Porter Baseball Newsletter Issue 15- FINAL...

Porter Baseball Newsletter Issue 15- FINAL REGULAR SEASON 2014

PPOORRTTEERR BBAASSEEBBAALLLL

PORTERS GR1ND TO THE FINISH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, LONGEST GAME IN TEAM

HISTORY AMONG HIGHLIGHTS

The above was the theme for

the 2014 for the Porters. As it

turned out that is exactly what

the team had to do throughout

this roller coaster of a season

that ended with the Porters being

defeated by Providence by a

score of 4-2 in the Lockport

Regional.

The Porters ended with an

over-all record of 19-17 that saw

them play 17 games decided by

2 or less runs. Their record in

those games was 7-10 and 6 of

those losses were by 1 run.

Offense (.241 BA) was hard to

come by at times causing the

Porters to have to “grind” out

runs. Their pitching (ERA 1.66)

and defense (.941 %) carried the

Porters throughout the season.

Of their 26 opponents 12 were

seeded 1 /2 in their sectional, 8

were ranked in the top 25 and 3

in the top 5 showing the tough

schedule that is always a hall-

mark of Porter baseball. Thru it

all the team played hard, with

enthusiasm and showed their

character. It was an all around out-

standing TEAM effort by every-

one.

Two on the field highlights stand

out in particular. The Porters won

the SWSC Blue Conference title in

dramatic fashion with a 12-2

record. Heading into the last 2

games with L-Way East, the Por-

ters knew that they had to win

both games to get at least a share

of the title. With typical hard

work and effort, the Porters

defeated the Griffins in both

games. That, coupled with a

Sandburg loss, earned the Porters

their 4th consecutive conference

title and 29th in program history. 5

Porters earned All SWSC honors;

Mike Formella, Rusty Hoh, Noah

Masa, Tyler Hair and Lorenzo

Blaze-kovich.

A part of this conference ac-

complishment was the 2nd

high-

light of the season. The Porters

were 13-15 heading into the con-

ference showdown with undefeat-

ed Sandburg. Despite a below

.500 season record, the Porters

No. 11- Season 2014 Highlights Inside

Farm Report

A complete rundown of how the lower

level seasons went and category leaders

Also inside:

*Porter News Odds & Ends……..pg 6

*Booster Club News & 2014 Golf Outing……pg. 10

*Another Look at the Record Book…. pg. 12

Continued on page 11

2

3

4-5

7

Coaches Corner

In this issue Assistant Varsity Coach

Adam Decaire talks about his Leader-

ship Council program for Porter

baseball.

Alumni Review

Instead of a close look at one or two of

our alumni, we will give a complete

rundown of all alumni and how their

2014 season went.

Senior Moments

This issue will take a at all of the

seniors from the 2014 team and

some of their reflections of the

season and of their careers here at

LTHS.

A Season in Pictures

We chose a few pictures that show

the efforts both on and off the field

that reflect the community spirit of

the 2014 Porters.

8-9

BOOSTER GOLF OUTING

Fri., July 11th

…Big Run G.C…………... 1:30 pm

IHSBCA SUMMER REGIONAL TOURN.

July 14th

-July17th

….Flink Field……...Times TBA

PORTER BASEBALL ACADEMY

July 16th

- July 18th

.… Flink Field …8:00- 9:30 am

SHOWCASE/ID CAMP

July 29th

–July 30th

... Flink Field....8:00-11:00 am

PORTER BASEBALL YOUTH CAMP June 9

th thru June 12

th..9am-12…….... Flink Field

BATTLE OF OMAHA 19U TOURNAMENT June 17

th thru June 19

th ….…. Omaha, Nebraska

LOCKPORT PORTERS SUMMER SHOWCASE

June 23-June 25……………………...Flink Field

PORTER WOOD BAT CLASSIC TOURN. July 7

th-July 9

th...Flink F. ...Times Check Website

Special Events of Note

1


The Sophomore Porters finished with a 25-6 record. The sophomores were also co-champions of the SWSC

Blue Conference with a 12-2 record. Coaches Dan Blaskovitz, Tim Harmatys, Jeff Robinson and Curtis

Fournier and all of the sophomores are to be congratulated on a great season.

They finished with a team batting avg. of .345 and had 286 hits, 50 of which (44-2B, 3-3B, 3-HR) went for

extra bases. From the mound, the team had an ERA of 1.59 and a 143-85 strikeouts to walks ratio. Fielding,

the team had a % of .942. Here is a look at some of the leaders based on available GameChanger statistics.

