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Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Tennessee recruit Ethan Moore, a ‘generational player' for OPRF, becomes a top-100 MLB draft prospect
Oak Park-River Forest senior Ethan Moore has a lot on his plate these days. First and foremost is his final season of high school baseball. But as the playoffs approach, much more competes for Moore's attention. The switch-hitting shortstop has gained a national profile with his considerable skills. 'I'm just taking it one game at a time, trying to have fun and be a good leader for my team,' he said. 'With me and the scouts and the opportunities I have, I'm enjoying the process. I realize I'm blessed to have these opportunities, and I know all of that stuff will take care of itself.' 'That stuff' includes Moore's commitment to defending Men's College World Series champion Tennessee and the 2025 MLB draft that begins July 13. The opportunity to play Division I baseball has been available to him for years — he committed to another national power, Louisville, as a freshman before switching in the fall — but the potential to play professionally sooner rather than later is a newer development. Moore, who was batting .430 with four home runs, 31 RBIs, 38 runs scored, 22 stolen bases and just six strikeouts for West Suburban Silver Conference leader OPRF (23-9, 12-4) through May 14, made favorable impressions at several national showcase events last summer. He ranks No. 91 on MLB's recently unveiled list of the top 150 draft prospects. 'In the years prior, I was always focused on developing mentally and physically,' he said. 'Last summer was a lot of flying, traveling to face the best competition out there. It was pretty fun, and I had a pretty good summer with scouts watching me.' One event in particular — the Area Code Games, held each August in Long Beach, California — was especially significant for Moore. He hit .357 without a strikeout in 16 plate appearances and returned home with a different level of evaluation being cast upon him. 'After that, I realized I had a pretty good shot and that other opportunities might be ahead,' he said. Moore was right. A parade of professional scouts watched Moore work out individually in the fall, and he said representatives from 'almost all' of the 30 MLB teams have come to his home. 'It was two or three months of scouts watching and visiting, and it was a lot,' he said. 'After the first week, I got used to it, and it became a routine, meeting scouts and hearing all about their organizations.' Moore's entire family had to get adjusted to the attention. He's the second of three boys — Ezra, a 2023 OPRF graduate, played with him for two years, and Ian is a freshman on OPRF's varsity team — and their father Nate played at Southern University after a standout career at Chicago Vocational. 'When Ethan was younger, he did do some special things on the field, and when he got into playing for Team USA, you could see him separating himself,' Nate Moore said. 'But it's always been team-first, and he wants to not be the center of attention.' That's hard to do when your high school knows about you before you step foot on campus. OPRF baseball coach Kevin Campbell's initial reports about Ethan Moore have been reinforced over four seasons. 'He looks like a Division I running back, definitely a generational player,' Campbell said. 'But I'm most proud of how he's handled himself because it's definitely not easy. You would think a kid with the following he has would change, but there's nothing different about how he acts or prepares. He's so humble.' When Moore got into the lineup at second base as a freshman, he 'never flinched,' according to Campbell. The next season, Moore had an audience of MLB scouts when OPRF played Downers Grove North, which featured George Wolkow. The Chicago White Sox selected Wolkow in the seventh round of the draft that summer. The 6-foot, 190-pound Moore and the 6-7, 240-pound Wolkow are very different physically, but Campbell remembers coming away from that game believing Moore compared favorably from a talent standpoint. That was made more clear last season when the Huskies played York, whose pitcher Ryan Sloan was only weeks away from being selected in the second round of the 2024 draft by the Seattle Mariners. 'On the first pitch of the game, Ethan hit a ball right past Sloan's head,' Campbell said. 'We looked over at all of the scouts, and every one of them was writing in their notebooks.' Moore also remembers that at-bat, which gave him an indication of how far he had come in his development. 'That was one of the games that put me on the map,' he said. 'I didn't have the best at-bats against him sophomore year, but I focused, like always, on being aggressive but patient. I felt like I was in my element.' Moore is clearly in his element on a baseball field. He's a natural right-handed batter who began switch-hitting in seventh grade. Moore bats leadoff for the Huskies, where his line-drive, gap-to-gap hitting is a perfect companion to his top-end speed. 'Hitting-wise, I know what my game is, which is hitting the ball on a line and using my speed to turn singles into doubles,' he said. Moore is also a smooth fielder. He has mastered many of the little things that distinguish prospects of his caliber. 'When I was younger, my dad would hit us all ground balls for hours,' he said. 'I'm constantly moving my feet, which allows me to create my own hops and not need that little stutter step to get lined up.' Jaxon Clayton, a suburban Milwaukee native who played travel ball with Moore for several years, knows there's more than natural ability in those steps. 'You won't find anyone who works harder than Ethan, and that's what separates him,' Clayton said. 'There were times in the summer where we'd all be chilling in the hotel, and he's in the weight room, putting in the reps that others haven't. 'He sacrifices a lot, but there's no doubt in my mind that he'll achieve his goals and dreams.'
