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38 | March 16, 2017 | The glenview lantern sports glenviewlantern.com Coach Talk Making the Irish green with envy Jon ‘Coach’ Cohn Contributing Columnist Glenview Resident We have entered full-scale St. Patrick’s Day celebration mode here in Glenview. “The luck of the Irish” talk is making everybody “green with envy” while we celebrate the good times with family, friends and our favorite beer mug (not necessarily in that order, by the way). But with all due respect to our good friends from the land of green rolling hills, great music and better beer, we here in Glenview have plenty to be thankful and envious for, as well. So let’s take look at some things that might make people that don’t live here just a little bit green with envy. To start, how about our state-of-the-art Park Center recreational facility? More than 20 years old and still going strong, the facility has swimming pools, fitness areas, basketball courts and enough meeting rooms to host a convention on meeting rooms. Twenty years ago, the Park Center was just a concept on a drawing board as part of the new Glen building project. Now, years later, it has become a major success and great boon to the community. How about our Glenview swim program? Talk about making other communities envious. From the great Learn to Swim program to the Glenview Titan Athletic Club to Glenbrook South’s top-notch swim team, this network of programs consistently produces some of the best teams in the state. Shining lights like recent Olympian Olivia Smoliga and current senior Sam Iida, who swam the fastest 200-yard freestyle in the storied history of the state of Illinois, are but two examples of Glenview’s swimming prowess. Golfers? Glenview’s got you covered here, as well. A championship-level golf course at The Glen, combined with a brand spanking new, if not completely revitalized, 18-hole Park District course, make us the envy of many surrounding towns and the golfers that live there. Our skaters and hockey enthusiasts take a back seat to no one. While the need for more rink space is clear, if you talk quality not quantity, Glenview is right there near the top. From awardwinning figure skating programs to house league hockey to the Glenview Stars travel teams, our Landwehr Avenue-based ice rink is busy and active. Finally, and this is just a sampling, you have got sport and recreational offerings here that truly span the sports globe. Pickleball, lacrosse, judo, karate, tennis, dance, yoga, basketball, baseball, soccer, flag football and volleyball — just to name more than a few. In fact, the only thing we’re missing is bowling. Anyone for a bowling alley in downtown Glenview? So remember as we responsibly celebrate St. Patrick’s Day that the Irish are known for their good luck and good fortunate, but we here in Glenview can stand pretty proud, as well. In fact, we could even play around a bit and turn an old Irish proverb into one of our very own. “There are only two kinds of people in the world, those from Glenview and those who wish they were.” Happy St. Patty’s Day, everybody! Cohn has a new book published called “Stuff People Might Want To Know,” available at Amazon.com or any local bookstores. He can be reached at jcsportsandtees@ aol.com. ON THE PLUS SIDE Get coverage of Glenview you can’t and won’t find anywhere else. Subscribe to The Glenview Lantern’s digital program to get your news faster and on any device. GlenviewLantern.com/Online The web product of THE <strong>GL</strong>ENVIEW LANTERN
glenviewlantern.com sports the glenview lantern | March 16, 2017 | 39 Baseball Stanicek seeks redemption in new season Sarah Haider Assistant Editor Coach Steve Stanicek isn’t satisfied with how Glenbrook South ended the 2016 season. Although the Titans finished third in the Central Suburban League with a 12-17 record, they lost in the regional semifinal, 5-3, to Stevenson. “We have to be better finishers,” Stanicek said. “Last year, we had 17 losses and we lost nine games by one run. A lot of that was at the end of games, whether it was pitching one day, bad defense the next or [the inability] to come up with a big hit the following day.” Throughout winter conditioning and indoor practices, the Titans have kept last year’s shortcomings at the forefront of their minds. Stanicek and his players are focusing on keeping a positive attitude while constantly pushing themselves for improvement, whether they’re swinging for the metaphorical fences in the batting cages or taking another rep in the weight room. The coach hopes that this endurance training will propel the team toward its biggest goal of the season — 21 outs. “The general philosophy we are spending a lot of time on is getting 21 outs as fast as we can,” Stanicek said. “That was probably our biggest issue last year. We would have leads, then we might make an error, which was followed by a walk and one base hit, and then it’s two runs. That was our Achilles’ heel last year.” Senior catcher Jeff Mitchell, who saw action as a designated hitter and catcher on varsity last year, is one of 10 seniors who will fill leadership roles on a young and relatively inexperienced roster. Stanicek hopes his players will continue to nurture the determination and leadership that has been present