Tiger trio to play for Kish

Kishwaukee Community College baseball coach Mark Hernandez turned a triple play at Princeton.

He landed not one, but three Princeton players among his latest recruits - Braden Boyles, Brayden DeBates and Noah Atkinson.

DeBates and Atkinson met with Hernandez before the coronavirus lockdown and did some drills for him. Boyles' recruitment came more by way of mouth and having played travel baseball.

Of the three, Atkinson is the only one to play varsity baseball for PHS. He batted .286 with 12 stolen bases and 17 RBIs last year.

DeBates transferred to PHS for his senior year from rival Hall, having played for the Red Devils state champions as a sophomore in 2018. He batted .333 last year at Hall with a 3-1 record and 2.13 ERA.

Boyles was a standout for the PHS F/S, but was not on the team as junior. Boyles and DeBates have played travel ball together.

The Tigers trio will all room together, DeBates said.

PHS coach Wick Warren said he sent general information on his seniors to junior colleges and small schools in the area and was happy to see them get to make up for lost time this spring.

“I think this is a very good opportunity for these players and I hope they take full advantage of it,” Warren said.

The Kougars got just five games in this spring, losing all five, before their season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kishwaukee, which is located in Malta, is a member of the Arrowhead Conference, which includes IVCC and Sauk Valley.