Chicago Tribune
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Emily Crotty, whose sister plays for Coastal Carolina, takes on leadership role for Andrew. ‘Look up to her.'
As she embarks on her third varsity season, junior midfielder Emily Crotty knows what Andrew soccer is all about. Well, actually, Crotty had that knowledge before she ever stepped on the field in high school. She grew up watching her older sister, Leah, star for the Thunderbolts. 'Watching my sister for four years was great,' she said. 'I really look up to her. Coming to Andrew soccer games and knowing how they were as a team and a school, it was awesome because I know they all wanted the best for each other. 'It's definitely awesome to be a part of it now and see the positivity throughout the team.' And now, Crotty is one of the standard-bearers for the program. It's a role she's ready for. Crotty continued her hot start to the season Tuesday night, scoring her fourth goal of the year to lift Andrew to a 2-0 win over Oak Park-River Forest in a Windy City Ram Classic semifinal at Reavis in Burbank. North Central College recruit Paige Swaw added the other goal for the Thunderbolts (4-0), while Ella Karnezis tallied an assist and Annabel Walsh made three saves to record the shutout. Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit Sophia Ryan, Kaitlyn Gudyka, Abigeal Gallagher and Annie Lloyd led a dominant defensive effort in front of Walsh. Andrew advanced to take on Lincoln-Way Central (4-0) at 6 p.m. Thursday in the championship game of the 32-team tournament. The Knights earned a 6-1 win over De La Salle (3-1) in the second semifinal. Crotty, meanwhile, put the Huskies (3-1) in an early hole Tuesday night. She took a pass from Karnezis, raced down the middle of the field and buried a goal just over nine minutes into the game. 'We were all kind of talking on the bus about coming out strong and getting a goal kind of quickly to boost the energy,' Crotty said. 'I saw an opportunity. Ella played a very good through ball. I knew I had to put it away.' Andrew coach Loren Zolk has long known how talented Crotty is. But even though she scored 15 goals and dished out 18 assists last season as a sophomore, the Thunderbolts didn't need to lean on Crotty. Things are a bit different this spring. 'Last year as a sophomore, she was kind of more of a role player in the middle with Grace Wood and Taylor London in there with her,' Zolk said. 'Emily balanced them really well. But now as a junior who's been with us for a while, she's kind of taken over the middle. 'I've seen her take her game to a different level in terms of what she's allowing herself to do in the middle that she wasn't doing as much last year because she was kind of deferring to the two seniors a bit.' Lloyd, a Beloit recruit, has watched Crotty grow into a star. As one of the nine seniors on the team, Lloyd has no problem letting Crotty be one of the leaders as a junior. 'Emily's amazing,' Lloyd said. 'She always works so hard. She motivates the team, for sure. She always keeps everyone on track, and when we're goofing around, she makes sure we get focused.' When it comes to leadership, Crotty has always had a good role model in her older sister. Leah is heading into her senior season as a Division I soccer player at Coastal Carolina. 'She's always driving me to be the best player and the best teammate on and off the field,' Emily said. 'She's a leader, and I've always looked up to her for that. She's always communicating and looking out for her teammates, so I learned about that from her. 'I always look forward to talking to her before and after games because she always has something positive and some things that I can work on.' Originally Published: March 25, 2025 at 9:26 PM CDT
Chicago Tribune
03-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Tears flow as Joliet Catholic's Ryan Cumbee coaches Grace and Matt Laird at state. ‘Just icing on the cake.'
