Latest news with #Genke
Chicago Tribune
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Matt Kelly delivers first extra-base hit of season to spark St. Charles North past Batavia. ‘Pretty neat to see.'
St. Charles North third baseman Matt Kelly is one of those seniors who had to wait his turn to contribute at the varsity level. And as it turns out, that wait has been totally worth it. After the North Stars graduated 16 players from last season's team, Kelly knew the opportunity would be there to make a difference this spring, and he has taken advantage. 'I didn't really play at all,' Kelly said of last year. 'I spent all winter training for this, getting bigger and stronger. I expected to be the third baseman, a leader for this team, and I think I've done so.' Kelly came through yet again Thursday in the North Stars' 10-2 win over the host Bulldogs, hitting a two-run double as part of a five-run first inning in a Class 4A Batavia Regional semifinal. While Kelly finished 3-for-4 for St. Charles North (21-12), Ben Auer added two hits, including a two-run double. Mason Netcel had two doubles and Matt Ritchie went 6 1/3 innings for the win, striking out eight and allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits and three walks. Liam Darre and Nolan Zimberoff each tallied two hits for Batavia (15-20-1). Kelly has been a mainstay in the lineup for the North Stars all season, but one thing had eluded him until his first career postseason at-bat. 'It was his first extra-base hit of the year,' St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said. 'He's had a lot of hits for us, but not the extra-base type. He got into that ball. 'I'm really proud of him. Coming into the year, we were hoping he'd be the guy he is, but we just didn't know. He didn't have a whole lot of opportunities last season. It's pretty neat to see that.' Kelly was excited to get the North Stars going Thursday. His double broke a 1-1 tie in the first. 'That was awesome, just to get some runs on the board,' Kelly said. 'It meant a lot to me.' Batavia was a pitch away from getting out of the first up 1-0, but the Bulldogs wound up giving up five unearned runs and had to chase the rest of the day. 'We knew we'd have to weather the storm the first few innings,' Batavia coach Alex Beckmann said. 'That's kind of how playoff baseball games go. They did a better job of doing that than us.' The North Stars only had three senior returnees for this season, including the inexperienced Kelly. Genke stressed to the group there were opportunities to be had — and for Kelly in particular. 'You've seen other guys come through and be leaders like Jackson Spring and Mike Buono,' Genke said. 'Now it's your turn. He really grabbed that. He's a very unassuming kid, super smart. 'To see stuff like that, a kid come back and say I'm going to do my role and be that guy, is awesome. We pushed him. He's worked his tail off. He's seeing the benefits.' Ritchie also settled in Thursday after a rocky start. That was no surprise to Kelly. 'They jumped on Matt, but he beared down and shoved for us and we got the bats going,' Kelly said. 'I always have confidence with him on the mound. I know he's going to perform.' So does Genke, which is why he put Ritchie in the position to help St. Charles North reach the regional final. The North Stars play at 10 a.m. Saturday against South Elgin (22-10). 'I think he was a little nervous,' Genke said of Ritchie. 'I went up to him about the fourth inning and was like, 'Are you settled in now?' He said, 'Yeah, I'm good coach.' 'He's a big reason why we're here.' Kelly, meanwhile, got his first playoff game under his belt. And now, he's ready for more. 'I'm so excited,' Kelly said. 'It will be awesome to get a chance to win a plaque.'
Chicago Tribune
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
With DuKane Conference title on the line, Keaton Reinke steps up for St. Charles North. ‘This is what I live for.'