Bat. Avg.(50+ AB) Hits Runs Scored RBI Stolen Bases 1. C. Van Lonkhuyzen (.415) 1. C. Van Lonkhuyzen (39) 1. Stephen Hill (31) 1. Stephen Hill (27) 1. Mike Pattison (18)

2. Stephen Hill (.400) 2. Stephen Hill (38) 2. Mike Pattison (26) 2. C. Van Lonkhuyzen (20) 2. C. Van Lonkhuyzen (16)

3. Joe McGuire (.397) 3. Mike Pattison (29) 3. C. Van Lonkhuyzen (22) 3. J. Huber/N. Vella (18) 3. Jake Huber (9)

Wins ERA(15+IP) Strikeouts Putouts Assists 1. Mike Stevens (7) 1. C. Kozubowski (0.43) 1. Dylan Barthel (33) 1. Nick Vella (118) 1. Jake Huber (50)

2. Joe Witek (5) 2. Mike Stevens (1.14) 2. Mike Stevens (26) 2. Joe McGuire (97) 2. Stephen Hill (38)

3. Dylan Barthel (4) 3. Joe Witek (1.11) 3. Justin Czech (23) 3. Jake Huber (52) 2. Josh Martinez (19)

The Freshman Porters Maroon team finished the season 18-10. The Maroon squad had a team batting avg. of .273

and had 208 hits. From the mound, the team had an ERA of 2.66 and 200-88 strikeouts to walks ratio.

Fielding, the team had a % of .930.

The Freshman Porters White team finished with a 7-5 record. Their team batting avg. was .313 with 56 hits.

The team ERA was an excellent 2.12 including a 33-23 strikeout to walk ratio. Their team fielding pct. was

.896. Coaches Doug Chesna, Brandan Morrone, Tanner Libby and Mike Smith and all of the frosh did an outstanding job and

are to be congratulated. Here is a look at some of the leaders based on available GameChanger statistics.

Bat. Avg.(30+ AB) Hits Runs Scored RBI Stolen Bases 1. Matt Harder (.371) 1. M. Harder/J. Baker (23) 1. Jake Suchor (21) 1. Gavin Lovesky (13) 1. Jake Suchor (15)

2. Josh Baker (.348) 2. Jake Suchor (21) 2. M. Harder

E. Jungheim (18

2. Matt Harder (12) 2. Eric Jungheim (13)

3. Nick Strysik (.346) 3. Gavin Lovesky (18) 3. Gavin Lovesky (16) 3. Kevin Davis (10) 3. Matt Harder (11)

4. Brent McDowell (.327) 4. Brent McDowell (17) 4. Josh Baker (15) 4. J. Baker/B. McDowell 4. Gavin Lovesky (8)

5. Jake Suchor (.300) 5. Nick Strysik (13) 5. Brent McDowell (12) J. Suchor/N. Strysik (9) 5. Brent McDowell (6)

Extra-Base Hits Innings Pitched ERA(10+IP) Strikeouts Putouts 1. Josh Baker (10) 1. Ben Davis (47.0) 1. Ben Davis (0.74) 1. Ben Davis (55) 1. Nick Strysik (109)

2. Gavin Lovesky (7) 2. Tom Shields (29.0) 2. Matt Harder (1.25) 2. Jake Suchor (38) 2. Kevin Davis (60

3. Brent McDowell 3. Jake Suchor (27.2) 3. Josh Baker (1.40) 3. Matt Harder (20) 3. Gavin Lovesky (58)

Jake Suchor 4. Matt Harder (22.1) 4. Drew Flanagan (1.97) 4. Josh Baker (18) 4. Brent McDowell (43)

Nick Strysik (5) 5. David Mikolajczak (21.1) 5. Aaron Dittmer (2.47) 5. Tom Shields (15) 5. Josh Baker (39)

Congratulations to all players for their hard work, dedication and commitment.

FFaarrmm RReeppoorrtt…….LLoowweerr LLeevveell NNeewwss Porter Sophomores

Porter Freshmen Maroon & White

2


Adam Decaire

Speed/Conditioning Coach

Lockport Porters Varsity

CCooaacchheess CCoorrnneerr:: LLeeaaddeerrsshhiipp?? PPoorrtteerrss TTaakkee IItt ttoo tthhee CCllaassssrroooomm “BAM! POW! BAM & POW!!

ALLLLLLL DAY!!!” These were

some of the sounds that may have been

heard from the Porters dugout this

season. As you can imagine, the 2014

Lockport Porters were a group made

up of a lot of different personalities.

