Latest news with #DailySouthtownBaseballPlayeroftheYear
Chicago Tribune
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg reacts to being taken by Atlanta Braves in MLB draft. ‘Hit me like a train.'
Conor Essenburg convinced himself that he could remain a cool customer throughout the MLB draft. But when Essenburg, an outfielder/pitcher who graduated this spring from Lincoln-Way West, heard his name called Monday, the moment was overwhelming. 'I wasn't expecting it at all, so it hit me like a train,' Essenburg said. 'I wasn't expecting to cry whatsoever, but once I heard my name on the TV and saw my picture up there, I came to a moment of realization like, 'Oh my gosh, I actually got drafted. This is insane.' 'I have to admit there were some tears. This has been my dream since I was a little kid. It finally came true. I'm just super pumped.' Essenburg, the 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year, was taken by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round with the 157th overall pick. Although he had committed to Kentucky, Essenburg plans to sign with the Braves and forgo college. 'I'm extremely excited to be a part of the Braves organization,' Essenburg said. 'I've only heard great things about them. Even the players they have on the team now, I'm super pumped about them and hopefully I get the chance to meet them. That would be awesome. 'All my glory to God. He's given me so many talents here and the ability to do everything that I've done.' Essenburg expected a bit longer of a wait. He said he did not learn of Atlanta's plans to draft him until moments before the pick was made. 'I was talking to my agent,' Essenburg said. 'We had an expectation for one round later for a different team and then I found out the Braves were taking me literally 10 seconds before the pick went in. Honestly, it was crazy.' Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc was thrilled for his standout pupil. 'It's awesome,' Zajc said. 'It's a great day. To have a player be able to go through this and then to actually have it happen, it's great. This is a goal he set out five or six years and it all came to fruition (Monday).' Zajc said he knew even before Essenburg started his career with the Warriors that he could be a future pro. 'He had special qualities and special skills and some strength even when he was younger, plus his hand speed and his competitiveness,' Zajc said. 'Sometimes, you have kids who get those skills and they don't work hard to build on them. 'Conor's a kid who had those initial skills and then worked really hard to improve on all of those skills.' Essenburg thrived as a two-way star at Lincoln-Way West over the last three seasons and put together his best performance this spring. As a senior, Essenburg batted .464 with 42 runs, 11 doubles, 19 stolen bases, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. On the mound, he finished 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a whopping 94 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. analyst Jim Callis, during a stream of the draft, said some teams liked Essenburg as a pitcher while others viewed him as an outfielder. The Braves announced him as the latter. 'As a hitter, he's got a chance to a chance to have 20-homer power,' Callis said. This spring, Essenburg said he would prefer to be a position player in the pros, calling pitching his 'backup plan.' 'I'm in love with hitting,' Essenburg said at that time. After being drafted, he will get a chance to put that passion on display as a pro. 'If you think about it, there's nothing better in this world than getting paid to play baseball every single day of your life,' Essenburg said. 'Obviously, I've loved this game since I was a little kid and this has always been my dream. 'Now, I'm getting paid to play it. That's just awesome, and I'm just extremely pumped up and ready to get going.'
Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
‘Super cool': Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg is the 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year
Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg took a Monday night flight to Phoenix, where he participated in the MLB draft combine from Tuesday to Wednesday. But before he headed to the airport, however, Essenburg spent the day helping at the Warriors' youth camp. Not to mention signing plenty of autographs and posing for even more photographs. Essenburg, a senior outfielder/pitcher, has embraced his local celebrity status. 'It was awesome,' Essenburg said. 'I had tons of little kids coming up to me. Just being able to do that kind of stuff is super cool to give back to the community. I used to be that kid that used to follow players around and try to get their pictures and autographs. 'It makes my day every single time.' There's a good reason why Essenburg's attention is highly sought by youngsters. The Kentucky recruit just completed a prolific career as a two-way star for the Lincoln-Way West. Essenburg capped it with his best season yet. The 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year batted .464 with 42 runs, 19 stolen bases 11 doubles, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. On the mound, he finished 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a whopping 94 strikeouts in 44 2/3innings. Essenburg also was named the SouthWest Suburban Conference's player of the year and earned all-state honors. But his recognition didn't stop there. The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings named him an All-American. He's one of four players from Illinois and the only one from the Southland to gain that honor. None of that comes as a surprise to Essenburg's teammates like junior outfielder Carson Paulas. 'It's so much fun watching Conor play,' Paulas said. 'He's such a great hitter and pitcher and just does everything well. He works really hard.' As impressive as Essenburg's numbers were, Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc has been equally proud of his growth off the field. Essenburg has developed a bit of a reputation for being short-tempered. In the past, he wasn't necessarily the best leader. But this season was different. 