Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 18 St. Charles North
March 6, 2019
The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2019 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown through the official PBR Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.
Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.
Our 2019 preseason coverage continues today.
Team: St. Charles North
Preseason Rank: 18
2018 Record: 25-7
Conference: DuKane Conference
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Todd Genke
Playoff Run: Region Final
2018 Final Rank: On The Bubble
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3
TOP PLAYERS
| NAME | STATE | SCHOOL | CLASS | POSITION | COMMITMENT |
| Tristan Cazel | IL | St. Charles North | 2019 | RHP | Parkland JC |
| Michael Gattuso | IL | St. Charles North | 2019 | OF | - |
| John Hamer | IL | St. Charles North | 2019 | OF/RHP | - |
| Ethan Laria | IL | St. Charles North | 2019 | LHP | - |
| Egon Hein | IL | St. Charles North | 2019 | 2B | - |
| Johnny Lambert | IL | St. Charles North | 2020 | LHP | - |
| Ryan Thiesse | IL | St. Charles North | 2020 | OF | - |
| Kyler Brown | IL | St. Charles North | 2020 | INF | - |
| Nicholas DeMarco | IL | St. Charles North | 2021 | SS/RHP | Notre Dame |
| Zach Kempe | IL | St. Charles North | 2021 | RHP | - |
| Andrew Jimenez | IL | St. Charles North | 2021 | RHP/INF |
KEY LOSSES
| NAME | STATE | SCHOOL | CLASS | POSITION | COMMITMENT |
| Justin Dunne | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | SS | - |
| Christian Erickson Jr | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | RHP | - |
| Steven Hamer | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | OF | Miami (OH) |
| Tommy Nelsen | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | OF | Wisconsin-La Crosse |
| Sean Nemetz | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | C | - |
| J.T. Oie | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | C | Elmhurst College |
| Ryan Piontek | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | 3B | Calvin College |
| Nick Skurka | IL | St. Charles North | 2018 | LHP | - |
STAT RAT
26.5. That is the average amount of wins per year for St. Charles North in Todd Genke's 14 years as head coach. Coach Genke has turned the North Stars program into a perennial power and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon. You can pretty much mark it down that the North Stars will win 25+ games a year and there is no reason why this season will be any different. In fact, in three of the last four years, the North Stars have won 30-plus games.
NEWCOMERS TO WATCH
Pair of sophomore arms; Andrew Jimenez and Zack Kempe. Coach Genke expects the two sophomores to compete for innings this spring and they should get their feet wet, as early as their upcoming spring trip to Florida. Jimenez has the potential and athleticism to help on the mound and at the plate, while Kempe has shown a mid-80’s fastball so far this winter. If these two arms can emerge, it will provide St. Charles North the much needed depth they are looking for on the mound.
X-FACTOR
2021 RHP/SS Nicholas DeMarco. The Notre Dame commit is one of the top 2021 prospects in the state and started at second base as a freshman last spring. DeMarco was somewhat eased into varsity baseball and due to the amount of depth the North Stars had on the mound last spring he was not needed to pitch. Expect his role to expand with a year of varsity experience under his belt. DeMarco will be heading over to shortstop this season as well as playing a role on the mound but it remains to be seen in what capacity. The game-changing two-way ability that DeMarco possesses, including a high-80’s fastball and advanced secondary offerings on the mound, will play a huge role in the North Stars success this spring.
Nicholas DeMarco (7.23.18)
OUTLOOK
Despite losing a good amount of talent from last year’s club, there is plenty to be excited about for the North Stars in 2019. Starting on the mound, they have a mix of veteran arms and talented underclassmen. Senior RHP Tristan Cazel should throw plenty of meaningful innings this spring. The Parkland JC commit, sat 85-87 mph last summer and has continued to make strides with his off-speed offerings. Alongside Cazel, getting innings this spring, should be sophomore Nicholas DeMarco, who we touched on at length above, as well as senior’s RHP John Hamer and LHP Ethan Laria. The intrigue of the staff lies among the two sophomore newcomers, Andrew Jimenez and Zack Kempe. Both have shown well so far in workouts and if they can handle the varsity spotlight, Coach Genke will have plenty of reliable arms to choose from.
On the positional side of things, DeMarco and junior OF Ryan Thiesse, will be ones to watch. DeMarco will man the shortstop position when not on the mound and Thiesse will hit somewhere in the middle of the order. Thiesse is a dynamic athlete (6.65 60), a gamer, consistently squares up the baseball and has a knack for coming through in the clutch. Senior OF Michael Gattuso has the speed to be the table setter at the top of the lineup. Look for junior CIF Kyler Brown and senior MIF Egon Hein to fill some infield spots and make an impact in the lineup. Brown is a multi-sport athlete who plays quarterback on the football team that finished second in state and has pop in his bat. The sophomore Jimenez could also potentially compete for a spot in the lineup if things go his way. The catcher position remains up in the air as senior Bobby Rosengarten, junior Michael Davis and sophomore Marco Torres will all compete for time. Likely, whoever handles the pitching staff the best, will receive the most innings.
BOTTOM LINE
St. Charles North is used to winning at a high rate and the 2019 season looks bright. They have a solid mix of veterans along with plenty of intrigue from underclassman. If the young talent can hold its own at the varsity level this group could turn into something special, ultimately competing for the DuKane conference title and also a trip to Joliet.
Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2019 season.