Lincoln-Way West playing at championship level early: The Herald-News baseball notebook

Last year, Lincoln-Way West had one of the best baseball teams in the state. The Warriors advanced to the sectional finals where they ultimately lost to the eventual state champion Providence Catholic Celtics. Still, they finished with the Herald-News Player of the Year [Conor Essenburg] and plenty of hope for the future.

Fast forward to 2025. The future is now, and man is it bright.

The Warriors have started the season on an 11-game win streak and are outscoring opponents 131-28. They shutout their first three opponents, scored more than 10 runs eight times and won by double-digits five times. Take out a 10-9 victory over Coffee in 10 innings, and Lincoln-Way West has rarely been challenged this season.

Essenburg has been just as excellent as last season, of course. He’s currently batting .583 with 27 RBIs and five home runs and also has struck out 31 batters while only allowing three hits and two runs in 12 innings.

It goes beyond the University of Kentucky commit, however. Lucas Acevedo (.533, 24 runs, eight RBIs), Michael Pettit (.378, 12 RBIs, 18 Ks in 10⅔ innings) and Jackson Mansker (.333, 18 RBIs) have been excellent as well.

The season doesn’t end after 11 games, of course. Last year, the Warriors won their first 23 games before going 3-4 over the next seven. The great start and playoff run ended in the sectional finals. Still, it’s another outstanding beginning for a team with state championship aspirations.

Wild-cats

Following an outstanding 2023 season in which they went 29-8, Plainfield Central went through a rebuilding process last year. That group finished the season 17-17, advancing to the regional finals where they lost to Bradley-Bourbonnais.

Last year’s youth and inexperience is this year’s veteran presence.

The Wildcats won their first seven games of the season with their first loss coming against Providence Catholic, one of the best teams in the state. While the Wildcats are 1-3 in their past four games, the other two losses were against 11-1 Oswego and 12-1 Minooka.

The bat of JT Augustyniak and arm of Ryan Perry have been crucial, but the coaching of Robert Keane has helped this team grow tremendously in a short time.

Cardiac Porters

Give this Lockport team credit for this much, the Porters always know how to keep it interesting.

More often than not, they also know how to get the victory.

Of the Porters’ nine wins this season, three have come by one score. Two others have come by a two-run margin, with a 7-0 victory over Yorkville to start the season their most lopsided win.

Still, the Porters are 9-3 and riding a three-game winning streak. Logan Nagle (.478, seven RBIs) and Anthony Farina (15 Ks in 13⅔ innings, 2.05 ERA) have been big reasons for the Porters’ success.

The season is far from over, but Lockport is in a good position at the moment.

Mighty Minooka

Minooka had a three-run lead entering the final two innings of the WJOL championship game against Providence Catholic. The Indians wound up losing by eight.

While it was a disappointing loss, and one that likely exposed some long term concerns, the results before that game and after cannot be denied.

The Indians won their first seven games of the season before the Providence contest. Since then, they’ve won five straight, outscoring their opponents 37-16. They’ve outpaced their competition 95-41 on the season.

It’s been a lot of the usual suspects for the Indians. Michigan State commit Zane Caves has been outstanding on the mound, Illinois State commit Brayden Zilis has been dominant at the plate, and Michigan State commit CJ Deckinga has been excellent at both.

The Indians still have work to do, as the WJOL title game showed. However, they’ve responded to a tough loss exactly how you expect a Jeff Petrovic-coached team to respond.