L-P baseball preview: Cavs inexperienced but talented

The La Salle-Peru baseball team may only have one experienced player in senior Drake Weber, who has been on the varsity since his freshman year.

But that doesn’t mean the Cavaliers lack talent or baseball experience.

The Cavs have several players who would have played key roles in 2020 had there been a season in senior Drew Lane and juniors Jack Scheri and Julius Sanchez.

“Leadership will be a strength of this team,” L-P coach Matt Glupczynski said. “We have driven seniors and juniors on this team who have high expectations for themselves and the team.”

Scheri and Sanchez give the Cavs an uncommon duo as both players are committed to Division I schools. Scheri has committed to Creighton, while Sanchez will play for Illinois.

“My expectations are very high for both of these players, but with that being said, I continually talk to them about not putting extra pressure on themselves and don’t try to do too much,” Glupczynski said. “That’s when issues can occur. They are both very intelligent young men and understand this. I’m excited to see what they can do.

“From a program standpoint, it’s very rare to have two Division I athletes on the same team and same class. It brings an extra confidence to the team along with a standard in which we practice and expectations for the season. It will be fun to watch this entire group play and grow together.”

Weber will be among the team’s offensive leaders along with Scheri, Sanchez and Aidan Van Duzer.

“We are a young team when you look at varsity innings,” Glupczynski said. “I feel we will need to learn how to make adjustments as varsity hitters, but I have confidence that we can get that done.

“I see us being a team that will be able to score runs multiple ways. I think we do have some guys with power in the lineup. We also have high average guys, small ball guys and overall good team speed. My hope is we can win any type of game we encounter.” Sanchez will be the ace of the pitching staff, while Lane, Caden Valenzuela and Dalton Znaniecki will log innings as well.

Sanchez also will see time in the infield, while Lane and Valenzuela can also play in the infield or outfield.

Weber will play catcher, Scheri will man an infield position and Van Duzer will see time in the infield and at catcher.

“I expect our defense to be solid,” Glupczynski said. “The players are putting a ton of time in their drill work and fungo reps.”

The Cavaliers are looking to win their first regional championship since 2013.

“(Our goals are to) embrace the process, come in everyday to work hard and get better,” Glupczynski said. “Wins and losses will take care of themselves.”