'Over his four years at Lincoln-Way West, he's obviously improved on the field, but he's made a lot of vast improvements off the field,' Zajc said. 'It's been a learning experience along the way. 'His improvement with all that stuff from junior to senior year was very impressive. He made a conscious effort to be a good teammate and he was a great leader for us.' Back to the autographs. Essenburg said a few years back he would follow around Max Clark, then a highly touted high school player in Indiana who was selected third by the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 MLB draft. 'I never got an autograph or a picture, but I got to see him play,' Essenburg said. 'I have his autograph now, though. I have family who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he plays (for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps) and I went to a game. 'He signed two of my cards and took a picture with me.' Essenburg, who plans to focus on hitting and playing in the outfield at the next level, could be following Clark's path soon. He was one of five high school players from Illinois invited to the draft combine and one of two locals along with senior pitcher Jack Bauer from Lincoln-Way East. 'It was my goal to be able to finish off my high school career by going to the combine,' Essenburg said. 'When I got the invite, it was amazing. I called my dad (Troy) and he was like in tears over how proud he was of me. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.' One thing that may top that would be hearing his name called in next month's draft. Then Essenburg will likely have a big decision to make between going to Kentucky or signing with a pro team. 'I think I'm prepared for it,' Essenburg said. 'I think I'm starting to understand that no matter where I end up, I'm going to be in a really good spot. 'It's kind of just a win-win situation.'
Chicago Tribune
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Minnesota commit Nate O'Donnell stays the course as Providence routs Homewood-Flossmoor. ‘You've just got to win.'
Returning most of the team that won the 2024 Class 4A state title, Providence has dealt with large expectations all season. And perhaps no one has had more to live up to than Nate O'Donnell. O'Donnell, a senior infielder/pitcher, had a monster junior season. The 2024 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year was one of the state's top hitters and a clutch big-game pitcher. That's a high bar to set for yourself, but O'Donnell has faced it just fine. 'There's a little bit of that pressure, but you can't look at it that way,' O'Donnell said. 'Obviously, you'd like to repeat the stats, but it's not really about that. You're just going out there to have fun and to compete every at-bat and every time on the mound. 'You control what you can control.' O'Donnell, a Minnesota recruit, fought through a slump or two this spring but he's having another huge season with his arm and his bat. He stepped up on the mound Saturday, allowing just two hits over five shutout innings as the Celtics rolled to a 12-0 win over Homewood-Flossmoor in the Class 4A Sandburg Regional championship game, which was played at Andrew in Tinley Park. Cincinnati commit Enzo Infelise went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer, while Parkland recruit Blake Jenner also finished 3-for-3 and scored a run for third-seeded Providence (25-12), which will take on 12th-seeded Stagg (10-27) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a Lincoln-Way West Sectional semifinal. SIU Edwardsville commit Cooper Eggert was 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI, while Eddie Olszta and Michael Noonan each added two RBIs. 'We were hungry coming into this game,' Infelise said, referencing last year's 2-1 regional championship win over H-F that went eight innings. 'We barely beat them last year. 'I know they wanted us. We came out and ended up stacking hits together.' Derrick Holmes and Arthur Stamps each had a hit for ninth-seeded H-F (14-21). Both of them followed their singles with stolen-base attempts and were thrown out at second by Infelise. That helped O'Donnell face the minimum 15 batters. 'I just wanted to pound the zone, trust the defense behind me and just throw a lot of strikes,' O'Donnell said. 'I knew guys would make plays behind me.' O'Donnell improved to 4-3 with a 2.39 ERA. He also singled and scored a run, adding to his impressive offensive numbers. Last season, O'Donnell hit .441 with 43 runs, 11 homers and 55 RBIs. He's not too far behind this spring, batting .424 with 45 runs, nine homers and 38 RBIs. Providence coach Mark Smith has been impressed with how O'Donnell handles the spotlight. 'Any player that has a great sophomore year or a junior year and then comes back, it's hard to repeat that,' Smith said. 'Baseball is a hard game and when you have those monster years, maybe everything went right for you and then it's going to even out a bit the next year. 'But Nate's had one heck of a year for us again. He's been great. He's a four-year varsity player. Those four years have gone fast, and we're really going to miss him.' Infelise caught O'Donnell's bullpen session earlier in the week and was confident Saturday would be a good day. 'He threw a great pen,' Infelise said. 'He came out (Saturday) and he had his stuff. When Nate has his stuff, he's hard to hit.' Providence, on the flip side, scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back. O'Donnell said the Celtics are ready to put a so-so regular season behind them and make their push for a repeat championship. 'We had some ups and downs and some injuries that we had to work through,' he said. 'Now, it's time to lock in and just get the job done. If you lose, you're done, so you just can't lose. 'You've just got to win.'