Finding a way to balance all of their

energy and enthusiasm for the game of

baseball with their skill set would be

the key to a successful season, but was

no easy task for the coaching staff.

Always looking to improve the

baseball program, Coach Satunas

presented me with the opportunity to

develop a leadership curriculum that

would build upon the Leadership

Council we started last season on the

varsity level. We wanted to continue to

grow our senior leaders, but at the

same time wanted to include the lower

levels so that they could begin to

develop these important characteristics

early and continue to build on them

throughout their tenure in the program.

Six players per level were chosen

by their coaches and teammates to

represent their team. All players were

then assigned to represent one of the

PORTERS core values: Pride,

Opportunity, Respect, Teamwork,

Enthusiasm, Reliable, Self-Reliable.

The Leadership Council would

meet every Friday morning in my

classroom and to reward them for

waking up early, I would treat them to

donuts, chocolate milk, and orange

juice (I think this is the only reason

they continued to come). Each week,

one of the teams would present a

selected chapter of Brian Cain’s book

on leadership. The kids incorporated

engaging video clips, quotes,

discussions, and one freshman even

quizzed the council on their knowledge

of history!

After the kids would

present, I would lead them through

some of the leadership curriculum I

had developed. I really wanted to

focus on teaching our players the

importance of building confidence

in themselves as leaders on the

baseball field, in the classroom, and

most importantly, later on in their

lives after baseball.

Studies have classified

multiple styles of leadership

ranging from those that lead by

their words all the way to the silent

leaders who lead by example. Many

of the freshmen did not mutter a

word the first couple of weeks, but

by the end some of them were more

open than the seniors! It was truly

remarkable to watch these 18 young

men grow up over the seven weeks

we met. I made it a point the first

meeting with only the seniors that

this was their chance to put their

stamp on the 2014 Leadership

Council and help shape their future

Porter brothers in years to come.

I am big on visuals and

motivational/inspirational quotes so

I used a variety of these sources to

lead our meetings. One of the

quotes that has really stuck with me

in my five years of coaching high

school football and baseball is:

“Before you are a leader, success is

all about growing yourself. When

you become a leader, success is all

about growing others” (Jack

Welch). I think we now have 18

young men who will be better

leaders in baseball and in the

community to help teach their

fellow teammates and classmates

some of the hard work and pride

associated with the Lockport

Baseball Program.

I would like to personally

thank Coach Satunas for allowing

me to develop and run the Leader-

ship Council; I enjoyed growing

closer to the coaches and players

involved and will continue to keep

learning and becoming a better

leader myself. A BIG THANK

YOU goes to the senior leaders:

Mike Formella, Nick Kaleel, Noah

Masa, Ryan Dalton, Avery Lochow,

and Jake Stanton. You guys

definitely created a solid foundation

for your LEGACY!

Adam Decaire

[email protected]

2

3

Who Is This Guy?

Clues:

(1) Wants to be an EMT

(2) Had a BIG hit @ Sandburg 13’

(3) Nickname was “Dougie Fresh” ANSWER: swehttaM guoD


Matt DeGraw (Joliet JC) finished his

career at Joliet Jr. College (39-19, 9-3

North Central Conf.) with a great season

for the Wolves. Matt appeared in 12

games, mostly in relief, and in 62.2

innings was 5-4 with 27K’s and a 4.45

ERA.

Kyle Billig (Washington U.) completed

his career at Washington U. of St. Louis.

He batted .280 for the Bears and will leave

his imprint on their record book. He

leaves as the career leader in Stolen Bases

(100), Runs Scored (181), Triples (15) and

holds a season record for steals (35) in

2012. He finishes with a career batting

average of .321

Derek Bangert (Heartland C.C.) had a

tremendous first season for the Hawks (43-

13, 24-8 MWAC). Big Bang started 55

games and hit .364 with 17 HR and 69 RBI.

His HR total led the nation for junior college

Div. II and his RBI’s were 6th

.

Derek was picked as 1st team All-Conference

as an infielder.

Tommy Hook (NIU) just completed

season 2 for the Huskies (17-31, 11-16

Mid-Am. Conf.). He batted .257 starting

51 games and making 179 plate appear-

ances. He was 2nd

in on-base% (.350) and

triples (2), as well as 3rd

in runs scored

(24) and hits (46). Tommy played

multiple positions including 3B, OF and

even caught.

Evan Martens (SIUE) just completed his

first season for the Cougars who finished 21-

33 and 16-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Evan saw action in 13 games and pitched

52.2 innings mostly in relief. His record was

2-4 with an ERA of 5.98.