BLOOMINGTON — It sure was a heck of a day for the first family of Joliet Catholic wrestling. Hilltoppers coach Ryan Cumbee led the boys team to the third state trophy in program history — all coming in the last four years under his direction — with a third-place finish in Class 3A. Cumbee's stepson, Matt Laird, was part of the roster. At the same time, Cumbee's stepdaughter, Grace Laird, took third at 130 pounds in the girls state meet at Grossinger Motors Arena. Grace Laird's performance was historic. The senior is Joliet Catholic's only female wrestler, and she became the program's first medalist in the sport. 'It's been really great,' Grace said. 'I'm the only girl on an all-boys team, I'm the first girl wrestler for our school, and I'm really proud of that. 'It's definitely been really hard, but I'm so grateful for everything it's given me. It's made me so much tougher. This is just icing on the cake.' Cumbee is a hard-nosed coach. I've been at a few of his practices, and they sure get intense. But Cumbee was a big softie on Saturday. I made him cry twice during our interviews. Of course, there was good reason to be emotional. Cumbee coached his stepdaughter for the final time and saw her reach the podium for the first time. 'It's been the greatest experience of my life,' Cumbee said. 'Coaching my own daughter, I didn't want her to wrestle because I knew I'd have to be tough on her for four years straight. 'But she showed up every day, wrestled with the boys, got yelled at with the boys, and she handled it well. I have no doubt that this sport has given her every tool she's going to need the rest of her life.' Grace Laird competed in gymnastics for 10 years. When she quit her freshman year, she considered wrestling. There was plenty of skepticism in her family. 'I grew up around wrestling and I just decided I wanted to do it,' she said. 'None of my parents wanted me to wrestle, but I started and here I am.' Grace has treasured her time as one of her stepfather's wrestlers. 'It's been great,' she said. 'Obviously, it's hard coaching your own kid, but he's one of the best coaches I've ever met. He's been so encouraging. I wouldn't be where I am without him.' Matt Laird, a sophomore 126-pounder, earned a major decision in the Hilltoppers' 38-29 quarterfinal win over Oak Park-River Forest to make his mark on the team's third-place finish. The family's banner day even extended outside of Joliet Catholic as Cumbee's nephew, Max, was part of the Class 2A championship team at IC Catholic. Ryan Cumbee, meanwhile, was the busiest man in Bloomington. In between the Hilltoppers' boys duals, he was in the corner for all of Grace Laird's matches. 'It's been a little bit of chaos, but I wouldn't have it any other way,' he said. 'There was never a question of where I'd be when it came time for her to compete.' Podium pride Senior Maggie Zuber became Mother McAuley's first wrestling medalist with a runner-up finish at 140. Zuber was a four-time state qualifier but had never won more than one match at state until this breakthrough performance. 'It means a lot to me,' Zuber said. 'I'm really excited that I can leave that legacy there.' Lincoln-Way co-op's Zoe Dempsey, a junior at Lincoln-Way West, took third at 110, improving on a fifth-place finish from last season. 'I do feel like it's going in the right direction,' Dempsey said. 'I have full faith in myself that I can win this whole thing next. Honestly, I had full faith that I could do it this year, but that's just more reason to work. Losses are good for a lot of things.' Oak Lawn's Charvelle McLain finished fifth at 155, Homewood-Flossmoor's London Gandy took sixth at 110, Hillcrest's Christiara Finley placed sixth at 140 and Oak Forest's Isabel Peralta was sixth at 190. Congrats to all the Southland medalists and special kudos to two-time individual champion Claudia Heeney of Lockport and all the wrestlers of Andrew co-op, the area's first girls wrestling state championship team.
