Latest news with #OswegoEast
Chicago Tribune
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
With MLB scouts taking notice, Jacsen Tucker turns on power to spark Oswego East past Oswego. ‘Everybody knows.'
Even though he's only a sophomore, shortstop Jacsen Tucker has developed a reputation that precedes him for Oswego East. Being ranked the No. 3 player in his class in Illinois and the No. 30 at shortstop in the nation by Prep Baseball Report will definitely grab some attention. It's also led to teams attacking Tucker with off-speed pitches, rarely giving him a fastball to hit. 'Everybody knows who he is,' Wolves coach Brian Schaeffer said. 'They're pitching to his weaknesses. He's done a really good job of adjusting. He's still hitting around .330 — he just doesn't have the numbers he had last season. 'When he sees a mistake, he's going to do what he does.' Tucker saw one of those mistakes in the first inning of Thursday's Southwest Prairie Conference game at crosstown rival Oswego. He promptly deposited that pitch well over the left-field fence, giving Oswego East a three-run lead. The Wolves wound up pulling away for a 10-4 win as Tucker finished with three hits, three runs, three RBIs and a stolen base. Devin Wheaton added four RBIs, a double, a run and a stolen base for Oswego East (16-18, 7-8). Carter Rapp scored twice, while Wilson Terrutty chipped in with an RBI double. Dylan King hit a solo homer for Oswego (20-14, 4-11). Jacob Fehrmann had two hits and an RBI and Quinn Stanley notched two hits. Four pitches into the game, Tucker showed why college recruiters and MLB scouts are hot on his trail. He tattooed a pitch to left for his fourth homer of the season, stunning the crowd. 'He got down 3-1, so I knew I had a pitch coming,' said Tucker, who gave the Wolves a 3-0 lead before an out had been recorded. 'I settled into the box, relaxed, took a deep breath. 'When I saw that pitch, I just killed it. I kind of shocked myself. I didn't think I hit it that hard until it got up to its max.' Oswego coach Joe Giarrante has seen a lot of home runs hit at his home park. Tucker's shot was one of the more impressive. 'That got out of here in a hurry,' Giarrante said. 'Just give him credit. He made a mistake and you can't do that to a good hitter. He's really matured a lot over the years. 'That was a good way for them to start the game.' Tucker's second hit, a one-out single in the fifth, showed off his new-found approach. Tucker battled the count to 3-2, then connected to the opposite field for a single. He was along for the ride on Wheaton's three-RBI double that broke open a one-run game and made it 8-4. 'He's a very patient hitter,' Schaeffer said of Tucker. 'When he sees what he wants, he goes after it, but if it's not exactly what he wants, he's patient. He gets deep into counts quite a bit.' This isn't the first time Schaeffer has had a prospect the caliber of Tucker on his hands. It was only four years ago when Noah Schultz was a first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox and teammate Ashton Izzi was a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Mariners. 'It's almost like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, now twice in four years,' Schaeffer said. 'Just enjoying baseball and enjoying high school is important.' Tucker is grateful to have a resource in Schaeffer who has gone through this process. 'It does help on my side,' Tucker said. 'If I need to talk to him about certain things, he's been through that. I lean on him a lot.' College offers are stacking up for Schaeffer, who has even heard from some pro scouts. The advice of just having fun is first and foremost for Tucker, though. 'That's just the key to it,' he said. 'You're not in high school long, so I'm taking in the moments.'
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Batting ninth, Niko Villacci continues to come up big as Oswego East gets past Yorkville. ‘Just found my groove.'