Josh Altmann (Olivet Nazarene U.) In

his 2nd

year for the Tigers (20-28, 14-13

CCAC) was very successful. Josh started

44 games and appeared 143 times at the

plates hitting a team leading .350 with 24

RBI. He also led his team in steals (27)

and on-base % (.450). He was named to

the Nat. Christian Coll. Athletic Assoc.

All-Region team as well as 1st team

CCAC All-Conference.

Ron Sessler (Joliet JC) joined the Wolves

after LTHS’ successful 2013 season. The

Wolves finished 39-19 and Ron was a big

part of their success. Playing OF, Sess played

43 games and hit .376 in 133 plate appear-

ances. He also batted in 30 runs, had a .462

OB % and a SLG % of .474.

Matt Skrzypiec (St. Joseph College) in his

second season for the Pumas (19-31, 14-22

GLVC), batted .250. In 29 games, Matt

made 60 plate appearances and had a SLG%

of .333 as well as an OB % of .375.

Defensively, Matt had an excellent .962

FLDG. %.

Colin Hart (Aurora University) began

his 1st season for the Spartans (10-28, 6-14

NACC). In his inaugural for Aurora,

Colin appeared in 7 games and pitched

39.2 innings with a 2-2 record and a 4.99

ERA. He had an excellent 23/10

strikeouts to walks ratio.

Benny Collesano (Trinity Christian

College) finished his career for the Trolls

(26-24, 17-10 CCAC) in great fashion. Ben

had a record of 5-2 with an ERA of 3.11 in

55 innings.

PPoorrtteerr BBaasseebbaallll AAlluummnnii RReevviieeww

4

Jeff Pattison (Joliet JC) finished his 1st

season roaming the outfield for the Wolves

(39-19, 9-3 NCC). He played in 26 games,

hitting .296 in 54 at bats with 14 RBI. Jeff Duschene (Joliet JC) just completed

his 1st season at JJC. In 26 games, he had

55 AB’s, hit .291 and had an OB% of .400

playing mostly second base.

4


PPoorrtteerr BBaasseebbaallll AAlluummnnii RReevviieeww

Connor Petschke (Kentucky Wesleyan)

concluded his last season at KWC (31-16, 17-

7 G-MAC). Connor was in 44 games, hit

.291 with 134 AB’s and 34 runs scored (2nd

).

He had a .410 SLG% and a .415 OB%. He

was outstanding in the OF handling 73 of 76

chances for a .961 FLD%.

Bob Wilmsen (Trinity Christian College)

Joining fellow Porter Ben Collesano at

Trinity, Bob’s 1st season for the Trolls was a

good one. He appeared in 11 games,

pitched 47.2 innings and was 3-3 with an

ERA of 3.78.

Nick Davito (Lewis University) comple-

ted his 2nd season for the Flyers (26-25,

18-17 GLVC) with a 0-2 record pitching

in 13 games mostly in relief. In 35 IP, he

had a 4.46 ERA.

Austin Mastela (Lewis University) had a

very successful 2nd season for Lewis play-

ing in 40 games and batting .314. He had

48 hits, 29 RBI, a SLG% of .451 and an

OB% of .340. Always excellent in the OF,

Austin was a perfect 1.000.

Austin was 2nd

in RBI, 3rd

in runs scored

(32), HR (4) and total bases (69).

Thomas Smith (Dominican U.) just

completed his 1st season for the Stars (23-18,

10-10 NACC) playing 40 games as an

infielder. In 151 plate appearances, Smitty

had a .252 BA with 38 hits and 16 RBI.

Jory Koehler (Robert Morris U.) finished

up a great collegiate career which began at

Kankakee JC and ended at RMU (29-19, 14-

13 CCAC). Mainly a second baseman, Jory

hit .298 for the Eagles.

5

Ted Snidanko (Purdue U.) Ted joined

Purdue (13-37, 6-18 Big Ten) and had a suc-

cessful fall season but was behind senior

OF’s for the Boilermakers. He played in 23

games, had 55 AB and hit .182 with a perfect

1.000 fldg.%. During a game at UIC Ted

suffered a fractured face crashing into the

wall to make a catch…. sound familiar?

Pat Domke (Illinois Wesleyan U.) appeared

in just 6 games for the Titans who finished

24-20 and 14-7 in the CCIW. Pat pitched 5.1

innings.

Connor Ryan (Prairie State) had a great

season for the Pioneers (28-18, 9-5 ISCC).

