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SPRING ATHLETICS
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Members of the Marian Catholic’s baseball team stepped up the plate during the state final tournament. 1 – Nick Bledsoe, infielder; 2 – Christian Beal, centerfielder; 3 – Angelo Cantelo, catcher; 4 – Mark DiLuia, pitcher; 5 – Tony DeCarlo, head coach; 6 – Tavares Williams, infielder
“FAMILY - that is what the 2017 Spartan baseball program lived by. That’s what they were from the beginning to end. From the 5 a.m. conditioning in December to the late-night practices in the spring, this group of kids did everything they could to contend for a state championship.” COACH TONY DECARLO
That’s exactly what the Spartans did. With relief from sophomore Michael Bohlen, Marian mound starters sophomore Jordan Smevoll and senior Mark DiLuia began dominating opponents. Marian won the Rich Central Regional with shutouts over Hillcrest and Illiana Christian, then got twin 4-1 victories over Coal City and Oak Forest to win the Ottawa Sectional. After Smevoll blanked Solorio Academy, 10-0, for a Final Four berth, DiLuia earned the victory in the state semifinal against Champaign Central. The University of Maryland recruit and two-time ESCC Player of the Year was rewarded for his outstanding career on June 14 when he was drafted in the 38th round by MLB’s Texas Rangers.
While the Marian hurlers dominated, the supporting cast was remarkable as well. “It was a wild roller-coaster ride,” DeCarlo said. “Behind a strong knit group of seniors – DiLuia, Gutierrez, Beal, Sean Taylor, Wyell Woods, Nick Bledsoe, Aidan Anderson, Kevin Noble, Nick Peterson, Conor O’Hara, Evan Wieringa, and Joe Piunti, things turned around real quick. “We knew we had an experienced group that had worked extremely hard to get here. This team laid the foundation for what is yet to come for the Marian Catholic baseball program. It was a special group of young men who will be missed dearly.” While St. Viator walked off with the bigger trophy, longtime Lion coach and Marian Catholic friend Mike Manno even
said it was “bittersweet” because of the level of respect between the two programs and for the ESCC Conference overall. “As we gathered after the championship game, there were many tears – tears of sorrow and tears of joy,” DeCarlo explained. “Of the 12 seniors, 10 will play baseball at the next level. Tears shed because it was the last time they would have the opportunity to wear the Black and Gold, and tears for all the hard work they put in to fall just short. But at the end of the day, they are all still one big family, as the Marian Catholic community instills, that will hold a lot of Spartan memories. Thank you to all our family, friends, colleagues and supporters throughout the season!”
MARIAN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
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