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Steve Millar's top 10 baseball teams and 25 players to watch in the Southland for the 2025 season
Providence stoked to defend Class 4A state title, but Lincoln-Way West also will contend. Top 10 Teams 1. Providence (33-8) Defending Class 4A champions are led by senior infielder/pitcher Nate O'Donnell (Minnesota), the 2024 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year. He's joined in an experienced starting rotation by seniors Kasten Goebbert (Gulf Coast Community College) and Cooper Eggert (SIU Edwardsville). Six starters return in the lineup, highlighted by senior utility man Enzo Infelise (Cincinnati). 2. Lincoln-Way West (30-5) Senior outfielder/pitcher Conor Essenburg (Kentucky) and senior infielder/pitcher Lucas Acevedo (Illinois-Chicago) are two-way stars. Junior Michael Pettit (Notre Dame) and seniors Anthony Vita (Drury) and Adam Gerl (Wisconsin-Parkside) add to a deep pitching staff. 3. Brother Rice (20-18) Crusaders coach Sean McBride believes this is the most talented team he's had. Senior infielders Gavin Triezenberg (Arizona) and Aidan Nohava (Eastern Michigan), senior infielder/pitcher Jackson Natanek (Illinois State) and junior outfielder Nolan Ramoley (Kentucky) lead the way. 4. Lemont (31-10) The 2024 Class 3A runners-up have a strong chance to contend again. The team returns its top three pitchers in seniors Shea Glotzbach (Missouri-St. Louis) and Donovan Moleski (Carrollton) and junior Cannon Madej. Senior outfielder Jacob Parr (Ohio State) leads an experienced lineup. 5. Mount Carmel (21-15) A season-ending injury to junior ace Ian Tosi (Miami) is a huge blow, but junior righty Connor Elenteny (Notre Dame) looks to fill the void at the top of the rotation. Junior infielders TJ McQuillan (Wake Forest) and Joey Ireland (Illinois) lead a deep, talented lineup. 6. Joliet Catholic (29-6) Senior lefties Lucas Grant (Purdue) and Cooper Kubinski (Heartland) anchor a strong pitching staff. Senior catcher Zach Pomatto (Northern Kentucky), senior outfielder Keegan Farnaus (Quincy) and junior infielder Lucas Simulick (Eastern Illinois) lead the offense. 7. St. Laurence (31-6) Junior utility man Daniel Coyle and junior outfielder Cory Les (Louisville) anchor a speedy lineup for a team that stole 172 bases last spring. After a season-ending injury to senior ace Joe Olson (Louisville), pitching depth will need to be developed behind senior John Strzechowski. 8. Reavis (30-5) Rams bring back largely the same roster after last season's success, led by senior infielder/pitcher Tino Villagomez (Lake Land), junior infielder Jonathan Liesen and junior pitcher Juan Avila. The one big change? Kyle McKinley has replaced retiring coach Don Erickson, who led the team for the last 31 years. 9. Lincoln-Way Central (24-7) It's a new era for Knights as Ryan Kutt takes over as coach and a decorated senior class from last season is gone. But the cupboard is far from bare as senior outfielder Liam Arsich (Toledo) and senior infielder/pitchers Luke Mensik (Xavier) and Jack Dykas (Wisconsin-Parkside) take control. 10. Homewood-Flossmoor (19-17) Vikings have a strong one-two pitching punch in juniors Henry Humes (Navy) and Cormac Saunders. The offense will need to take a leap behind senior infielder/outfielder Demir Heidelberg (Eastern Michigan) and senior infielder/pitcher Derrick Holmes (Mercyhurst). The 25 Players to Watch Lucas Acevedo, Lincoln-Way West, senior, infielder/pitcher. Jack Bauer, Lincoln-Way East, senior, pitcher. Justin Canvin, Oak Lawn, junior, utility. Sean Cody, Richards, senior, infielder/pitcher. Daniel Coyle, St. Laurence, junior, utility. Joey DalPonte, Lockport, senior, infielder/pitcher. Connor Elenteny, Mount Carmel, junior, pitcher. Conor Essenburg, Lincoln-Way West, senior, outfielder/pitcher. Aidan Flinn, Marist, senior, pitcher. Lucas Grant, Joliet Catholic, senior, pitcher. Henry Humes, Homewood-Flossmoor, junior, pitcher. Enzo Infelise, Providence, senior, utility. Aiden Licea-Gonzales, Bremen, sophomore, infielder/pitcher. TJ McQuillan, Mount Carmel, junior, infielder Luke Mensik, Lincoln-Way Central, senior, infielder/pitcher. Bren Milburn, Crete-Monee, senior, infielder, pitcher. Kaleb Navarro, De La Salle, senior, utility. Nate O'Donnell, Providence, senior, infielder/pitcher. Jacob Parr, Lemont, senior, outfielder. Peyton Panozzo, St. Rita, senior, infielder/pitcher. Nolan Ramoley, Brother Rice, junior, outfielder. Jake Ross, Andrew, senior, pitcher. Rowan Smyth, Evergreen Park, senior, outfielder/pitcher. Gavin Triezenberg, Brother Rice, senior, infielder.