He appeared in 17 games and finished 7-4.

In 50 IP he had a 2.16 ERA with an

outstanding 60/15 strikeout/walk ratio.

Eric Duzan (Prairie State) joined Porter

teammate Connor Ryan on the Pioneer’s

staff and finished 1-3 appearing in 7 games

and pitching 29.1 innings with an ERA of

4.91.

Doug Matthews (Concordia U.) had a very

successful freshman yr. for the Cougars (39-

7, 18-3 NACC). He split time between 3B

and OF defensively but had a solid offensive

season. In 23 games and 56 AB’s, Doug hit

.286.

Brenden Dunleavy (U. of Chicago) just

completed his junior season for the Maroons

(10-27). He appeared in 11 games and had

26 plate appearances and batted .192.


Know who these young women are? If you got a

hot dog at the concession or heard a player being

announced at a sophomore game you might have seen

them. They are known as the “Diamond Girls” and

they assisted the Boosters in so many ways throughout

the season. We want to thank them for all of their hard

work and help during this season. They are; Abby

Kaczmarek , Allison Dykas, Alyssa Burke , Alyssa

Moralis, Annie Walsh, Aubrey Elwood, Cassie

Schremser, Celine McLaughlin, Claudia Mos,

Dominika Bizub, Kamila Stasik, Katie Pacetti, Kara

Adams, Megan Moran, Morgan Valley and Stevi

Marek .

Who IS THIS GUY?

Clues:

(1) He never met a hot dog he didn’t eat!

(2) He hit an inside the park HR (taking BP above right)

(3) Nickname was “Kobayashi”

(4) One of the best human beings you’ll ever meet. ANSWER: slohciN nitsuA

6

PORTER BASEBALL NEWS ODDS AND ENDS

84’ Alum Ron Coomer is in the Cubs WGN radio

booth with the legendary Pat Hughes. We missed Ron at

the Alumni Day game honoring his 84’ team, but we

wanted him to know he was missed. We also want to

thank him for the very kind on-air words about the event

and Por-ters baseball. We look forward to seeing Ron at

Flink Field when the new batting cage facility becomes

reality and we put his name prominently on it.

Noah Masa and his family received a visit by Lieu-

tenant Colonel Farrell on Senior Night, May 23rd

. and

in a ceremony at home plate was presented with a

symbolic check representing his UIC Army ROTC

Suburban Scholarship.

While Noah attends UIC, in addition to playing

baseball, will serve in the Army ROTC Program. This

is a commitment of Noah of 4 to 8 years of service in

the U.S. Army and Army Reserves.

This is a great opportunity for Noah as it represents

a full ride payment of his 4 years at UIC while

studying pre-med.

HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG????? Next season, we will mark the 10

th anniversary of the

05’ State Championship during our Alumni Night

game. Our schedule has not been completed but we

hope to utilize a Friday night game in late May as the

date. Of course we will let everyone know as details

become available. We plan on presenting an OF sign

that will be placed in LF along with the other state

tournament Porter teams. Stay tuned!!

DIAMOND GIRLS 2014 84’ PORTER RON COOMER

Lt. Noah Masa??


6

Alumni Day, May 17th

: 1984 & 2014 Porters

Alumni Day, May 17th

: 1963 & 2014 Porters

2013/14 Christmas Food Drive

7


Avery Lochow will attend

Purdue-Calumet next fall. Avery

says that his best memories of

Porter baseball were the many

trips. They were “perfect times

for everyone to bond together”.

He’s going “to miss just being

around the guys” because of that

“close bond”.

Being a Porter “helped me not

only become a better player but

a better person”. Oh yeah,

watching “Trevor eat those five

worms at practice to win the

1PW” was his funniest memory.

He wants to thank the coaching

staff “for what they have done

for me”.

Rusty Hoh will be attending

North Central College and will

continue his baseball career for

the Cardinals.

Russ played both the OF and

pitched for the Porters. He

batted .314 in 51 AB collecting

16 hits and 8 RBI. In SWSC

play he hit .333.

On the hill, Rusty had 8

appearances and pitched 34

innings. He had an excellent

33/13 K to BB ratio and

finished with an ERA of 1.24.

Even better in the SWSC, he

had an ERA of 1.27.

His play in the SWSC earned

him All-Conference honors.

Chris Grazioli will head to the

north country and attend St.

Mary’s U. in Minnesota.

Fighting injury throughout the

season, Graz continued to work

and practice hard in an effort to

regain playing form.

