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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Carson Holmes, whose older brother played for Libertyville, is ‘a big part of it now.' And he has a big swing.
For as long as anyone can remember, when Libertyville's Carson Holmes has held a baseball bat, good things have happened. That hasn't changed in Holmes' first full varsity season. He has settled into the cleanup spot in the Wildcats' lineup and has launched a home run in each of Libertyville's two playoff wins. 'I like fielding,' Holmes said. 'But more importantly, I just like to hit. That's why I play baseball.' Holmes, a junior who has been a dependable outfielder but was the designated hitter on Saturday, blasted a two-run homer as second-seeded Libertyville beat seventh-seeded Highland Park 5-2 in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates Regional championship game. Holmes' fifth home run of the season came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and gave the Wildcats (32-4), who will play sixth-seeded Prospect in the Stevenson Sectional semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, a 5-0 lead. It scored senior first baseman Joshua Holst, an Air Force recruit who had singled right before Holmes and hit a solo shot two innings earlier. Holmes' long ball provided two important insurance runs for junior pitcher Chase Lockwood, who went the distance. The Giants (24-11-1) scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh. 'The previous at-bat, I swung and whiffed at a curveball, so I just sat curveball the next time up,' Holmes said. 'He threw me one, and I took it deep. The one before was a really bad swing, so I made the adjustment.' Holmes takes a measured approach at the plate. 'The thing with Carson is that he takes a nice, smooth swing,' Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. 'He's never trying to jack the ball. He just gets the barrel to the ball really well, and obviously you see the results. 'He's always been confident in himself as a hitter, and he's built on it this year.' Holmes, who went 2-for-2 and was hit by a pitch on Saturday, is hitting .426 with a .543 on-base percentage, a 1.330 OPS and 21 RBIs. 'I've been seeing him swing the bat since we were 8, and he's always been hitting bombs,' Libertyville junior second baseman Trevor Wallace said. 'He has a great swing. The whole year, he's been pretty hot. It's been fun to see.' Holmes' older brother Dylan, a 2022 Libertyville graduate, plays for NJCAA Division III World Series qualifier Oakton Community College. The two spend ample time analyzing Holmes' swing, making adjustments when things go awry and having a devoted plan day in and day out. 'He's been a big influence on how I play this game, especially hitting the ball,' Holmes said. 'I'll send him videos, and he'll help me with my swing to this day. So he deserves credit for that.' Holmes pointed to one change in particular this season. 'We made some adjustments in my swing, and ever since, I've been hitting the ball really well,' Holmes said. 'I was upper-cutting it too much, and I need to stay more downhill to the ball, having a shorter path — be short to it, not long.' Holmes, who got a taste of varsity baseball as a late-season call-up in 2024, has longed for this opportunity, having watched Libertyville teams of the past. 'It's been a lot different but a lot of fun actually being a big part of it now,' he said. 'It's kind of my job to hit, and I pride myself on doing that, and this is a really good team to be a part of. We all connect, and this is our year to do some damage.'
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Libertyville's Sydney Dulak learns ‘it's so much easier playing free.' She makes it difficult for Fremd.
Libertyville senior forward Sydney Dulak is winning the mental game this season. Dulak said that wasn't the case last year, when she struggled to handle self-imposed pressure after committing to Saint Louis. 'Last year, I was in my head a lot,' she said. 'Just myself, I needed to be good. When I set super high standards, I don't take it too well, especially last year.' But Dulak has been a different player throughout the Wildcats' run to the North Suburban Conference title and the Class 3A Fremd Sectional championship game this season, and that continued Friday night. Dulak scored twice in the first half as top-seeded Libertyville beat second-seeded Fremd 2-1 in Palatine to win the sectional title. Dulak also scored a goal against Glenbrook South in the sectional semifinal and has 13 goals and 11 assists for the Wildcats (18-1-3), who reversed a 2-1 loss to Fremd (13-6-4) in the 2024 sectional final to advance to the Barrington Supersectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday. 'When you get into these games, you have to let go,' Dulak said. 'It's so much easier playing free, like a weight off of my shoulders. It's fun again.' Calling Dulak an 'incredible player,' Libertyville coach Ian Taylor said switching her from center midfielder to the wing has made a difference too. 'It was a really positive change for her,' Taylor said. 'I think she has a little more freedom now to play her game, and she gained more confidence throughout the game, taking players on 1v1s. When she gets a chance in a game, she doesn't miss.' Taylor said Dulak can play any position on the field, though. 'She has another gear that you don't see until she puts on the burners,' Taylor said. 'She's really smart with the ball and has a great delivery with both feet. She's a really technical and dynamic player.' Libertyville senior defender Anna George said Dulak can affect the game in a number of ways. 'Sydney is so composed under pressure, and she knows what to do with the ball all the time,' George said. 'She takes her chances whenever she has them. 'She's a good goal scorer but also assists very well. She knows where everyone is on the field and can set everyone up on the field as well.' Dulak said she intends to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a physical therapist. She even likes to practice on teammates. 'I know what to do because of my parents, like icing and elevating, taking care of your body and taking the rest days,' she said. 'We have a couple of people who are injured on our team. 'We just had one of our starters, Tess McGormley, injure her ankle recently, and she wanted to get back in the next day. So I told her, 'You've got to take a break and ice.' She iced it and is now ready to play the next game.' So is Dulak. 'I feel last year it wasn't that fun,' she said. 'I was in my head and put so much pressure on myself. This year, I love my team and love it so much.'
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Sophia Zepeda pitches like the ace Mundelein needs her to be. ‘I saw my potential.' Now she's reaching it.
Mundelein senior pitcher Sophia Zepeda's run of bad luck appears to be behind her. Zepeda, who pitched sparingly behind then-sophomore Shae Johnson during the Mustangs' run to fourth place in Class 4A last year, was anointed the ace of the staff after an injury sidelined Johnson for this entire season But Zepeda, a College of Lake County commit, then suffered back-to-back injuries that forced her to sit out some games. 'It was frustrating because I reinjured myself the very first game back and missed five or six games,' she said. 'I knew I had to be ready when I came back and thought it would be difficult after a few weeks off. It was good to rest my body.' Zepeda, who returned in early May, certainly was on her game Friday. She didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning to lead fourth-seeded Mundelein to a 6-0 victory over fifth-seeded Libertyville in the 4A Buffalo Grove regional championship game. Zepeda (8-4) struck out 18, walked five and surrendered just two hits in seven shutout innings for the Mustangs (22-10), who advance to the Stevenson Sectional semifinals to play another North Suburban Conference rival, the top-seeded host Patriots, at 2 p.m. Wednesday. 'Sophia has always been ready to step in and do what she can do for the team, so this year she knew she would get more of the pitching responsibility with Shae out with her injury,' Mundelein coach Heather Ryan said. 'She's such a tough, resilient, hardworking kid. She had some injuries but did a great job rehabbing and getting ready for the playoffs. 'She brought the heat today, and her pitching was really hitting. She hit her spots.' Zepeda struck out five over the final two innings and finished her stellar performance by snaring a hard-hit hopper and throwing to first base for the last out. She struck out 16 against Buffalo Grove in the regional semifinals and has 164 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings this season. 'I threw a lot of rise balls, and that was working in our semifinal game as well,' Zepeda said. 'That's what I've been working on every day.' Zepeda, who also plays volleyball and basketball, was impressive in relief in the third-place game last year. She said she then prepared in the offseason to be the Mustangs' No. 1 pitcher. 'The state experience was really good for me because I saw my potential and how good I can be,' she said. 'That really drove me in the offseason. I just lit up the offseason and went to the cages and threw a lot.' The Wildcats (23-9) split the season series with the Mustangs but failed to get a hit on Friday until junior Taylor Higham, who took the loss after pitching six-plus innings, ended Zepeda's bid for a no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth. Libertyville junior Maddy Kleemann followed with a single up the middle, but Zepeda escaped a two-out, bases-loaded jam with a strikeout. '(Zepeda) dominated us and pitched great, and they made all the plays defensively,' Libertyville coach Dar Townsend said. Mundelein senior first baseman Claire Connelly, an Indiana State recruit who holds multiple program records, said Zepeda has proved she's a gamer. 'Not pitching much last season, she has stepped up and come back stronger after her injuries,' Connelly said. 'She's become a more dominant pitcher and always stays composed. I don't think she missed a pitch today. She was nonstop and didn't take a pitch off.' Mundelein freshman catcher Sarah Benes agreed that Zepeda is rounding into elite form. 'She hit her spots today,' Benes said. 'She was strong and hasn't missed anything since her injury.'
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Libertyville's Bode Rohrbach, grandson of a former Chicago Cubs catcher, shows he can be ‘unbelievable'
Baseball is in Libertyville junior third baseman Bode Rohrbach's bloodlines. His grandfather Ken Rudolph was a catcher in Major League Baseball for nine seasons, including four with the Chicago Cubs. His uncle Mason Rudolph, also a catcher, was selected by the New York Mets in the 17th round of the 1988 MLB draft. But Rohrbach didn't start playing baseball until he was 10 years old. 'I started out pretty late,' he said. 'One of my best friends got me into baseball and just wanted me to try it out. I went to the tryout and actually didn't make the team but worked hard, came back and made the team, and I've loved baseball ever since.' Rohrbach might have been a later arrival to the sport, but he has caught up, and he's making a difference for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Rohrbach had two hits, including his first home run of the season, in second-seeded Libertyville's 7-0 victory over 16th-seeded host Hoffman Estates in the Class 4A regional semifinals on Wednesday. Rohrbach, a North Suburban Conference honorable mention, is batting .333 with a .420 on-base percentage, eight doubles, 12 RBIs and 18 runs scored for the Wildcats (30-4), who will play either seventh-seeded Highland Park or 10th-seeded Rolling Meadows in the regional championship game at noon Saturday. 'Bode did a great job last year for us defensively,' Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. 'But our biggest thing this year, we wanted more out of his bat. He's a lot more comfortable at the plate. He didn't have bad at-bats last year but didn't get the results he wanted. 'This year he's doing really well defensively, but nice to have his bat going for sure. He took good swings today.' Rohrbach, who also plays outside linebacker and safety in football, said his home run over the left-field fence was a confidence booster after a strong regular season. 'Last year, I kind of struggled at the plate, so that was what I wanted to work on in the offseason because I knew my fielding was there,' he said. 'I've been working on my two-strike approach and just looking for a ball I can crush. 'I did that with my home run. I was looking for a good pitch to hit and found it right in my zone up and took it over the fence. It was my first in a while, so it felt good.' Libertyville senior shortstop Cole Lockwood, a Valparaiso recruit, said Rohrbach's defense is well-established. 'He's always been a leader out there, and I love playing on the other side of him because we bounce off each other with the same energy,' Lockwood said. 'We communicate well. I know how far he can go, and we have that unspoken chemistry. 'Now at the plate, he's been unbelievable.' Libertyville senior pitcher/first baseman Joshua Holst, an Air Force recruit who also plays football with Rohrbach, appreciates having him at third too. 'It's good on the mound for me knowing that any ball that gets hit to third, he will make a play,' Holst said. 'He's improved a lot since last year and now has the experience of two years. He's very confident in the field, and that's nice for me as a pitcher.' Rohrbach said he isn't done improving. 'I still have another year to show myself,' he said. Rohrbach hopes to continue to follow in his family footsteps. 'My grandfather worked with me ever since I started baseball,' he said. 'He's really had a great impact on my game, and I really look up to him and am trying to go to the stop he was at.'
Chicago Tribune
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Bella Yarc learns ‘perseverance and dedication' on her farm. Sticking with it, she gives Libertyville an edge.
Libertyville senior forward Bella Yarc wakes up at 6 a.m. nearly every morning to get some work done. But soccer isn't her focus at that hour. 'I live on a farm and raise and sell livestock, like deer, pigs and sheep,' she said. 'Every single day, I'm up before practice. I've been doing it since I've been 5 years old. 'It's taught me responsibility, perseverance and dedication. I've definitely used that and soccer to build who I am.' Yarc has shown perseverance and dedication on the soccer field, too, becoming a key scorer for the Wildcats. After recording five goals in limited action last year, she doubled that total during the regular season and has added four more goals in the postseason. Yarc opened the floodgates on Tuesday, scoring a goal in the opening minute of top-seeded Libertyville's resounding 9-1 win against sixth-seeded Glenbrook South in the Class 3A Fremd Sectional semifinals in Palatine. Danica Meller had a hat trick, and Sydney Dulak, Shea Krakowski, Tess McGormley, Natalie Schlitt and Natalie Schmidt each scored a goal for the Wildcats (17-1-3), who have won nine games in a row and will play second-seeded Fremd in the sectional championship game at 6 p.m. Friday. Players like Yarc could be the difference for the Wildcats, who lost 2-1 to Fremd in the sectional final last season. 'Bella played behind a few girls last year,' Libertyville coach Ian Taylor said. 'She was training hard in practice. This year, she has stepped up and got a chance to start the last few games. She had been a consistent 20 minutes off the bench every half. 'She has a nose for the goal and puts the ball in the right spots and doesn't overreact when she's in front of the goal.' Libertyville senior defender Shannon Phillips, an IU Indianapolis recruit, said Yarc's drive is the main reason for her breakout season. 'She keeps going and never got frustrated despite not always starting,' Phillips said. 'She's been working so hard and has been starting now and doing so well. She loves taking people on 1v1s, which has benefited her so well. 'That drive is what we need in a forward. It's really impressive to see how she's doing and putting everything into it. I'm really proud of her.' Yarc calls her work on the farm a full-time job. She has to balance that and soccer during the spring, which she said is 'really crazy.' She also played flag football in the fall and credits that for her success this season. 'Flag football helped me with agility and speed training,' Yarc said. 'Running back is a lot of the same movement as soccer, but just with a different type of ball. It made me more aggressive.' Yarc, who won't play college soccer, is also a good teammate, according to Taylor. 'She's always positive, and that shows in how she plays, bringing energy and juice,' Taylor said. 'She's been an asset this year.' Krakowski, who leads the Wildcats with 24 goals and also has 10 assists, said Yarc has proved to be a good fit. 'She earned her spot on the field,' Krakowski said. 'In practice, she works so hard, and she jells amazing with the girls.'
