July 01, 2025
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Local talent still flocking to Beecher Muskies for summer baseball

Half of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League players have local ties

By Adam Tumino
Beecher Muskies' Andrew Olszewski, front, dives into home plate as Lombard Orioles catcher Aaron Holland fields a throw during a Chicago Suburban Baseball League game at Gouwens Park in South Holland Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Beecher Muskies' Andrew Olszewski, front, dives into home plate as Lombard Orioles catcher Aaron Holland fields a throw during a Chicago Suburban Baseball League game at Gouwens Park in South Holland Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

SOUTH HOLLAND – The Beecher Muskies are once again bringing a unique dynamic to the Chicago Suburban Baseball League in 2025 with their mix of college-aged players and some more experienced team members.

Although they lost 8-4 to the Lombard Orioles at Gouwens Park in South Holland on Wednesday, the Muskies bounced back to win their next three games. With their mix of age and experience levels, they are off to a 13-4 start this summer.

Andrew Olszewski, a 2017 Beecher High School graduate, is leading the team with a .576 batting average this season. He was 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and three steals, including one of home on a double steal, in the Muskies’ loss to Lombard.

Olszewski played his first season with the Muskies in 2018. He has since gone from one of the younger players on the team to one of the longest-tenured Muskies.

“It’s just something in me that’s like ‘I’ve still got one more year in me,’ ” he said. “I feel good out there, and it helps when you have a coaching staff and bunch of guys that feel the exact same way.”

The age range of the Muskies’ roster is not just a quirk for Olszewski and his teammates. He said that it is one of the main reasons he still feels like he wants to put on the uniform each year.

“I think it would be different if the whole team was just college guys,” he said. “But we’ve got some older guys on the team, and if they can keep coming out and playing, and they’re older than me, then I feel like I can keep coming out here and playing.”

Several players were getting their first experience with the Muskies this season, including 2023 Bishop McNamara graduate and current Loras College player Nolan Czako.

Beecher Muskies' Nolan Czako throws to first base during a Chicago Suburban Baseball League game against the Lombard Orioles at Gouwens Park in South Holland Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Beecher Muskies' Nolan Czako throws to first base during a Chicago Suburban Baseball League game against the Lombard Orioles at Gouwens Park in South Holland Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

He said the Muskies always were on his radar since he finished high school, and finally got out there this summer after talking with head coach Fred LeSage.

Czako’s .853 OPS ranks fifth on the Muskies this season. He has 13 RBIs, the third-most on the team, including one in the game against Lombard.

In addition to just getting on the field and playing, Czako said it has been beneficial having so many players on the Muskies that are in different stages of life and their baseball careers.

“With the older guys, they say to not take it for granted,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of years left, but I’ll enjoy it. They kind of keep it fun and keep me loose, and that’s really helped me with the mental side of it.”

Thomas Offill, a 2024 Bradley-Bourbonnais graduate, just finished his freshman season at Kankakee Community College. He also had an RBI groundout in the Lombard game and is third on the team with five stolen bases.

He also is playing in his first season with the Muskies, where he now is teammates with KCC head baseball coach Bryce Shafer, who helped bring Offill on board with the Muskies

Having some teammates that are twice his age, or close to it, is a bit strange for Offill. But he said the experience has been a positive one.

“It’s definitely different, having my head coach on the mound who is 37 years old and having all the outfielders being older than me,” he said. “But after a few games, they’re all good guys. They make you feel like you’re one, like you’re family, and it’s a good time.”

Beecher Muskies' Kris Honel throws a pitch during the Muskies' Chicago Suburban Baseball League game against the Lombard Orioles at Gouwens Park in South Holland Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Beecher Muskies' Kris Honel throws a pitch during the Muskies' Chicago Suburban Baseball League game against the Lombard Orioles at Gouwens Park in South Holland Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

Bourbonnais native Kris Honel, who was the 16th overall pick of the 2001 MLB draft to the Chicago White Sox, also is back for the Muskies in 2025. Now 42 years old, Honel first played for the Muskies last season after spending several years away from the game.

On the season, Honel has 11 strikeouts in 11 ⅓ innings. He started and worked 5 ⅓ in the loss against Lombard, and although the results were not what he hoped for with three runs allowed, two of which were earned, he said he felt better on the mound that he has in a long time.

“This was probably my [most] peak performance I’ve had since about 2005,” he said. “Tonight was really fun. I felt one with the ball, one with the mound, one with the catcher. … It’s good to be back out there."

Other local talents on the Muskies roster include Byron Wills and Camden Kearney (Kankakee), Alex Rodriguez and Tyler Snoreck (Bradley-Bourbonnais), Taylor Fuerst (Bishop McNamara), Ben Carlile and Jack Thompson (Manteno), Tyler Brody, Nick Noles and Zac Ruzich (Beecher), Beecher baseball coach Brandon Dubois and Kankakee Community College baseball coach Bryce Shafer.