He played in 14 games and

had 33 plate appearances

batting .212 with 7 hits and 8

RBI.

Noah Masa embarks on an

exciting journey studying pre-

med and playing baseball at

UIC. He will be enrolled in the

Army ROTC Program.

The Porters #1 pitcher, Noah

appeared in 13 games and had

an ERA of 2.17 in 61.1 IP. He

finished with a record of 5-4

with an excellent K-BB ration

of 72-34.

In SWSC conference play

Noah was 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA.

He was named to the All-

SWSC team.

Matt Duplessis will be

attending JJC next fall.

Matt returned to the hill for

the Porters and appeared in 3

games and pitched 8 innings.

On Senior Night, Matt took

the mound against Plainfield

East and went 4 innings and

limited the Bengal hitters to 2

hits and 1 earned run.

Lorenzo Blazekovich will

attend Prairie State College. Zo

finished 2014 sharing time

between SS and the mound as a

go to reliever. He batted .296

in 30 games and 98 AB. His

OB% was .375 and had a

SLG% of .327.

In SWSC Blue competition he

batted .304 and was picked All-

Conference.

On the hill he appeared in the

16 inning Sandburg game,

pitched 1 inning and struck out

2 of 3 Eagle batters.

Ryan “RD” Dalton will go to

Kenosha and play for the

Carthage College Red Men.

In 2014 Ryan was a mainstay

in RF and batted in the middle

of the Porters order. He batted

.218 appearing in 35 games and

101 AB.

In the outfield he had an

outstanding .958 fielding %

handling 46 of 48 chances.

Frank Diaz, an infielder/

outfielder, will be attending

Harper JC next fall.

The 16 inning game with

Sandburg is Frank’s big

memory from this past season.

Franky is going to miss being

around “the boys” because they

were a “great group of guys.”

Putting on the Porter uniform

meant a lot to Frank because

there is “a lot of tradition in the

program”. He said, “we all

wore that uniform with pride.”

8

2014 PORTER BASEBALL “Senior Moments”

8


Jake Stanton will be continuing his

baseball as a member of the Big Blue

of Milliken U. in Decatur.

Jake was the rock of the Porter

defense catching 32 games with an

outstanding .979 fielding %. His 250

putouts were the 6th most in a season

posted by a Porter in the program’s

history.

Big Jake hit .197 in 76 AB including

9 RBI.

Mike Formella will take his glove to River

Forest as a Cougar of Concordia U. Mike

experienced much success over 4 yrs. with our

program including the 31-3 soph. season which

ranks among his best memories. The funniest

moments came during “our many trips” (a

common theme it seems among the seniors

…anything to tell us guys???).

Mike considered playing for the Porters “an

honor to be a part of a program as good as ours

and will always come back to see future teams

play.”

He finished an IHSBCA All-Area and ALL-

SWSC pick with a 7-2 record and an ERA of

1.23. In the SWSC he was 5-0 (0.37 ERA) and

pitched both days of the 16 inning Sandburg

game.

Forms also became the starting 1B for the

Porters and hit .240 with 18 hits and 9 RBI.

Dan Kaleel will attend Grandview U.

in Des Moines, IA. and play baseball

for the Vikings.

Dan played a great 1B for the Porters.

He handled 96 of 98 chances cleanly for

an excellent fielding % of .980.

A vocal teammate, Dan was a leader

on and off the field and served as an

example for his teammates. His

enthusiasm was non-stop (“Bam”,

“Pop”) and took the responsibility of

keeping the dugout in the game at all

times.

Nick Kaleel will be joining teammate

Chris Grazioli and head north to

Minnesota to attend St. Mary’s U.

Nick struggled with health issues

throughout the past two seasons but

always remained an important part of

the Porters. Limited to 7 games and 13

AB, Nick batted .154 and played 3B.

As his brother Dan, Nick was a

player who displayed what it means to

lead by example and to put his team

first above all.

Dakota Dunston is as yet undecided

where he will go this fall.

A valuable infielder coming off the

bench, Dakota appeared in 6 games

and had a 1.000 fielding % handling

all chances that came his way.

In limited appearances at the plate

Dakota hit .167.

9

2014 PORTER BASEBALL “Senior Moments”


NNeewwss ffrroomm tthhee BBoooosstteerr CClluubb……

Porter Baseball Boosters Golf Outing (PRINT OUT THIS PAGE AND SEND IN OR GO TO WEBSITE AND DOWNLOAD

REGISTRATION FORM FROM LINK ON FRONT PAGE

Other Booster News: -Once again the Porter Baseball Boosters leant invaluable assistance to the program during the 2014 season.