early in the season. “We might go through a few growing pains at the beginning of the season, but I think it’s going to help us in the long run,” Stanicek said. “Our younger kids are very talented. It’s just getting them used to the pace of varsity play, [but] I think that will come with time.” Mitchell, as well as pitchers Brett Borre, Cam Pauly and outfielder Jacob Smiley, will team up with a group of newcomers who are already acclimating to the pace of varsity baseball, according to Stanicek. The rising newcomers include infielder/ pitcher Jacob Newman, infielder Mike Snow and outfielder Connor Nash. “I’m hoping that due to our youth we are able to play [on] that ... and hopefully really make kids excited for the season,” Mitchell said. “I wouldn’t say it put uncertainty into everyone, but because of the fact no one really knows what is set in stone for each player, hopefully everyone will be trying to fight for each position, which will cause a lot of competition in our practices and make us better.” According to Stanicek, New Trier and Evanston will be the teams to beat in the CSL South. But Mitchell believes the Titans posses the right personnel for the job. “I would say the strength we have this year is definitely depth,” he said. “We have a lot of great players that can really fill in wherever we need them to, so that’s pretty helpful. We have a lot of good arms pitching-wise, but with baseball [it’s] definitely about putting the [pieces] together.” Baseball Experienced Ramblers look to make noise Fouad Egbaria Contributing Editor Loyola Academy baseball coach Nick Bridich, entering his fifth year leading the Ramblers, feels pretty good about the team he has coming back this season. “This is probably the most experienced club we’ve had from a positionplayer standpoint,” he said. The Ramblers, whose 2016 season ended in a 7-2 regional final loss against Elk Grove Village, lost several standouts, including outfielder Liam McKeough, third baseman Thomas Smart, second baseman Jack Lombardi, and pitchers Kevin Knapp, David Blankenship and Thomas Giella. Loyola has to find replacements for those class of 2016 arms, but, in the field, they’re loaded with experience. At first base, junior Jason Vrbancic will “without a doubt” hit in the middle of the order for the Ramblers. “He’s a talented offensive player and is definitely a player that will get time at the next level,” Bridich said. “He is just starting his varsity career here but he is one of the more advanced offensive players that I’ve coached.” At second base, senior Danny O’Brien, whom Bridich praised for his defensive skills, will step into a full-time role this year. Pairing with O’Brien in the middle infield is shortstop Ryan Lin-Peistrup, a University of Illinois-Chicago commit. In 2016, Lin-Peistrup batted .298 and tallied a teamhigh 31 RBI. “He’s a physical player, he can run, he can hit, he can throw,” Bridich said. “He is without a doubt one of the premier shortstops in the area.” Senior Jack Blindt, a University of St. Thomas commit, rounds out the infield at third base. At catcher, senior captain Brian Vance, a Saint Joseph’s University commit, returns behind the plate “Brian is as good a defensive catcher as you’re going to find, maybe in the state of Illinois,” Bridich said. In the outfield, captain and three-year starter Sean Tully, a DePauw University commit, will man center field. He’ll be joined in the outfield by Drew Bartholow, an Emory University commit. Last season, Bartholow really raked, hitting .347 with 30 RBI. Rounding out the outfield will be a mix of juniors, including Will Jackson, Trey Torein and Henry Haracz. On the mound, however, is where the Ramblers will need to find some answers, particularly with the losses of Knapp, Blankenship and Giella. While new guys will be taking up most of the innings this season, they won’t be “new faces,” Bridich said. “I really like our pitching staff,” he said. “Even though there’s some ‘inexperience’ there with throwing varsity innings, I think this is a really mature group and [they’re] guys who have worked tremendously hard and are ready.” Senior right-hander Rich Campbell will feature heavily after having injury issues as a junior. Senior right-hander John O’Flaherty and left-hander Chris Toomey — whom Bridich called “unconventional” in his motion — will also be in the mix for the Ramblers. Jackson, a junior who will also play the outfield, also figures to get the ball on the mound. Similarly, fellow junior Haracz will pitch. “[Haracz] is a strikethrower and a quality strike-thrower and will just kind of come at you and challenge you,” Bridich said. Right-hander Chris Heywood, who is also in the infield mix, will get innings, as will left-hander P.J. McKermitt. In relief, junior righthander Ben Wagner and right-hander Nolan Graf will spell the starters in late innings. As a fifth-year coach, Bridich said he and his team are focused on getting better each day. “We don’t really focus on the wins and losses, we try to take that out of it,” he said. “Our job is to be in the moment and find a way to improve every day. ... We truly try to keep it right there.” Loyola opens its season against St. Patrick on Saturday, March 18, at Munz Campus in Glenview.
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