Junior left fielder Niko Villacci had bounced around the lineup this season for Oswego East. However, Villacci appears to have found a permanent home batting ninth in the order. And when the Wolves needed him in a clutch situation Tuesday afternoon, he didn't even flinch. 'It was kind of a perfect situation for me — one out, runner on third,' Villacci said in describing his extra-inning heroics. 'All I really had to do was put the ball in play.' Villacci delivered exactly what Oswego East needed. His chopper to third base allowed Mason Palermo to race home with the winning run for the host Wolves in a wild 6-5 Southwest Prairie Conference win in eight innings over Yorkville. Villacci also singled in a run in the second inning for Oswego East (14-16, 5-6). Devin Wheaton had two hits, including a double, and scored twice. Derek Kubek tied the game in the bottom of the seventh by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Joe Grimm and Carter Rapp each added RBI singles. Kal Arntzen, Kamden Muell and Frankie Pavlik tallied two hits apiece for Yorkville (14-12-1, 7-4). Aaron Klemm briefly gave the Foxes the lead with an RBI squeeze bunt in the seventh. Villacci began the season leading off for Oswego East, but coach Brian Schaeffer decided to experiment after teams attacked the Wolves' underclassmen stars — Dominic Battista, Jacsen Tucker and Villacci — with a steady diet of off-speed pitches. 'Everybody knows who those guys are,' Schaeffer said. 'We moved them around a little bit to try to get them to see some fastballs. (Villacci) is a good fastball hitter. It's the off-speed stuff that he sometimes struggles with, so we moved him around. 'He's made some adjustments and he's putting the ball in play, which is what we need.' Another offshoot of moving Villacci to ninth? It serves as a sort of second leadoff hitter for the Wolves. When he gets on, it allows Battista to do damage at leadoff, with Tucker batting third. 'I hit a little slump, so I moved down to nine,' Villacci said. 'I just found my groove at nine. I'll stay there because I found my groove and the offense is clicking, so there's no point in moving.' Aside from a 1-0 loss to Yorkville, Oswego East has scored 43 runs in the past five games, so that formula seems to be working 'We definitely kicked it up in the second half of the season for sure,' Villacci said. 'The first half the bats weren't really going.' Oswego East jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Foxes rallied with three runs in the third to tie it up. The Wolves took a 4-3 lead in the fourth on Grimm's RBI single and held that until the seventh. Three errors created two unearned runs, and suddenly, Oswego East trailed 5-4 in the eighth. 'We were playing small ball, putting pressure on them,' Yorkville coach Tom Cerven said. 'We definitely forced some errors and we were able to get some runs here and there, especially there in the seventh to turn the screws on them and make them make some uncharacteristic plays.' Kubek's RBI walk tied it, but Oswego East left the bases loaded to force extra innings. Palermo led off the bottom of the eighth with a double, and then with one out, Villacci did his thing. As a sophomore, Villacci gained notoriety by taking over as the starting quarterback for Oswego East. Make no mistake, though. This is what he was born to do. He also plans on continuing his baseball career in college. 'It's always been baseball,' Villacci said. 'I feel like football has overshadowed it since I was a sophomore on varsity. Baseball is my love. All of my family plays baseball, so it's a family thing.'
Chicago Tribune
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Freshman speedster Adalynn Fugitt brings key dimension to Oswego's batting order. ‘Get ′em started, be the spark.'
Playing instructions for Oswego newcomer Adalynn Fugitt are pretty simple, really. You go girl. Fast. A freshman speedster and self-taught bunter and slapper, the left-handed Fugitt does just that. She's a blur on the bases for a veteran team coming off the program's first appearance at state. 'She impressed us at tryouts,' Oswego co-coach Annie Scaramuzzi said of Fugitt. 'We knew we were missing some speed in our lineup, especially losing a difference-maker like Kaylee LaChappell to graduation. 'We were scoring runs, but we still felt like in tough games, we'd need the small ball and we'd need speed. We knew Adalynn would bring that.' But could she handle varsity pressure? So far, so good as Fugitt demonstrated that once again in a 9-3 victory Thursday when the Panthers traveled across town for a Southwest Prairie Conference showdown at Oswego East. 'Get ′em started, be the spark,' Fugitt said, describing her role. After being hit by a pitch to open Thursday's game, Fugitt stole second, moved to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a two-out single from Northern Illinois recruit Aubriella Garza. Fugitt added an RBI bunt single in a five-run second inning, beat out a slap grounder to third base and finally was retired on a comebacker to sophomore pitcher Addyson Dunn. Garza pitched the win for Oswego (17-0, 6-0). Iowa-bound senior catcher Kiyah Chavez highlighted a 10-hit attack with a two-run homer, her fourth of the season. Junior outfielder Savannah Page added a two-run triple. Sophomore second baseman Danielle Stone, senior outfielder Lundin Cornelius and senior catcher Ryenne Sinta had two hits apiece for the Wolves (7-8, 3-2). 'We had 10 hits and need to do better pushing them across the plate,' Oswego East coach Sarah Davies-Dymanus said. 'Get the bases loaded against a team like this you need to get something.' Oswego twice stopped potential rallies for the Wolves with double plays. Fugitt, meanwhile, opened the season playing one game for the junior varsity but joined the varsity for Oswego's trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama over spring break. 'She's very fast and basically fit right in,' Chavez said. 'I wanted her to be on our team from the beginning. I think a lot of us did, but I think they wanted her to earn her spot. 'She's incredibly talented, but being a freshman on varsity can be a lot, so I'm sure they wanted to give her a second. She's a great kid — hilarious. I love her.' Coaches were quickly impressed as well. 'From her first at-bat in Gulf Shores, we knew we had just found our leadoff hitter,' Scaramuzzi said. 'She slapped and beat it out.' Fugitt, who has played both middle infield positions, can play in the outfield and also pitches. LaChappell, now a freshman at Missouri S&T, hit .405 with a .477 on-base percentage and 24 stolen bases last spring. Fugitt is hitting .478 with a .529 OBP and seven steals in 15 games. She started softball at age 8 in the Oswego Baseball and Softball Association recreation league, and within a year had joined the Oswego Liberty travel program started by coach Doug Hagerty. 'I used to bat righty because I'm a natural righty,' said Fugitt, who ran track in middle school junior high and holds three Traughber Junior High records in the 100, 200 and hurdles. 'I actually didn't hit the greatest righty, so during COVID, I ended up switching to lefty by watching YouTube videos. 'It's tricky to track a ball while you're moving your feet, but I worked hard at it. I can swing away, but with our power hitters, I want to get on and let them hit me around.' Smart move since Oswego already has hit 24 home runs this season. 'I love slapping — it challenges me,' Fugitt said. 'You can take control of the offense. 'A good time from home to first is normally around 3.0 seconds. I think my best is 2.9.'
