Week 4 Diamond Notes
April 14, 2023
Each week, IHSA coaches around the state submit to us their nominations for the PBR Illinois Player of the Week and PBR Illinois Pitcher of the Week honors. On Wednesday, we awarded the Week 4 Player of the Week honor to Luke Stulga (St. Laurence, 2023; Illinois State), and the Pitcher of the Week honor to Austin Musso (Mascoutah, 2025). Stulga had an impressive performance in St. Laurence’s four game stretch last week, playing Bishop Gorman (NV) and Bishop Moeller (OH), who are both ranked No. 1 in their respective state’s. Stugla went 9-for-12 with a home run, two triples, five doubles, three RBIs and five runs scored. Musso started on the mound against Belleville West last week and threw six innings with no hits, no runs, eight strikeouts and one walk. He took a perfect game into the sixth inning.
There were a number of other impressive performances that were in the mix for the award and deserve recognition. Here’s a look at some of the most notable.
WEEK 4 DIAMOND NOTES
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Nate George OF / RHP / Minooka , IL / 2024Eastern Illinois commit. George has been one of the best hitters in the state this season, and he continued to find success last week. In a game against Plainfield Central, he went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, double, and five RBIs. He added two more hits, two RBIs, and a walk against Joliet West, and three more hits with an RBI and a walk against Sandburg. On the week George went 10-for-15 with a grand slam, 10 RBIs, and five runs scored. Season Stats: (.500 BA/.549 OBP/1.526 OPS/.977 SLG), 4 HR, 3 3B, 3 2B, 25 RBI, 17 R, 6 BB, 4 K, 5 SB |
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Landen Patton LHP / 1B / Sangamon Valley, IL / 2024Uncommitted. Patton had a stellar performance in their game against Auburn. He went 4-for-5 with three home runs and six RBIs. Patton also found time on the mound, throwing 1.2 innings with five strikeouts. On the year, Patton has tallied five home runs. |
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Colin Roche 3B / RHP / Glenbrook North, IL / 2023In their game against Ridgewood last week, Roche started on the mound and earned the win in their 5-0 victory. Roche threw six innings, struck out 11, walked one, and allowed one hit. Roche has had an impressive year thus far. In late March, the sophomore pitched against Montverde Academy (FL), one of the top teams in the nation, and threw 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts, two hits, and one run. |
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Lance Ingold 1B / Rochester, IL / 2024Uncommitted. In their 16-0 win over Springfield Southeast, Ingold went 2-for-2 with a double, three RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk. Rochester defeated Pekin 15-0 behind a quality all-around performance from Ingold. At the plate he went 2-for-2 with a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored. He also earned the win on the mound, throwing four innings, striking out five, walking two, and allowing no-hits or runs. |
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Trevor Fishman RHP / Lincoln Way East, IL / 2023Wabash Valley JC commit. Fishman had a dominant performance on the mound in the Griffins game against Briarcrest Christian (TN) in Memphis. He threw seven innings with 14 punchouts, one walk, three hits, and one earned run. He threw 72 out of 108 pitches for strikes (67%). |
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Owen Kelly RHP / Belleville East, IL / 2023St. Louis commit. Kelly threw five scoreless innings against cross-town rival, Belleville West, last week. He struck out eight, walked three, and allowed three hits. Belleville East earned the win (1-0) over their rivals. |
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Patrick Keating SS / 2B / Andrew, IL / 2023Uncommitted. The Thunderbolts posted an impressive week going 3-1 with wins over Simeon, No. 21 Sandburg, and Glenbrook North, with Keating being a major factor in their wins. Against Sandburg, he went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, and a walk. On the week he went 10-for-14 (.714 BA/.750 OBP) with three home runs to leadoff three consecutive games, two doubles, six RBIs, eight runs scored, two walks, and a stolen base. |
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Bryce Nevils OF / OF / Brother Rice, IL / 2023Western Kentucky commit. Nevils helped lead Brother Rice to a 4-0 week in conference play after going 6-for-12 (.500 BA) with four doubles, six RBIs, five runs, three stolen bases, and five walks. Against St. Ignatius, Nevils went 2-for-3 with a double, three doubles, three runs, three RBIs, and two walks. In their 6-3 win over De La Salle, he went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. |
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Zach Riley RHP / Joliet Central, IL / 2023Riley is off to a strong start this year for the Steelman, hitting .409, which leads the team in batting average. Last week he was 5-for-9 at the plate with two doubles, four RBIs, and three walks. Against Shepard, Riley was 3-for-4 with two doubles, four RBIs, and a walk. He also earned the win on the mound throwing five innings, striking out seven, allowing one earned run, and two hits. On the season he has a 1.50 ERA with three starts against Bolingbrook, Joliet Catholic, and Shepard. |
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Zach Hesse SS / 2B / Tinley Park, IL / 2023Trinity Christian commit. In Tinley Park's 10-0 win over Hammond Central, Hesse started on the mound and threw a six inning complete game. He struck out 16 of 18 batters he faced and allowed one hit. |
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Bryer Arview SS / 2B / Civic Memorial, IL / 2023Western Kentucky commit. Arview had an impressive week last week going 9-for-11 with a home run, a triple, two doubles, four RBIs, seven runs, seven walks, and four stolen bases. Against Collinsville, he went a perfect 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, two walks and a stolen base. He added two hits, one being a home run, two RBIs, two runs, and a walk against Greenville. He had his most impressive performance of the week in their 14-8 win over Staughton where he went a perfect 4-for-4 with a triple, double, two RBIs, three runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base. Week 1: Arview was the named the PBR Illinois Player of the Week after finishing the week 6-for-8 (.750) with two home runs, two doubles, six RBIs, four runs, one walk, and a stolen base. |
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Curt Sosnowski 3B / East Peoria, IL / 2024Uncommitted. The Junior has had an impressive season thus far, helping lead East Peoria to a 12-1 record so far. In their 9-0 win over Limestone, Sosnowski threw a complete game shutout, only allowing three hits. He also went 1-for-1 at the plate with three RBIs. In their 22-8 win over Olympia, he tallied a hit with three RBIs. He went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs in their 5-1 win over U-High. Sosnowski started on the mound against Canton and threw another complete game shutout with five strikeouts, two walks, and six hits allowed. For the week, he went 9-for-15 (.600) with nine RBIs, and two complete-game shutouts on the mound. |
LEMONT
Lemont went 2-2 on the week with wins over Cardinal Gibbons (FL) and Stagg. Below were some of the team’s top performers:
Cannon Madej, LHP, 2026
Last week, Madej threw 8.2 innings with a win, 13 strikeouts, two hits, and five walks. Against Monsignor, he threw three innings with four strikeouts and one hit allowed. He started on the mound against Stagg and threw five innings with nine strikeouts, two walks, and one hit allowed.
