IF/P), Brandon Pruitt (Sr., OF), Rogelio Belmontes (Sr., P/IF), George Williams (Jr., P/IF), Riley Mead (Sr., C/IF)

Other key players: Ethan Erbe (Fr., IF/OF), Colin Shoemaker (Fr., IF/OF/P), Kobrin Moss (So., IF/P), Mason Plymale (So., IF/P)

Outlook: The J-Hawks struggled last season, but as Coach Wimberly points out, they were close in most of those games but couldn’t quite finish the deal. With five starters back, including four seniors, expect that trend to change. Jefferson will be led by Williams, who was one of the top five hitters in the conference at .419, while Rodgers batted .405.

 

AUBURN KNIGHTS

Coach: Ryne Billesbach (1st season)

Last year: 1-17 in NIC-10 (10th), 1-18 overall

Returning starters: Garrett Wallace (Sr. IF/OF/P), Greydon Westin (Sr. P/1B), Kaleb Corey (Sr. 3B/DH), Zeke Stockton (Jr. INF/P), Adam Kuhar (Jr. C), Brock Bidwell (Jr. OF), Ben Westin (Jr. INF/P)

Other key players: Brayden Bidwell (So. INF/P), Johnathan Lowery (Jr. OF), Payton Alexander (Fr. INF/P)

Outlook: There’s nowhere to go but up for the Knights, and first-year coach Billesbach has an experienced squad to help move his team in the right direction. With seven returning starters, led by what Billesbach calls a “small but strong senior class,” the Knights have a good foundation to work with.

 

BELVIDERE BUCS

Coach: John Fish (3rd season)

Last year: 6-12 in the NIC-10 (8th);  7-16 overall

Returning starters: Adrion Dalipi (Sr., P/IF), Steven King (Sr., P/IF/OF)

Other key players: Alexander Herrijon (Sr., OF/P), Thomas Henry (Sr., IF), Carter Coryell (Jr., IF/C/P), Gavin Lake (Jr., IF/OF/P/C), William Varble (IF/C/P/OF), Gavin Gleason (So., IF/C/P), Zachary Johnson (So., IF/C), Matthew Martinez (So., OF/P), Dylan Schohn (So., IF/OF/P), Thomas Thompson (So., OF/P/IF), Jonathan Urbieta (So., OF/IF/P), Fabian Urbieta (Fr., IF/P), Dylan Wiedow (Fr., IF/C), Aaron Wolman (Fr.m IF).

Outlook: With only two starters back and a drop in numbers, not only will Belvidere struggle in the NIC-10, but for the first time in team history, they will only be able to field a varsity squad. That means a lot of youth forced to learn the varsity way very quickly.

— Randy Ruef, Sportsfan 1330 AM

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