Junior right-hander Keaton Reinke wants to be on the mound with the ball pitching in the biggest games for St. Charles North. And if it's a winner-take-all championship game, even better. He's definitely got all the tools. But it's his mentality that looms larger. 'This is what I live for,' Reinke said afterward. 'I want to be in these moments with my guys. I know they've got my back. That's just what I love and what I live for.' Reinke, who just returned from a football visit to Stanford, lived up to the moment Friday. Working 6 1/3 innings for the win, Reinke struck out four as the North Stars held on for a 4-3 victory over host Geneva that clinched the DuKane Conference title for St. Charles North. Reinke reached his pitch count with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning for the North Stars (19-12, 14-7). He allowed three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Two pitches after Reinke exited, Josh Kobylinski induced a game-ending double play for the save. Sophomore phenom Matt Ritchie was unavailable for the game, but St. Charles North coach Todd Genke didn't hesitate to tab Reinke with the assignment. 'You can't have somebody more important than a kid like him on the mound,' Genke said. 'I thought he took us on his back. That's just the kind of athlete he is and the kind of teammate he is. 'He had electric stuff. To hold that team to three runs is pretty impressive, especially here.' Reinke also scored the first run of the game after legging out a dropped third strike. Charlie Major came up with a two-run single in the second to give the North Stars a 2-0 lead. Langdon Straub doubled and courtesy runner Cam Chickerneo scored what proved to be a pivotal insurance run. Mason Bruesch, Ethan Gronberg and Nelson Wendell each had two hits for Geneva (23-11, 13-8), which scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to one. Bruesch also stole two bases. Noah Hallahan pitched a complete game. Reinke, a three-star recruit at wide receiver, is navigating that process while also trying to be the ace for the North Stars. Through it all, Genke said Reinke's commitment to the baseball program never wavered. His toughness also has permeated the entire roster. 'When you compete like he does, whether it's on the football field, baseball field, in the box, on the mound or in the outfield, special things happen,' Genke said. 'He's a special human. 'Regardless of all the other stuff going on in his life, he's here for his teammates and for our program and we're really lucky to have him.' Reinke carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Geneva broke through when Wendell singled and scored on Hallahan's sacrifice fly. After St. Charles North added a run in the seventh, Reinke started to slow down and approach his pitch count. Four of the five batters he faced in the seventh reached base and two scored. 'It was heartbreaking to take him out there with as well as he'd pitched,' Genke said. 'But we have confidence in Koby.' Geneva coach Brad Wendell thought another comeback, which has been a calling card this season of the Vikings, was about to occur. 'It did feel like it,' Wendell said. 'I still believed until the end. Our guys compete. In games like this, it's tough to get wins. We just talked about being competitive.' Once Kobylinski secured the double play, the celebration was on, led by an exuberant Reinke. 'Just being able to celebrate with my guys is what I wanted,' Reinke said. 'It meant a lot. We have the guys. We proved it (Friday) that we're the top guys and we're going to be there for a while.'
Chicago Tribune
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Sophomore Matt Ritchie dominates as St. Charles North shuts out crosstown rival St. Charles East. ‘Pretty special.'
Matt Ritchie is the latest in a long line of quality pitchers that have gone through St. Charles North during the tenure of coach Todd Genke. Ritchie, a highly touted sophomore right-hander, stands 6-foot-3 and already possesses a fastball that can hit 90 mph. Genke, a former minor league pitcher, knows he has a unique talent on his hands. 'For such a young kid, really good baseball mind, competitor,' Genke said of Ritchie. 'Obviously, he's been blessed with a strong right arm. 'He's an exciting young player and he's an even better human being. When you put those two things together, that's pretty special.' Ritchie took another big step forward Saturday in a 3-0 DuKane Conference win over crosstown rival St. Charles East. He worked six shutout innings, hitting his pitch count of 90 with a strikeout to end the sixth. Ritchie struck out 10 while scattering four hits and two walks for St. Charles North (9-6, 5-2). Josh Kobylinski came on in the seventh to nail down the save. Keaton Reinke chipped in with two hits, including a double, two runs and two stolen bases for the North Stars. Ben Auer, Ty Heimbuch and Nolan Macholz each tallied RBI singles. James Feigleson had two hits for St. Charles East (10-10, 6-4). Ritchie kept his eye on the Saints' lineup while playing third base Friday in the series opener at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva. Showing his maturity, he started putting together a scouting report in his head for Saturday's game. 'All night, I was at third studying their hitters and seeing what was going to get them,' Ritchie said. 'I just wanted to work quickly and get ahead.' That's an area of his game that Genke confirmed is still evolving — dictating the pace of the game. It wasn't a problem at all Saturday, however. 'Sometimes he gets slowed down a little bit, so we've been working with him on that,' Genke said. 'He was in control the entire game, so I'm very proud of him and happy for him.' Genke also calls pitches for Ritchie, who is all ears. Genke focused on the fastball and curveball the first couple times through the order before having Ritchie mix in change-ups later in the game. 'I've never questioned anything he's called,' Ritchie said. 'I've developed my change-up. The last time through the order, I had another weapon to get them with, another pitch for them to see.' Reinke led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk, stole second and scored on Auer's RBI single. Ritchie made that lead hold up in a pitcher's duel with St. Charles East's Nathan Moline before the North Stars tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth. 'That's a game where you have to tip your cap to their pitcher,' St. Charles East coach Derek Sutor said. 'He seemed to get stronger as the game went on. Our guys didn't adjust at the plate. 'He owned the mound. He stayed calm. The stage didn't faze him.' Sutor was impressed with how Moline went toe-to-toe with Ritchie. 'That's kind of the thing he's done all season for us,' Sutor said. 'He's a guy who's turning into somebody that we're going to count on down the stretch.' In terms of demeanor and arm talent, Genke likens Ritchie to former ace Josh Caccia. Ritchie has more size and more velocity but Genke would still like him to adopt some of Caccia's traits as he moves along. 'I'm hoping it develops more into Caccia,' Genke said. 'He was a pitcher — he wasn't a thrower. Matt's starting to graduate from being that thrower to being a pitcher and being able to command three pitches and command the mound. 'He's going to be a fun kid to watch the next few years.'