Under the leadership of Larry Wishba (Pres.), Suzanne Cronberg (V-P), Bob Duplessis (Treas.) and Karyn

Lochow (Sec.) the boosters assisted the team in organizing their overnight trips, special event game activities,

ran the concession stand, coordinated the Diamond Girls, and continue to organize activities (SEE GOLF

OUTING ABOVE) and oversee projects at Flink Field. Again THANK YOU!

-As always we are looking for new members and wish to emphasize that the Boosters are not limited to parents.

Alumni have expressed interest as well as others who support Porter baseball. We would like to encourage

those who have an interest and would like to help to contact us at [email protected] or contact one of

the booster board members.

10


Well, summer is finally here!

Thinking back to this winter and the

cold temps that continued into early

May some thought it would never

get here. But now that is has, the

Porters will begin taking steps to

improve upon this past season.

The Porters will field 2 teams this

summer. The varsity is holding

tryouts the week of June 2nd

. Their

schedule will include 3 tournaments

including the annual Battle of

Omaha 19U Tournament that is held

during the College World Series.

The Porters will be facing teams

from Minnesota, Colorado, Mon-

tana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and

Maryland among others. Most

teams consist of graduated high

school players and college players.

Lockport will also host two tourn-

Summer…Time to Rebuild and REload

Flink Field

Update

2014 Never in recent memory has

the weather had an effect on

the early part of the baseball

schedule as did 2014. The

severe winter, late thaw and

spring arrival caused all

sorts of complications at

Flink Field.

However, the Porters played

a full 35 game schedule due

in large part to the efforts of

Mark Dulkowski and his

great crew that worked

many hours to get the field

playable.

The coaches and players

greatly appreciate the time

and commitment of the

maintenance staff and

would like to extend a giant

thank you to these guys!!!

We couldn’t have done it

without you.

NOTES: The infield grass

has especially been in great

shape and is by far the best

infield we played on all

season long. We will be

moving forward on a new

press box that will sit

behind the stands at home

plate. Also, Ron Coomer

has accepted our invitation

to have the new batting cage

facility named in his honor.

aments later in the summer. Candi-

dates will include juniors from the

spring varsity, sophomore and

freshman teams. Evaluations will be

made by the summer coaching staff

and rosters will be posted on the

team website (porterbaseball.org).

Candidates from the Maroon and

White freshman spring teams will

also go through 3 days of tryouts as

well and will compete in the

Summer JV League. This league

consists of over 20 schools and will

conclude with a season ending

tournament.

The goal of our summer program

is to evaluate players for next spring

and provide the best competition

possible.

stood at 8-2 two games behind the

Eagles. A win was a must if the

Porters had any hope of repeating

their title and win they did. It was

the way they did it that was

impressive and historic. In the

longest game in Porter baseball

history the Porters defeated the

Eagles 2-1 in 16 innings that span-

ned two days because of darkness

after 11 innings on day one. It

was truly inspiring to see the effort

of the whole Porter team but in

particular pitchers Mike Formella

and Cole Bellair who combined to

pitch 14 innings. Formella started

the game, went 6.1 innings and

then came back 2 days later when

the game resumed to pitch another

5 to earn the win striking out 12.

Bellair came into the game in the

7th and pitched 2.2 innings and

struck out 8. This started a late

season run for the Porters who

finished 7-1 in their last 8 games.

Once again the Porters’

character was on display off the

field as well. In keeping with the

program philosophy of “giving

Finish of 2014 Season (cont’d from page 1)

back” to the community, the

Porters hosted their annual

“Strikeout Cancer” day of

baseball. This year the Porters

raised $9,178 for pediatric cancer

research. They also honored the

armed forces past and present with

a Military Appreciation day with

special ceremonies before the

game. Also a tradition is

recognizing the accomplishments

of past Porter teams. This year

they honored teams from 1963 and

1984. Also, the Porters partici-

pated in St. Baldrick activities in

March that helped raise funds for

and awareness of child-hood

cancer.

Another highlight for the Porters

is that once again 12 players are

moving on to college to continue

their baseball careers at the next

level.