Brandon Johnson, RHP/SS, 2023
Lake Land commit. On the week, Johnson hit 9-for-16 (.523) with a home run, double, and four RBIs. He also threw 7.2 innings on the mound, earning a win, striking out 10, walking four, allowing two earned runs and seven hits. In their game against Archbishop McCarthy (FL), he threw four innings, struck out six, walked one, allowed one earned run and four hits.
FREEPORT
The Pretzels went 3-0 on the week with two wins over Sterling and one win over Sandwich. Below were some of their week's top performers:
Mason Lei, RHP, 2023
Rock Valley commit. In their win over Sterling, Lei threw a complete game with 10 strikeouts, no walks, no runs, and four hits on 84 pitches.
Ryan Coon, OF/1B, 2024
Uncommitted. Coon went 6-for-10 last week in 14 plate appearances. He tallied two doubles, three RBIs, seven runs scored, and four stolen bases on five attempts.
LANE TECH
The Champions went 2-3 last week with wins over Sagemont (FL) and Fort Lauderdale (FL). Below were some of their top performers from the week:
Jacob Maza, RHP, 2023
Webster commit. In their 4-3 win over Sagemont (FL), Maza threw six innings with six strikeouts, one earned run, and two hits allowed. On the season, Maza is 3-1.
Henry Murray, OF/RHP, 2025
Boston College commit. The sophomore on the week went 5-for-11 (.454) with a home run, double, three RBIs, and two runs scored. He hit a two-run home run against Archbishop McCarthy (FL), and he tallied two-hits in their 4-3 win over Sagemont (FL).
Teo Greco, SS/RHP, 2025
Greco is currently on a ten-game hitting streak, and he put together another quality performance together in Florida. On the week he went 5-for-13 (.385) with a double, one RBI, and two runs. Against Cardinal Gibbons (FL), he had a multi-hit game and recorded a hit, one run scored, and a stolen base against Archbishop McCarthy (FL).
ST. IGNATIUS
The Wolfpack went 4-1 on the week, winning the Midwest Jesuit Classic in St. Louis. Below were some of their top performers from the week:
Charlie Wolf, RHP/3B, 2023
Princeton commit. Wolf had a big week last week going 8-for-16 with two doubles, six RBIs, and five runs scored. In their win over San Ignacio - Puerto Rico, he picked up the win on the mound, striking out five in five innings of work.
Aidan Thaxton, MIF, 2023
Valparaiso commit. Thaxton went 8-for-15 on the week with two triples, two doubles, three RBIs, and seven runs scored. Thaxton played shortstop throughout the week and was a big part in helping St. Ignatius win the Midwest Jesuit Classic.
MCHENRY
The Warriors went 3-1 on the week with two wins over Prairie Ridge, and one win over No. 4 Huntley. Below were some of their top performers from the week:
Lleyton Grubich, LHP/OF, 2023
McHenry County College commit. On the week, Grubich went 7-for-15 (.467) with a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs. On the mound he threw 10 innings with 14 strikeouts, four earned runs, and a win against Prairie Ridge. In their 7-3 win over No. 4 Huntley, Grubich threw five innings with seven strikeouts, three walks, two earned runs, and four hits allowed.
Cooper Cohn, C/RHP, 2023
Illinois-Springfield commit. Cohn had a stellar week going 9-for-15 (.600) at the plate with a home run, three doubles, and six RBIs. In their second game of the week against Prairie Ridge, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. In their loss against Mundelein, Cohn went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and one run scored.
NEUQUA VALLEY
The Wildcats went 1-1-1 on the week and below were some of their top performers:
AJ McEneany, RHP/3B, 2023
South Suburban JC commit. McEneany threw five innings against St. Charles North, struck out four, allowed no earned runs, and no hits in a 2-2 tie.
Mark Mennecke, 1B/LHP, 2023
Uncommitted. In a 6-2 win against Wheaton St. Francis, Mennecke threw five innings, struck out six, and allowed no hits in the win.
Dan Cercello, RHP, 2024
Uncommitted. Cercello threw five innings in their 3-1 loss to Lake Park last Saturday. He tallied nine strikeouts, allowed two hits and two runs. Cercello was up to 93 mph with his fastball in late March and is one of the top arms in the class of 2024.
Andrew Gould, SS/3B, 2024
Maryville commit. In their three games last week, Gould helped power the offense going 4-for-8 (.500) with a home run, RBI, and two runs scored.