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Despite MLB draft buzz, Cincinnati recruit Enzo Infelise maintains even-keel focus for Providence. ‘A special player.'
After winning the Catholic League Blue's player of the year honors as a sophomore in 2023, Providence's Enzo Infelise had a hard time living up to incredibly lofty expectations — both his own and from outsiders — at the start of last season. Infelise, a senior utility man, is no longer concerned about all of that. In helping lead the Celtics to the Class 4A state championship last spring, Infelise learned he just had to be himself and stop worrying about it. 'Junior year started off not like how I wanted it to,' Infelise said. 'My mentality wasn't right. I'm not used to that. I had maybe 20 strikeouts last year and I had four the year before. I'm usually not a strikeout guy, so it was kind of getting in my head. 'I know I can hit. I just need to trust myself and stop letting the mental side of things get to me.' Infelise, a Cincinnati recruit, hit .525 with two home runs and 35 RBIs as a sophomore. Last season, his batting average took a hit — down to a still-strong .362 — but he upped his power numbers, finishing with seven homers and 32 RBIs. Providence coach Mark Smith saw Infelise questioning himself at times a year ago. 'It's a maturation process,' Smith said. 'This would probably go for just about any kid who's ever had such an incredible year as a sophomore. You're not going to repeat that. To hit what he did, .525 as a sophomore against the pitching we see, to repeat that is extremely hard. 'I think he put such high expectations on himself. You're not going to live up to that and that's OK.' Smith saw Infelise at his best late last spring once he figured out how to take some of the pressure off himself. 'I think about two-thirds through the season last year, he realized, 'Hey, whatever happens, happens, I'm just going to be me,'' Smith said. 'When he got back to being him, things got even better for him.' In addition to his powerful bat, Infelise brings a ton of versatility to the Celtics' lineup. He expects to play catcher, shortstop and third base this season as well as pitch out of the bullpen. 'When it comes to Enzo, tell him he can't do something and he'll show you how good he can do it,' Smith said. 'That's what makes him a special player.' Infelise is happy to play anywhere, but he's hoping his future is as a catcher. 'Last year, catching was a little rough for me,' he said. 'But over the fall and stuff, I feel like I really dedicated myself to it more. I know my bat is there, but I really want to show people how I can catch and show that I can stick back there. 'I love catching.' The Celtics return the top three pitchers from their state championship team in seniors Kasten Goebbert (Gulf Coast Community College), Cooper Eggert (SIU Edwardsville) and Nate O'Donnell (Minnesota). Eggert and O'Donnell — the 2024 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year — were also two of the state's best hitters last season. Eggert, O'Donnell and Infelise make up half of the six returnees from last spring's starting lineup. 'I feel like it's a good feeling to be the hunted,' Eggert said. 'We're going to have the target on our backs. We're going to see everyone's best, and that will be fun.' Infelise, who is widely considered one of the state's top senior prospects, knows there will be plenty of eyes on him. But he's ready for that. 'This year, I've heard some more buzz around my name with the MLB draft and things like that,' Infelise said. 'But I just try to not to do too much at the plate or even catching. 'I just want to do my thing instead of trying to live up to something that I'm really not. I just want to do me.'