Also, in 2014, head coach Andy

Satunas reached an important

mark in his 4 yr. career by winning

his 100th game and 4

th consecutive

SWSC conference championship. 11


OOnn tthhee RReeccoorrdd:: 11996633 aanndd 11998844 PPoorrtteerrss AAmmoonngg tthhee BBeesstt EEvveerr

Tradition Still Alive at Flink Field

For those who sat in the old stands of the Athletic Field in the early 60’s, seeing Chuck Ballantine (above left) on the

mound and Pete Fulton at 1st Base was not an unusual sight. Both were All-State players for the Porters and both were

instrumental in leading the Porters during their historic 63’ season. That team was the first Porter team to reach the state

tournament. Those 63’ Porters traveled a tough road to get to the Peoria IHSA State Tournament as they won the South

Suburban Conference, the Lockport District, Reavis Regional and Morton Sectional. They finished off Mound City in a 5

inning game at the state tournament but then lost to Granite City and finished 15-3. Chuck and Pete attended Alumni Day

ceremonies on Saturday May 17th as the 2014 Porters dedicated and presented them with a sign (above left) that is on the

left field wall with other signs recognizing Porter state tournament teams. The 63’ Porters included Vince Affrunti, Jerry

Anderson, Pat Bannon, Dave Bier, Chuck Bozue, Chuck Brieden, Wilbur Clark, Andy Dystrup, Larry Edsall, Bob Keefer,

Herb Kinder, Jim Kraft, Mike Murawski, Fred Pederson, Jim Pieper, Jim Posetto, Ray Ryan, Dave Sims, Norman Thomas

and Wayne Traylor.

Sharing that day and also being recognized was the 1984 Porters led by head coach Clyde Odle. Joining Coach Odle were

former players Bill Pomatto, Dave Jennings, Steve Lotz, Bruce Rigoni, Bob Mondrella and John Boland. They too were

given a sign (above right) at home plate ceremonies as a summary of their tremendous state tournament season was read

to the crowd. The 84’ Porters finished 32-5 and won the SICA West Conference title as well as the Lockport Regional

and Hinsdale South Sectional earning them Elite Eight status in the Class AA IHSA State Tournament. 84’ Porters

included asst. coach Jim Hall, Ron Coomer, Mike Curtin, Mark Feigl, Rich Gardner, Tim Haas, Chris Kopacz, Tim

Laken, Ken Laczynski, Chris Penteris, Ken Pesavento, Tim Popovich, Pat Sexton, Jack Surin, Mark Wessel, Brad Whalen

and Dave Wrona.

The special Alumni game is a tradition the current Porters began a few years ago when we rededicated OF signs for past

Porters Tom and Bill Haller, Ron Coomer, Jim Hall and Clyde Odle. It is our way of saying to past Porters that you are

not forgotten and that your days as members of the Porter baseball family are valued by those who wear the uniform

today. It is the hope of the Porter Baseball family that this tradition will continue and that we are able to welcome many

of those from the past to Flink Field in the future. In fact next year we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2005

State Championship Porters and will be honoring them at our annual Alumni Night game late in May, 2015 (date TBA).

GO PORTERS!!

Porters Jake Stanton (l) and Mike Formella present

the 63’ sign to team capt. and All-State pitcher

Chuck Ballantine

84’ Porters Coach Clyde Odle, Bill Pomatto, Steve

Lotz, Bob Mondrella, John Boland, Bruce Rigoni

and Dave Jennings

12


Porter Baseball

Coach Andy Satunas

([email protected])

Lockport Township High School

13333 East Seventh Street

Lockport, Illinois 60441

Website: www.porterbaseball.org

Contact us: [email protected]

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion of their commitment to excellence, regardless of their

chosen field of endeavor”

GGoo PPoorrtteerrss!!

Our next issue will be at the end of summer and include summer season information.

On a practice day this season, some of the coaches were

talking amongst themselves and the subject of what our

players know and don’t know about Porter baseball

history came up. The freshman coach said that his play-

ers were unaware of things from the 80’s and 90’s let

alone events from past decades going back to the early

1900’s. Things like who Ed Flink was. One player didn’t

even know who Ron Coomer was! (Sorry Ron) On

another day a varsity coach was talking with a player in

the OF during BP and was telling him about the history of

Flink Field and some of the historic events that have

occurred there. “I didn’t know that” was heard over and

over.

Well, we have decided to try and do something about

that. The Porter baseball program is in the process of

constructing an “unofficial” history of our baseball pro-

gram and of baseball in the Lockport community as well.

Our community is rich in baseball tradition and LTHS

has, is and always will be a big part of that. We feel that

all players coming into our program should know about it.

An early cover page of this short history is to the left. We

hope to complete it over the summer so that we can send a

PDF copy to all of our players and their families next

season. It will also be offered to all on our email list as

well.

Porter Baseball Newsletter Issue 15- FINAL...

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