Baseball Bulldogs bring back wealth of experience from title team

For long-time Highland High baseball coach Joel Hawkins, it is hard to explain how to follow up last season’s unexpected season-ending seven-game winning streak that culminated in the program’s second Class 3A state championship.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know how that happened, but it was really something,” Hawkins said. “We finished the regular season with four losses in a row, and we had a period in there where we lost eight of nine. All of that was building them for that little special couple of week period… This was completely different than the last (state title) run (in 2008), because with the last run everybody knew what we were after. But with this one, each step up along the way, we’re watching these teams going, ‘I think we can compete with these guys, and I think we can win this game.’ ”

Fast forward to this season, Hawkins is happy to boast a wealth of experience from last year’s team for this season’s campaign, despite losing a handful of top-notch players to graduation, including the three pitchers, Grant Geppert (Olney Central College), Tyler Kimmle and Pete Baumgartner, as well as shortstop Cody Bentlage and catcher Matt Augustin. Augustin is going to help out as a volunteer coach this spring, when he is home from the University of Kentucky.

The large group of returners includes the biggest group of seniors since Hawkins took over as the head of the program in the spring of 1992.

“We lost five wonderful kids, and all five of those kids were key contributors,” said Hawkins, whose team opens on Monday by hosting Carmel Catholic from Mundelein. “We lost the three arms that carried us through that whole nonsense, and we lost our starting catcher, and Cody Bentlage played the best shortstop of his life for the last three weeks. But I have never had a group of seniors this big. I have been around a long time, and I have never had a group in double digits. I think we have 13 seniors and six juniors, so we have great experience.”

CALL TO ARMS

But the biggest question mark will be pitching, although there is a huge assortment of arms to choose from. There is an upward of a dozen hurlers fighting to take the ball this spring.

“We have like 10, 12 guys who want to grab the ball and get out there,” Hawkins said. “To me, the biggest question is how well we will pitch. (Pitching coach) Sam (Weber) and I are talking all weekend and into the wee hours about which guy where and how we are going to do it, because we see some good things. We’re going to see a lot of these guys in the first few weeks. We’re going to have some wild auditions for these guys.

“The big questions are: Are we going to get the ball over? Can we miss any bats? Can we mishit on the bats? Those are the questions.”

Two pitchers who have really caught the eye of Hawkins and Weber are seniors Chris Dickman and Mike McGill.

“They have got great arms,” Hawkins said. “Chris’ arm is really something, and he’s got our best arm right now. He threw last summer and did very well, and we’re really interested to see how it all works out.”

Senior right-handers Jordan Smith and Sam Greene got some good experience last season, with Smith compiling more than 31  1/3 innings and Greene going 25  2/3 , including Greene throwing 2  2/3 big innings in the final two games of the year at the IHSA Class 3A State Baseball Tournament in Joliet.

“He shouldn’t spook, because he has been where the nerves are the most rattled,” Hawkins said of Greene.

Hawkins said Dickman, Greene and fellow senior Matt Beyer are battling for the No. 1 spot in the rotation. Beyer is healthy after gaining varsity experience before suffering an injury that ultimately sidelined him.

Other quality options to see work on the mound this spring who can provide fits for opposing hitters are left-handers Jimmie Smith, a senior, and Connor Pinsker, a sophomore, as well as right-handers Kyle Schmitt, a senior, Steven Diaz, a junior, Jake Ramsey, a junior, Montana Gilbert, a junior, and Garrett Marti, a sophomore.

INFIELD

There are four good candidates to replace Augustin behind the plate in seniors Greene and Austin Brown, as well as juniors Brett Brown and Braden Rehkemper.

“I think that’s going to be kind of open,” Hawkins said. “We have four kids at the position, and I’m a glad we do, because with all of the pitchers that we have, they are always busy.”

Hawkins admitted that it will be extremely difficult for Greene to be the everyday catcher, considering his pitching duties.

Vying for first base are Jordan Smith and fellow senior Trent Carriger.

“They have been around, and they are very experienced, and they are both ready to go,” Hawkins said. “So, we’re going to let them kind of battle it out at first base.”

Senior Tyler Pollard has the inside track to take over at second base.

“He has trimmed up and looks really good,” Hawkins said. “He worked really hard this offseason. He is a brilliant kid, and that really helps and makes him even better.”

Sophomore Brock Troxell is a speedster who also can play second.

“You will see a lot of Brock, because I am ready to get him out there and see what he can do on the bases.” Hawkins said. “He is a real scrappy young man.”

Competing at shortstop are seniors McGill and Seth Luitjohan, who did a good job taking over at second base the second half of last season.

Senior Griffin Welz returns to again man the hot corner at third base.

In addition, Gilbert is in the mix at shortstop and third base.

OUTFIELD

Senior Will Greenwald returns to again showcase his speed in center field chasing fly balls down in the gaps. He is also the prototypical leadoff hitter. Last year, Greenwald batted .333 and ranked first in stolen bases (42) and second with 36 runs scored, which was just one behind Geppert’s team-leading total.

Fellow senior speedster Andrew Winning is still rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered during the football season. He hopes to be ready in four to six weeks. One year ago, Winning hit .a team-high .426 to go with nine doubles, one home run, 26 RBIs and 17 runs.

Jimmie Smith also brings good experience in the outfield.

Also looking good in the early going in the outfield are Diaz and Marti.

BATTLE OF THE BULLDOGS

The chase for the Mississippi Valley Conference championship could very likely come down to the battle of the Bulldogs, Highland and Waterloo.

“The team is Waterloo. They are loaded,” Hawkins said. “They have two No. 1s (Aaron Laskowski and Noah Thaggard) and the McFarland kid. They are going to be the consensus pick in the conference, but I like our chances, too.”

Jordan McFarland is a senior standout transfer from Waterloo Gibault. This past winter, McFarland was named the National 17-under Player of the Year and an All-American by Perfect Game USA.

McFarland, who has good size at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, is an outfielder who signed with the University of Arkansas in November. He was the only player from Illinois on the Perfect Game All-American team and is considered a potential high draft pick among national high school seniors.

On the bump last spring as juniors, Laskowski went 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA while Thaggard was 5-3 with a 3.04 ERA.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 3:30 AM with the headline "Baseball Bulldogs bring back wealth of experience from title team."