The Illinois high school season kicks off on March 12th, the first day for regular season games.

Leading up to the opening week of games we will be rolling out team previews of high school teams all across the state and across all classifications, eventually launching our Preseason Power 25.

We will bring you a snapshot of what to expect along with top players and keys to success for that particular team.

Team: Lyons Township
Preseason Rank: 17
2017 Record: 24-5
Conference: West Suburban Conference
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Kevin Diete
Playoff Run: Lost in Regional Championship
2017 Final Rank: 21
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 4

KEY PLAYERS LOST

Michael Courtney, SS
Brendan Pugliese, P
Ian Delleman, RHP (Kirkwood CC)
Scott Garrow, OF (Lewis)
John Luca Moschetto, OF (Carthage)
Connor Pasko, 1B/OF (Southeastern CC)
Justin Williams, C (Grinnell)

TOP PLAYERS

STAT RAT

71 IP, 8-1 record, 42 H, 9 ER, 35 BB, 121 K, 0.89 ERA. Those are the combined numbers for LHP Matt Piento and RHP Grant Leader from the 2017 season. Needless to say it was hard to score runs let alone defeat the one-two punch that will be returning on the mound for the Lions this spring. Piento, a senior Lewis commit, pitches in the low-to-mid 80’s and keeps hitters off balance with a sharp curveball. Leader is committed to Illinois and currently ranked No. 5 in Illinois. Leader is a bulldog on the mound, has feel for four pitches and runs his fastball into the low-90’s.

X-FACTOR

RHP Grant Leader. The aforementioned Leader is a rare breed that will once again be the ace of the Lions staff. Leader dominated opposing hitters last spring, striking out 67 in 43 innings. He only surrendered four earned runs and 25 hits in those 43 innings, despite only being a sophomore. The 5-foot-9 right-hander is extremely competitive on the mound, goes right after hitters and has the stuff to do so. His advanced four-pitch mix was on full display this winter at the Preseason All-State, while running his fastball up to 92 mph. Leader has a full year of experience now under his belt and has the ability to shut down any team in the state when he is on his game.

Grant Leader (2.11.18)

OUTLOOK

The Lions strength during last years 24-5 season was their pitching and you can expect much of the same in 2018. They lose hard-throwing RHP Ian Delleman to graduation but return a number of key arms from last year's staff - a staff that had a miniscule team ERA of 1.48 and struck out 267 opposing hitters in 203 innings. If that is not enough, they also have a plethora of young talent making their way through the ranks ready to add quality depth in 2018. Leader and Piento will be at the top of rotation throwing meaningful conference games throughout the season. Alongside them will be senior RHP's Nic Hughes (27.1 IP, 28 K’s and a 0.77 ERA), Michael Martino, Michael Mitchell and junior RHP’s Michael Walsh and Brendan Lawry. The Lions have a strong crop of sophomore arms waiting in the wings if needed. Some to keep an eye on will be Rohan B. Shah, James Severson and Danny Doheny. Even with all of that depth, expect to see a lot of Leader and Piento, especially come playoff time. Both have the potential to hold down any team in the state.

The biggest question mark coming into the season will be where will they get there offense from? Senior catcher Bryce Moskiewicz is back after hitting .338 with four doubles and 15 RBI last spring. He also has a big arm behind the plate which will make teams think twice before running on him. Senior outfielder Jack Ferraro is also back. Ferraro hit above .300, nine doubles, scored 22 runs and knocked in 18. In limited at-bats Nic Hughes hit .303 with three doubles and will be surely counted on more in 2018. Martino and Mitchell, along with seeing time on the mound, will compete to be in the offensive lineup. Juniors Danny Machaj (UTIL), Thomas Remijas (1B), Jack Weston (INF/OF) and Lawry (INF/OF) will be asked to step in and produce this spring as well. Their production could be a key factor in what kind of run the Lions can make in the playoffs.

BOTTOM LINE

Find more information on the 2018 Lions below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Website
+ Gamechanger
+ Twitter

Make sure to follow @pbrillinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the season.

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN