Warriors, Wave primed for playoffs

WC seeks third consecutive regional crown

May 18, 2009By ERIK JACOBSEN ejacobsen@scn1.com Black Text

With successful regular seasons in the books, expectations are sky high for Westminster Christian and St. Edward as they open postseason play this week. Not only will the Warriors be playing at home in the Westminster Christian Class 1A Regional, but they are also the hottest team in the area with 13 straight wins. Conventional wisdom said Westminster would take a step back this season after losing four All-Area team members to graduation last year. That hasn't been the case, though, as a squad filled with new faces has the program in position for another playoff run.The program claimed a regional title last year and advanced Downstate in 2007, finishing with 25 wins in both campaigns. This year's team has already reached that 25-win plateau and can set a school record for victories in a season with its next triumph."(The success) just speaks really highly of the program," Westminster coach Jeff Moeller said. "I think these guys realized last year's senior class got us to where we are, but they want to keep the program going. They've really stepped up and left their own mark."  Westminster (25-7) will play Thursday in a regional semifinal against either No. 3 North Shore Country Day or No. 6 St. Gregory, who meet in a quarterfinal today. All signs point to a third straight regional title showdown between the Warriors and Alden-Hebron.  Westminster beat the Giants in regional championship games each of the past two years, but extending that streak won't be easy. Alden-Hebron (19-3) will likely be able to save senior ace Mark Winkelman for a potential showdown in Saturday's final, with the winner advancing to the Lena-Winslow Sectional.  Westminster can counter with some formidable pitching of its own. Senior Brandon Siewert is the ace of the staff, but senior Steve Berglund and freshmen Kevin Elder and Ryan Perez have also held their own against a schedule filled with noteworthy opponents. Westminster's pitching staff has only one complete game this season, meaning fatigue shouldn't be a cause for concern going forward. "The guys are fresh, healthy and ready to go," Moeller said. "Our hitting is on and our guys are picking each other up. It's pretty exciting how these guys have stepped up."

St. Edward is the No. 3 seed going into the Driscoll Class 2A Regional. The Green Wave takes on No. 2 Harvard in the semifinals Thursday. At 15-12, St. Edward is assured its first winning season since 2005. The goal is now to match that 2005 team's accomplishments by claiming a regional title and advancing to the sectional, which is also hosted by Driscoll.The Wave will be put to test against Harvard (17-9), which finished second in the Big Northern Conference East Division. The winner will likely face No. 1 Driscoll in the championship game. St. Edward split its two Suburban Catholic Conference meetings with the Highlanders this season.The Wave will likely start either senior Jim Fraczek or senior Mike Kondrath in the opener, with the hope of saving senior ace Riley Coleman for the championship game. A wealth of pitching options combined with a balanced offensive attack led by juniors T.J. Madzy, Jon Godfrey and David Hoebbel give coach Gene Belmonte plenty of reason for optimism."We certainly have high hopes and high expectations," Belmonte said. "We would love to win this regional and get on to the sectional because we think we can compete with the teams we could meet in the sectional."

Elsewhere, Genoa-Kingston (6-16) is the No. 4 seed in the Stillman Valley Class 2A Regional. The Cogs take on No. 5 Oregon today. G-K beat the Hawks twice during the regular season, including a 5-4 triumph last week.The winner advances to play top-seeded Stillman Valley on Wednesday. The regional champion moves on to the Mendota Sectional.