By Jake Razo, Editor

After a shaky start, the varsity baseball team picked up momentum and won several games in a row, bringing their record to 7-4 at press dead.

The team, which is looking to improve on last year’s 23-10 record and Western Sun Conference championship, has many returning seniors from last year’s championship team, including Drew French, Brian Dixon, Sam Komel, Joe Camiliere, John Kintz, Corey Landers, Kyle Davidson and Bobby Thorson.

That lineup means the Knights are expected to do well this season, and the team is focusing on improving their offense in practice, junior Tyler Heinle said.

“I have been practicing hard, focusing on my hitting to prepare for this season,” Heinle said.

Komel said that the team has been pushing itself hard, playing teams both in the NIB12 conference and outside.

“Our team goals are to win conference and a regional championship,” Komel said.

The Knights lost their season opener against Plainfield North on March 23, despite two hits apiece from Thorson and Komel.

That was followed by a tough 7-6 loss to New Trier during their spring break trip to Marion, Ill. Though the Knights were down 6-1 in the sixth inning, they surged forward before the game ended devastatingly on a pick-off from the Trevian’s pitcher.

Their first win of the season came against Glenbard South, which they beat 7-3 while in Marion. Drew French’s strong pitching performance and two hits helped lead the Knights to the victory.

It was quickly followed by a second win against the highly-ranked Warren Warriors. The Knights pulled out a 10-6 victory in extra innings.

Key hits late in the game from Davidson, Komel, Camiliere, Thorson and French helped the Knights to force the game into extra innings.

With the game tied, the bases loaded, and the game in overtime, Dixon came up to bat and hit a triple that brought in three runs.

Coach Brian Aversa said the Marion trip was a good experience for the team because it brought them up against tougher competition than they will experience in the NIB12 conference.

“Overall, off the field we accomplished the goal of coming together as a team through some fun activities and team bonding,” Aversa said. “On the field we proved that we could go toe-to-toe with some bigger and better teams in the state.”

The Knights returned back home to play Harlem on April 5. They dropped a close game 8-7, despite five scoreless innings from Bobby Thorson and a homerun by Drew French.

They rebounded from the Harlem loss by beating Rockton-Hononegah 4-1 on April 7 with strong pitching performances from French and Komel, along with two hits from Davidson.

After the winning game with Rockton-Hononegah, the Knights opened conference with a cross-division showdown against the Dixon Dukes.

The Knights won to open conference. They went on to sweep Rochelle, earning themselves a 4-0 start for the first time in Knights baseball history.