Joliet West’s season-ending 13-0 loss to Marist on Saturday was obviously a disappointing end to the year for the Tigers. No team wants to lose and especially not by that margin.

Still, the Tigers ended the season 24-11-1 after entering the year with modest expectations. They made the Class 4A Stagg Regional championship game and had a lot of things to hang their hats on for the year.

So, what is there to make about Saturday’s regional final loss? While there are fair questions to ask about the future, the aftermath of the contest was all about celebrating those who got them there in the first place.

The Tigers graduate nine seniors who helped the program exceed expectations in 2026. Coach John Karczewski had to fight back tears when discussing what this group of departures have meant to him and Joliet West baseball.

“It doesn’t get any better than these guys,” Karczewski said. “Coach (Tyler) Brown’s been coaching some of these guys since they were 11-years-old. When I needed them to get something done it got done for the last four years. My own personal kids were leaders to these guys and I didn’t have to worry about anything within the program.

“They kept the culture going. It’s a special group of young men and I just told them I don’t know how I’m going to replace them. They’ve left such a huge impact on the program. I can’t even explain how special they are to the Tiger program.”

There was a lot of on-field production from the senior class that will need to be replaced. Sean Hogan (.351 batting average, 23 RBIs), Bobby Malinowski (17 RBIs, 17 runs), and Henry Young (.314, 20 RBIs) were just a few with final years worth remembering.

But the stat lines are far from the only thing any of them will remember.

“It’s hard to put into words what this team has meant to me,” a teary-eyed Malinowski said. “It’s been a ride. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with my friends for 10 years. It’s going to be hard to walk away from baseball. This sport has meant a lot to me and I’m going to miss it.

“(The seniors) have made baseball worth it. The game isn’t just about the game. It’s about the family you make and I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know these guys and making them family.”

As for the future, there will be plenty of pieces to build around. Keagan Schwarting finished the year with a phenomenal 0.47 ERA with 26 hits allowed compared to 65 strikeouts. He got the start Saturday with Karczewski saying, “He threw strikes, (Marist) just hit them.”

Schwarting will be back for another year along with Adrian Chavira, Michael Murphy, Andrew Markun and others. Karczewski said he knows the talent will continue to be there for West, but they’ll need to continue working to reach the sectional tournament for the first time since 2022.

“It’s always going to be a solid program, but we’ve got to get over the hump,” Karczewski said. “It happens with continued work in the weight room and quality work in summer ball. We have to continue to get better.”

“Sometimes it feels like winning 24 games is good, but when you play a quality opponent and you get beat like this? These are the guys you need to be able to beat to play at the next level.”

Malinowski added that he’s confident the group coming back next year will continue to produced as long as they keep their minds right.

“I think they have the right mindset,” Malinowski said. “They just have to remember to keep the glue together. This year we got really close and as long as the underclassmen keep that tradition going I think they’ll be in good shape.”