By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

As Stagg has been prone to do in recent years, the Chargers got hot in the playoffs and knocked off higher-seeded teams. Last week, Stagg took down Richards and Lincoln-Way East to win the Class 4A Homewood-Flossmoor Regional championship thanks to the all-around performance of senior right-handed pitcher Max Strus.

Strus, who will be playing basketball at Lewis University next season, showed his big-game mentality against a high-scoring Richards club. Strus pitched a four-hit complete game, yielding one run with three strikeouts and two walks in a 4-1 victory last Wednesday.

Then on Saturday against Lincoln-Way East, Strus was summoned into relief with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning. After giving up a single, he proceeded to retire the next 14 hitters to earn his second regional victory in four days. For good measure, he also blasted his only homer of the season, a two-run shot that tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning. Stagg went on to win the regional championship, 3-2.

Of the 157 pitches he threw last week, 106 of them were strikes.

“Max was outstanding against Richards, who had arguably one of the greatest offensive seasons in the area,” said Stagg coach Matt O’Neill. “He did a great job keeping their hitters off balance.  On Saturday, he came in relief with the bases loaded and one out in the third.  … To do what he did on two days’ rest was unbelievable. The kid is just flat out a competitor.”

Strus and Stagg almost pulled off another significant upset this week when they nearly upended No. 1-ranked Lincoln-Way North, losing 1-0 in the sectional semifinals. Strus didn’t allow an earned run in six innings and yielded four hits in the loss. Despite finishing with a 1.51 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, Strus concluded his senior year with a tough-luck 4-6 record. In 69.1 innings, he struck out 46.

“Max pitched against some of the top teams in the state all year (O'Fallon, Lockport, Lincoln-Way West, Lincoln-Way North, Sandburg) and never allowed more than two earned runs in any game, O’Neill said. “His ability to locate his fastball and changeup is as good as any guy we have ever had.  The scary thing is that baseball is just kind of like a hobby for him. He is truly a special kid and will be difficult to replace.”

The Porsche Exchange salutes Strus for his hard work and success.

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