Baseball: Here’s what stood out on diamond this spring in Sauk Valley

The 2023 high school baseball season had its share of surprises and exciting moments in the Sauk Valley Media coverage area. The Newman Comets reached the state tournament for the first time in program history, and the Dixon Dukes won their fourth straight Big Northern Conference championship, among other things.

Here are five impressions from this spring:

Newman makes history

The Newman Comets authored the final chapter of the best season in program history on June 3. With a 6-2 win over the Goreville Blackcats at Dozer Park in Peoria, the Comets won the Class 1A state third-place game, finishing 23-9 overall. With a 3-2 win over Chicago Hope in the supersectional, they punched their ticket to state.

Newman had been on the verge of its first state tournament berth in each of the past two seasons, but fell in the supersectional game at Rivets Stadium both times. The third time in the Elite 8 proved to be the charm for the Comets in their quest to reach the state tournament.

Brendan Tunink’s monster season for the Comets

Junior center fielder/pitcher Brendan Tunink had a tremendous third season of high school baseball. The Notre Dame commit was instrumental in the Comets’ run to a third-place finish at state, anchoring the middle of a potent lineup between seniors Kyle Wolfe, Jaesen Johns and Nolan Britt.

This season, he had two streaks of home runs in consecutive games of six games and four games. He finished the season with 18 home runs, 50 RBIs and 52 runs, while posting a batting average of .488.

In the 10-7 sectional championship win over Dakota, he homered three times in his first three at-bats, driving in six runs. In the third-place game at state, he crushed a three-run home run in the sixth inning to finish off Goreville. Tunink was an ace on the mound all year, including in the season finale against Goreville, where he pitched four scoreless innings before his pitch count was reached.

Tunink recorded 104 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched, and posted a 1.00 ERA and 10-0 record on the mound as an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association first-team all-state selection for the second straight year.

Dixon four-peats as BNC champ, looks ready to defend title in 2024

The Dixon Dukes were led by a big group of juniors this year – many of whom were first-year varsity starters – but that didn’t stop them from winning their fourth straight Big Northern Conference championship.

And Dixon appears ready to run it back in 2024, as it loses just two starters – first baseman Quentin Seggebruch and third baseman Kyan Adkins – and five seniors total from this past season. As seniors next year, Alex Harrison, Bryce Feit and James Leslie should maintain a solid pitching staff.

Sterling surprises in postseason

The Sterling Golden Warriors didn’t have the season they hoped for in 2023, but their finish was better than many had anticipated. In the Class 3A Rochelle Regional quarterfinal, they erased a six-run deficit and beat host Rochelle 13-10. Sophomore Drew Nettleton had a huge game at the plate to spark the comeback, finishing 5 for 5 with five RBIs.

The Golden Warriors also avenged 12-1 and 9-2 regular-season losses to Freeport in the Class 3A Rochelle Regional semifinal, fending off a sixth-inning, game-tying rally to win 4-3. Their seventh-inning gamble to score the winning run paid off, as senior Gio Cantu avoided being tagged out in a rundown between first and second base, and senior Ayden Schoon stole home for the go-ahead run.

Rock Falls returning solid core for 2024

The Rock Falls Rockets will say goodbye to five senior starters from this season: top pitcher Brady Richards, second baseman Aaron Meenen, outfielder Victor Rivera, catcher Isaiah Kobbeman and outfielder Brady Dowd. But in 2024, they’ll return a handful of core players who hope to build on this year’s run to the regional final.

Pitcher Carter Schueler, outfielder Austin Castaneda, shortstop Timmy Heald, pitcher/infielder/outfielder Gavin Sands and catcher Cadon Schulz should be back in the mix as the Rockets look to continue their improvement.