Chicago Tribune
03-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
This time, Navy recruit Chase Maier comes home with two boys swimming state titles for Oswego East. ‘It means a lot.'
Chasing history can be a lot of pressure, as it was last year for Oswego East's Chase Maier. As a junior, Maier came up just short in his quest to become the first state champion in program history, finishing second in both the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle. But the near-misses didn't increase the heat on Maier as a senior. 'Once you've experienced it one time, it's less pressure, I think,' Maier said. 'Last year I got second in both against two seniors, so this year I was the favorite to win. 'I just went out there, backed my training and did pretty well.' That's an understatement. Maier finished his high school career on a strong note, capturing state titles Saturday in the 200 and 500 of the boys swimming state meet at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. The Navy commit beat his previous best time by over a second in the 200, winning in 1:35.91. Maier came back in the 500 with an even better performance, clocking 4:19.36, which was just a half-second off the state record set by former Stanford swimmer Danny Thomson in 2012. 'I was looking to take it down,' Maier said. 'But I was maybe a little bit too tired from other events.' It's understandable considering the exhaustive extent of Maier's accomplishments. He will graduate as Oswego East's most decorated swimmer. Including relays, Maier won seven state medals, three coming Saturday. 'It means a lot,' Maier said. 'Our boys are getting better. We're the best we've ever been, and I have confidence that even after I'm gone after this year, they're going to continue to be great.' There is reason to believe Maier will, too. His grandfather was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, but Maier is the first member of his family to attend a service academy. Already accomplished in the water, the Navy could allow Maier to serve on the water as well. He must serve five years on active duty upon graduation. 'It's such a good opportunity and privilege to go to the Naval Academy,' Meier said. 'I'm looking to go into engineering, so it's a little bit of a mix between swimming and my education. 'I've always been more of a math guy and I like to build things. It seems like it's going to be really fun.' The numbers also added up for St. Charles North's Thomas McMillan, who won the 100 butterfly in a state-record 46.52. He becomes just the third swimmer in Illinois High School Association history to set a state record as a sophomore. The other two are Hinsdale Central's Luke Vatev, who set the 100 backstroke record during Friday's prelims before winning the event Saturday, and former Lake Forest star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers. 'It was definitely in my mind for me, trying to win,' McMillan said. 'I definitely have to set some more goals and reevaluate for the future.' McMillan said his initial reaction to the record was relief. 'I swam the whole season working toward this, so I was glad I got it done,' McMillan said. 'Just competing, trying to be the best, is what drives me.' McMillan, who was runner-up to Vatek in the 100 backstroke, is continuing a fine tradition in the butterfly. He's the third North Star to win a state title in the event. Will Myhre took the 2018 title and Aleksej Filipovic won in 2019 and 2020. 'It feels great to keep it going,' McMillan said. 'I've always been a flyer since I started, so it made sense to keep it going for high school.'
Chicago Tribune
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville North's Natalie Frempong pulls out all the stops in the regional semifinals
Junior guard Natalie Frempong, who scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season, didn't slow down in Naperville North's playoff opener. Frempong tallied 31 points on Monday as the ninth-seeded Huskies topped eighth-seeded Oswego East 67-62 in the Class 4A Benet Regional semifinals. Senior guard Anna Richards added 20 points for Naperville North (17-4), which advances to play top-seeded Benet (27-2) in the regional championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Redwings routed 17th-seeded Plainfield East 70-22 on Monday. The winner will go to the Bolingbrook Sectional semifinals. Second-seeded Waubonsie Valley also won in the regional semifinals on Monday. The Warriors (28-1) crushed 14th-seeded Plainfield South 88-32 and will play seventh-seeded West Aurora (21-4) in the regional final on their home court at 7 p.m. Thursday. In the Metea Valley Regional semifinals on Tuesday, the 15th-seeded host Mustangs lost 53-35 to third-seeded Bolingbrook, and 11th-seeded Naperville Central lost 61-42 to sixth-seeded Yorkville. In the Plainfield North Regional semifinals on Tuesday, 13th-seeded Neuqua Valley lost 49-25 to fourth-seeded Downers Grove North. Originally Published:
