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Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Wauconda sophomore Luke Sickmeir, hitting .488 in his debut, seems unstoppable. A blood clot gives him pause.
Every sports season has ups and downs, but Wauconda's Luke Sickmeir couldn't have expected any of this. For almost two months, the sophomore outfielder made it look easy in his first varsity season, hitting essentially everything thrown at him and playing spotless defense. But after having surgery to remove a blood clot from his right arm this month, Sickmeir can only watch as the Bulldogs enter the playoffs. 'This part of the season is the most important, so it's tough to miss that,' he said. 'It's hard to think that I'm done for the season. There's nothing I can do to change it. All I can do is try to heal as fast as possible.' Additional surgery, scheduled for June 2, will require a roughly three-month recovery period. So the 6-foot-4 Sickmeir, who is also a standout wide receiver, will miss the beginning of football season, if not more. Sickmeir said he met with the surgeon for two hours Tuesday and felt reassured. 'He was explaining the risk of the surgery, the procedure and the recovery process,' Sickmeir said. 'He said he's done around 250 of these surgeries and about 90% of the athletes who he's operated on returned to the same performance level they were at.' That's a high bar for Sickmeir. He hit .488 with a 1.304 OPS in 26 games for Wauconda (16-14, 9-8), which is in fifth place in the Northern Lake County Conference and will play Lake Forest in the Class 3A Prairie Ridge Regional semifinals on May 29. Thirteen of Sickmeir's 40 hits went for extra bases, and he drove in 28 runs despite hitting in the leadoff spot much of the time. 'Knowing it was my first varsity season, I wasn't expecting to be hitting .500,' he said. 'The first three or four games, I hit really well, but I wasn't expecting to keep that up for the whole year. I was just taking it game by game and not worrying about stats. 'Once I didn't stop hitting, that's where the confidence came in, being confident that every at-bat, I'd either get a hit or get on base.' Sickmeir sets a goal for each game. Getting two hits in the same inning wasn't one of them, but he did that anyway during a seven-run frame in the Bulldogs' 11-10 conference loss to Grant on April 30. 'I led off the inning with a double into the left-center field gap, and then I hit a single into right to drive in the sixth run,' he said. 'That was a pretty fun rally, but it was a shame we lost the game.' Sickmeir began the season in the bottom third of Wauconda's batting order. But it soon became clear to the coaching staff that he couldn't stay there. 'Kids can play at a high level for a few weeks, but he just kept going and never stopped,' Wauconda coach Shawn Rudolph said. 'He's a quiet, hardworking kid, and his hitting ability has always been there. But he's also been making hard plays look easy out in right field.' Sickmeir's hitting approach has been pretty simple. 'Early in the season, I was taking a lot of first-pitch fastballs,' he said. 'I kept getting them, right down the middle, so I figured I might as well swing. Now I'm looking for them.' Sickmeir began to feel soreness in the upper part of his right arm during the weekend of Mother's Day, which included a nighttime fishing outing with Rudolph's son Brody, a Wauconda sophomore who also plays baseball and football. During Shawn Rudolph's physical education class the next day, Sickmeir mentioned the soreness, and he was sent to the nurse's office. 'It was swollen while we were fishing, but I figured the swelling would go down and it would go away,' Sickmeir said. Less than 24 hours later, Sickmeir was diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a subset of thoracic outlet syndrome that can cause blood clots in the area underneath the collarbone. He had awoken that morning looking forward to Wauconda's series against conference champion Grayslake Central. Instead, he prepared for surgery. 'I was concerned and for a time didn't know what would happen next,' Sickmeir said. 'It just kept escalating. But the good news is that once the clot is out, it can't spread.' The second surgery will address that. Sickmeir said about 70% of his top rib will be removed. A vein can pinch between a segment of muscle and bone, and removing part of the rib will allow blood to flow freely through the area. Then Sickmeir's recovery will begin. He said he hopes to play football at some point in the fall. 'I'll try to get back as soon as possible without doing any damage,' he said. 'Maybe I can aim for midseason. I'll be doing a lot of physical therapy during my recovery time, but I should be able to do lower-body work this summer.' Sickmeir is trying to make the best of the situation. 'It's definitely a different perspective watching from the dugout as opposed to playing, and I'm trying to figure out ways I can help out,' he said. 'I realize it was a great season for me, but it stinks that I couldn't finish it off with my teammates.'
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Antioch's Carson Young is a former infielder, former outfielder and former catcher. Now he's an ace.
Antioch's Carson Young has seemingly done it all on a baseball field, shuttling between the infield, the outfield and catcher. Being versatile is an enticing prospect and is certainly helpful to the team. But Young's career was given its biggest jolt when he decided to focus solely on being a pitcher. 'It became time to pick between pitching and playing the field because physically it was a lot to go back and forth between,' he said. 'Even last year, there were times I still wanted to catch more, but it was important to fit the role that the team needed, and that was in the bullpen. 'What I embraced was getting as good as I can at one thing.' As a pitcher, Young has gotten very good. Although the right-hander is throwing only once a week, his appearances have been highly impactful for the Sequoits (17-10-1, 8-5), who have won seven of the eight games he has started and sit in third place in the Northern Lake County Conference. Young will enter his final two regular-season starts with a 5-1 record, a 1.76 ERA, 62 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 43 2/3 innings. Antioch coach Frank Fracek has slotted Young in the third game of their conference series, and the Bethel University commit has won the rubber game three times — against Wauconda, Grant and Lakes. 'That's worked out pretty well, partly because I think I pitch a lot better when there's a little more of an atmosphere,' Young said of his series-deciding role. 'I tend to feed off the pressure. This has definitely been due to all the preparation I've done. That gave me the confidence to go out there and know I'll perform.' Last season, Young was eating up innings out of the bullpen, in part because he had suffered a stress fracture in his right elbow during the offseason. The main reason cited for the injury was overuse, which factored into his decision to become a pitcher only. Young had no limitations coming into this season. He refined his slider and, after lifting weights six times per week in an effort to improve his overall physical condition, increased the velocity of his fastball. He said he reached 88 mph during the offseason. 'My body feels way better this year than it did last year, and you can tell by the way I'm throwing,' he said. That's not the only reason for Young's success. 'I've been around only a few other kids who have the competitive edge that Carson does,' Fracek said. 'He's a total gamer, and he's very driven, having short-term goals for long-term success. He's turned into our team leader because of the confidence and energy he exudes.' Young is also using his experience as a catcher to pitch smarter. 'I watch a lot of interviews with major league pitchers on YouTube, and this one called 'Slab Lab,' there was someone talking about how you should try to race to two strikes as fast as you can,' he said. 'I had never thought about that, but it makes sense. A hitter's batting average with two strikes is really low, and it helps allow me to execute pitches when I want to execute them.' Antioch senior catcher Mason Willis, a Carroll University commit, also helps in that endeavor. He has certain expectations every time Young is on the mound. 'We've had some pretty good arms around here, like Jack Olson and Dylan Feldkamp, and he's filling in the ace role as well as anyone we've had,' Willis said. 'He's the guy we trust, and when he has good tempo, he really commands the game. He has a real mound presence.' Young said he thinks that mound presence gives him an advantage, especially in the face of often-raucous opposing dugouts. 'Even when I was young, I had a way of shutting it all out,' he said. Young appreciates all of his starts this season. But his most recent appearance has special meaning for him. The conference game against Lakes on Friday was Antioch Youth Local League night. 'That was one of the most fun games to be a part of because it represented a full-circle moment,' Young said. 'I remember going to all of the Antioch High School camps and looking up to the high schoolers. Seeing kids watching us and cheering us on was a really nice feeling.'
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Bri Lopez is a different hitter this season. ‘Her swing is so powerful.' She makes Grant stronger too.
Grant's Bri Lopez has been around long enough for opponents to think they know what she can do. But the senior right fielder has changed her approach at the plate in her fourth season as a starter for the Bulldogs. Coach Chris Van Alstine said Lopez is taking advantage of her strength, and he jokingly called her 'Quadzilla.' 'Bri is doing things different this year,' Van Alstine said. 'She picked a lane. She was a slap hitter, but she invested her time and became a solid power hitter. She's not slapping anymore. 'Her swing is so powerful, compact and quick. She does a great job driving the inside ball. She's a strong athlete in a small frame.' Lopez, a Wisconsin-Oshkosh commit, is one reason the Bulldogs (14-8-1, 5-2) have already topped their 12-win total from last season and are in second place in the Northern Lake County Conference. She's batting a robust .452 with a 1.191 OPS, six doubles, a triple, three homers and 20 RBIs. 'I would say this has been one of my best years offensively,' Lopez said. 'A lot of that is from the confidence that I built within myself. I put in a lot of hard work in the offseason during my spare time, going to the cages with my dad and hitting a lot.' Lopez, who hit a double and scored three runs during Grant's 17-2 conference win over Round Lake on Thursday, stands out in right field too. 'I remember seeing Bri play in fifth or sixth grade, so it's funny how time goes by so fast,' Van Alstine said. 'She's playing her best softball right now. She's played great the last three years, but she's really hitting the ball well and plays great in the outfield. 'She gets to the foul line so fast, makes so many plays in foul territory because of her speed and quickness. She's a complete player.' Grant senior third baseman Taylor Glover said Lopez plays with the right mindset. 'She is a good player because she gives her best, even when she's not feeling her best, and is always humble about how she plays,' Glover said. Just as important, Lopez is also a good teammate, according to Grant junior pitcher Haley Lloyd. 'Bri is always cheering us on and always has our back,' Lloyd said. 'She's very dedicated to the team.' Lopez said her teammates are very important to her. 'Softball gave me a second family, a sisterhood, and brought me so many of my friends,' she said. 'I don't think I would be the person I am today without it. I've made so many connections. It helped mold my personality.' Lopez said her two brothers have made a difference too. Her older brother, Michael, is a former Grant student-athlete, and her 10-year-old brother, Jacob, helps her stay positive. 'Jacob has taught me to never take life too seriously,' Lopez said. 'He's always cheering me on, even after a bad game, and he's always having fun during the game. He's my biggest cheerleader. He's always the first one to run up to me and give me a hug and say he's proud of me.' Lopez, who said she has a 4.6 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, likes to encourage other people too. She does volunteer work, including for Feed My Starving Children. 'I like meeting new people, building connections and lending a helping hand for those in need,' Lopez said. 'I love putting a smile on someone's face.' Working together has benefited the Bulldogs, too, according to Lopez. 'All of us are contributing in our own different way to help the team win,' she said. 'I think we have the potential to go far if we put all three aspects of the game together.' 'Quadzilla' is doing her part.