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Iowa, Northwestern and Stanford want St. Charles North's Keaton Reinke for football. Baseball? ‘Not off the table.'
St. Charles North's Keaton Reinke may be the area's hardest working young man this spring. The right-handed pitcher is one of the top-ranked junior arms in the state. He's also taking over duties in center field from his brother Parker, who's now playing baseball in college at Taylor. Keaton maintains a 5.0 GPA. Oh, and he's also one of the most sought-after football recruits in the state after a breakout season at receiver, leading to offers from Iowa, Northwestern and Stanford. 'For me, I like to have a finite schedule,' Reinke said at preseason baseball practice. 'I do the same thing every day. After school, a lot of it is the same — go to practice, get homework done. 'Just having a schedule I can fall back on in order to get everything done is the key.' St. Charles North coach Todd Genke knows how special of a time this is for Reinke and he's doing all he can to be in his corner. 'It's a very unique situation,' Genke said. 'I wholeheartedly support everything he's doing. I feel very blessed because I get to see him in the fall (as an assistant football coach) and in the spring. 'I've got a great view of what he's doing.' There's certainly a lot to see. North Stars football coach Rob Pomazak knew he had something special on his hands when Reinke was young. It set the table for opportunities he now has. 'It's well-deserved,' Pomazak said. 'We all believed he was very talented. That's why we wanted to make him such a big part of the offense. He had a huge game against Palatine to start the season. As the season went on, it was more of the same. 'It's something I kind of expected, but he might even be a little surprised at the way things have gone this offseason.' The football recruiting process picked up in January. Reinke's first offer came from Toledo. He's now up to 11 after the three-star recruit picked up another recently from Air Force. 'Personally, for me, it's been fun,' Reinke said. 'The guys that I talk to are really good to me. It's just fun talking to them. Being blessed with the opportunity to get these offers is all I can ask for. 'The stress of picking which school is best for me is definitely a stressor, but talking to my family about it makes it a lot less stressful.' The feedback he's getting from football coaches now echoes the feedback he was getting from baseball coaches over the summer. The 6-foot-4 Reinke throws in the low 90s with a developing change-up and a curveball. He's ranked third for right-handed pitchers in his class according to Prep Baseball Report, slotting in around players committed to Michigan State, Notre Dame and TCU. 'It was basically the same thing as football, if I'm being completely honest,' Reinke said. 'They think I could play at a high level in baseball. That's still not off the table. 'If I play well and something pops up, you never know.' Genke is going to rely heavily on Reinke this season in all aspects of the game, including an increased leadership role, something Reinke said he got help from his brother Parker. 'He's going to get the ball in the biggest games and he's earned that opportunity,' Genke said of Keaton. 'We also need him in the field. He's going to take over for his brother in center field. 'I'm excited to see him develop out there too.' As he has shown throughout his time at St. Charles North, Reinke is ready for everything. 'Being able to help the team both ways will definitely be a fun challenge,' he said. 'The past few days we've been able to get outside. I've thrown a couple of bullpens already. 'My arm already feels like it's in midseason form.' Originally Published: March 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM CDT
