We are a little more than 2 months away from the first games of 2004. Anyone care to comment on the top teams in the area for 2004?

Lockport and all of the rest of the teams in the SICA West.

New Trier...JCA...LyonsTownship...OPRF...Brother Rice...and from the South...Edwardsville

Looks like the usual teams. Summer league is summer league, but I think Schaumburg won it. How are they looking for the spring? Seems Edwardsville is always the top in the South, any other competition down there?

Rock island is always competitive. Chatam should be strong, and dont underestimate libertyville, tough ball club right there...

Oak Park River Forest is ready to roll.

sox, I noticed you mentioned the 2 kids from OPRF in your other post and now OPRF as a top team for this season...any connection with OPRF?

pitchdoc24, just a dad in the know.we will be very good this year.

OPRF has a chance to be good every year. I can't remember a time when they didn't.

JimD45, You are so right. But this year is even better than usual. The chemistry is real good.This years team could actually use a lineup of 4 D1 guys, 1D2 guy with 2 others as possibly D1 and definetely D2 bound. That is 7 of 9 starters that will play @ the next level.I don't think that can be matched, at least in Illinois.That does not even include another highly thought of Jr. pitcher and no less than 4 fellows that could start on most teams as the #1 catcher on the bench.Finally how about 9 pitchers that will see action, all of which can throw 83 or above. Its going to be fun in the ol ballpark at OPRF in 2004!

..."old ballpark"?

Just a few seats under a big tree!

For those of us who have had the pleasure of watching OPRF play at such a high level for so many years it is certainly a ballpark to us. Actually it is as more of a ballpark than most in the chicagoland area. This aint exactly south Fla.,Arizona or Cal. Please pardon my vernacular, I played in a maj. lg. stadium in high school which we also called a ballpark.

Gees, soxnole, don't get so defensive.

My son, Paul Petrulis, was an All State player for Jack Kaiser and the Huskies in 1990.

I did see OPRF play in the playoffs this summer, they are a very solid team. As far as D1 players, have not seen these kids enough to be able to say yay or nay. Chances of northern kids going down to Florida, Texas, etc, or the South in general, to play college are not too great. Sure, a chosen few get the opportunity. It is obvious that up here, guys don't get to play year round. Sure kids take lessons, but I think a lot of people would agree that game experience is the best way to get better. Working on your swing in the cage is great, but getting into a game situation is a lot different, for most. I think if infields were made of wood, guys up here would go error-less during the season. Taking ground balls off the gym floors just isn't the same.

I hope OPRF is really good this year! They have some talented players and good kids. They do not have DOMINANT pitching. They have good pitching, not dominant pitching. I played with several dominant pitchers (Scott Nelson, Jason Klonoski, Ben Shelton, and Sean Lawrence) and even then nobody was handing us a state championship. Until the playoff format changes to double elimination, it's anybody's game(OPRF proved that a few years ago when powerfull teams like Lockport, New Trier, Downers North and others were gone.) They have not shown me that they can be a dominant hitting team like LT was last year. Talent alone just won't get it done. I hope they get it done! Go Huskies!

I THING MT CARMEL CARAVAN HAS A SHOT AT BEING A BETTER TEAM THIS YEAR . WITH BRIAN SPEARS FULL RIDE WITH WICHTA STATE ROBERT SNARSKIS GOING TO ST JOSEPH, AND DAVID CALES AT SHORTSTOP. TARTKO--- I THING YOU MEANT WALKING THE WALK. GOOD LUCK TO YOUR SON HE SHOW WELL IN AZ.AT SWINGTOWNS EVENT.

I played college ball up here and we went down to play teams in FL for spring break. Of course it was our first time outside and it was their 12th game. One thing it did do was get us better for the season up North. Eventually, we started beating some of those teams down there. Needless to say, they were embarrased and did not want to play us again. The more a kid can play up here during the summer and fall, the better. Northern kids need to play up a level in the summer so they see what they are going to be facing at the next level...and it helps get them better for the spring season.

Got to push D-C again to make a run at the state tournament!!

Geez Tar,Offended I am not, however Stanford was NEVER mentioned.(except on a different thread about budding superstar Porter of Rolling Meadows) My son is committed to FSU. The only 2 reasons more northern boys don't head south are 1)Money and 2)We don't give our guys a chance.Ruairi went to FSU Super Skills Camp last July and simply outplayed the other 43 guys there.He was offered a ship on the second day of a six day camp. If a kid doesn't attend a camp where he would like to play he won't have the chance to talk turkey or impress that particular coach. This is the single biggest reason. Our kids tend to go to showcases or to northern camps. If your really good and flush and have the cahones like Porter OConnor and McFolling then good things at least can happen. Finally at no time did I predict anything like a State Champ. Mis qoting and exaggerating are not conducive to the fun we should be having bragging about our favorite team. Thats all I was doing, stating the fact that OPRF will be very good this year.

tar;this is really very cool. i am about to explain exactly why we should all be going the camp route. what i did not know in july when we went to tallahassee is that a college coach can make any offers he wants as long as you are on campus !!!!!!!!!!on the 1st day of camp they spokie at length w rauiri about all things academic and baseball.on the second day he was asked to set up a meeting with his father for the purpose of offering a scholarship.It doesn't hurt to have your house in order w/regard to grades and baseball experience.Also in ruairi's case the only school he's ever wanted to attend was FSU.By attending the camp at the school or schools of your choice you have a golden VERY kosher oppurtunity.

sox...Do the "noles" play at a new field or is the old one (last time there was in 1993) just "fixed up"?

Thanks.