Patrick McGavin – Page 30

Two lefty pitchers. Mirror images. Benet’s Max Babich and Neuqua Valley’s Danny Smid battle to quintessential draw: ‘It’s always fun.’

April 6, 2022 at 6:36 p.m.

Benet senior Max Babich personifies the crazy up-and-down emotions a pitcher typically encounters. During a game where every pitch has a potential consequence or meaning, Babich knows the beauty of...

Metea Valley's Aidan Wagner, left, looks on as Waubonsie Valley's Ryan DiGrazia celebrates on second base after hitting a two-RBI double during a DuPage Valley Conference game on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.

Metea Valley’s Aidan Wagner makes no bones about it. He’s a leadoff hitter. ‘I like that role — being the one who gets the offense going.’

April 7, 2022 at 10:59 p.m.

Metea Valley senior Aidan Wagner gets a special kick from the immediacy of baseball. In a game marked by ritual and tradition, Wagner responds to the visceral thrill of the...

Naperville Central's Katie Dalton (11) and Metea Valley's Jordan Lange, right, go after the ball during a DuPage Valley Conference game in Aurora on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

Jordan Lange strikes again. Her goal lifts Metea Valley to Wheaton North Kickoff Classic title. And there’s more. ‘Good or bad, I just played.’

April 4, 2022 at 1:40 p.m.

Metea Valley junior Jordan Lange loves to get lost in the moment. Every sport has its quiet time, but soccer stands apart because scoring is rare. The structure of the...

St. Charles East's McKenna Gahagan (20) works to keep the ball away from Naperville North's Rachael Noren (21) during a nonconference game in St. Charles on Monday, March 21, 2022.

Patrick Z. McGavin’s Beacon-News/Courier-News girls soccer rankings and player of the week for Tuesday, April 5, 2022

April 4, 2022 at 11:58 a.m.

Top 10 With records through Sunday and previous rankings in parentheses. 1. St. Charles North 5-0 (1) 2. Metea Valley 4-0-1 (3) 3. St. Charles East 5-2 (2) 4. Oswego...

Mount Carmel's Colin Horneman is all smiles as he rounds third base on an inside-the-park home run against Bremen during a nonconference game at Chicago State on Friday, April 1, 2022.

A field day: Jorgie Vazquez goes 3-for-4 with a double, triple and 6 RBIs as Mount Carmel routs Bremen at Chicago State.

April 1, 2022 at 10:17 p.m.

Mount Carmel's Jorgie Vazquez saw the wide-open spaces. There's an old saying in boxing — styles make fights. In baseball, fields influence styles, especially a field wide and deep, where...

Peter Messina came out of nowhere last spring for Benet. What does he have planned for an encore? ‘I know this is the end of it.’

April 1, 2022 at 5:47 p.m.

Peter Messina has turned into the ultimate man of mystery for Benet. Two years ago, the loss of the spring sports season upended all the traditional bench marks of measuring...

‘There’s pressure on me, but I love it’: Harrison Cordeiro takes over as No. 1 pitcher for Naperville North.

March 31, 2022 at 2:17 p.m.

Naperville North's Harrison Cordeiro is never afraid to put it all on the line. It comes with the territory of being the No. 1 pitcher, who typically need that confidence...

Griffin Sleyko says he doesn’t have a style for Oswego East ‘but my stuff moves.’ It led to nine strikeouts in his varsity debut.

March 31, 2022 at 1:35 p.m.

Being known as the third wheel is no slight against Oswego East's Griffin Sleyko. Playing behind two Division I pitching recruits, the junior right-hander is ready to prove his value...

Colin Barczi of 2021 is a hard act to follow. But Naperville Central’s junior catcher has more on his plate this season. ‘My role has definitely changed.’

March 29, 2022 at 1:57 p.m.

Naperville Central catcher Colin Barczi is ready for his encore. The Vanderbilt recruit made a spectacular varsity debut last year, when he was named the DuPage Valley Conference MVP. But...

Calling on Colin: Lewandowski, a defensive stabilizer at shortstop, looks to be a big hit for Neuqua Valley. ‘He put in the work.’

March 24, 2022 at 11:47 a.m.

Neuqua Valley senior Colin Lewandowski readily acknowledges the strangeness of the situation. Unlike other sports, failure actually is an option in baseball. Statistically speaking, more often than not, it's the...

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