Latest news with #Schambow
Chicago Tribune
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Throwing TD passes, Quinn Schambow thought about a state title. In baseball, he and Libertyville have a shot.
Senior catcher Quinn Schambow went 2-for-4 and scored the decisive run in the top of the eighth inning to back junior right-hander Chase Lockwood's gem as Libertyville pulled out a 2-1 win against Normal Community in the Class 4A state semifinals in Joliet on Friday. Schambow, an Oklahoma State baseball recruit who threw 52 touchdown passes during the 2024 football season, crossed the plate on junior designated hitter Carson Holmes' single, giving the Wildcats a 2-0 lead after the teams played seven scoreless innings. Lockwood allowed only an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth. He scattered five hits, walked three and struck out seven for Libertyville (35-4), which will play either McHenry or Brother Rice in the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats will make their third appearance in a state final with a chance to win their first title. 'That was the goal coming into the year,' Schambow said. 'That's the goal in any sports.'
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Butler football recruit Mason Strader commits to Libertyville baseball. ‘I totally bought in,' and he scores big.
Libertyville senior Mason Strader approached this baseball season like an athlete with something to prove. Although Strader had already committed to play football at Butler, he didn't rest on his laurels. 'I've totally bought in to what the coaches have been telling me,' he said. 'I didn't come into the season knowing I had a definite position, so I made a goal for myself to become a contributing member of the team with a defined role. 'Once I earned it, I pledged to hold on to it.' Strader has fulfilled that pledge. He is the starting center fielder for the Wildcats (34-4), who will play Normal (36-4) in the Class 4A state semifinals at the Joliet Slammers' Duly Health and Care Field at 4 p.m. Friday. Strader managed to prepare for this opportunity while training for two sports. 'I think I did a good job this offseason of keeping both sports separate but at the same time benefiting both,' he said. 'I knew I had to dial it up baseball-wise and tighten up some of my skills, but I was making sure I was addressing football too.' Libertyville baseball coach Matt Thompson thinks Strader, who plays safety in football, is better for it. 'He was more of a pull hitter in 2024, but he's hitting to all fields now, and doing all of his strength work for football has given his bat a little more juice,' Thompson said. Batting ninth, Strader has been productive as a second leadoff hitter for the Wildcats. He's batting .284 with 16 RBIs and 25 runs scored in a lineup where the first five hitters' averages range from .359 to .459. Senior catcher Quinn Schambow and senior pitcher/first baseman Joshua Holst have combined for 45 extra-base hits and 86 RBIs. 'I know if I get on base, I'm no doubt going to score with those guys coming up behind me,' Strader said. 'I try to have a good two-strike approach and get on any way I can – hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, error.' Strader took two of those avenues during Libertyville's 5-4 win over Lake Zurich in the Stevenson Sectional championship game on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with two singles and reached on a hard-hit ball to shortstop in his other at-bat. Leading off the third and fifth innings, Strader got on base ahead of senior shortstop Cole Lockwood and scored, first on a double by Schambow and then on a home run by Holst. 'That was a game where it showed how important that spot in the order can be,' Strader said. 'I'm fortunate to have great people around me and to be surrounded by a bunch of extraordinary athletes.' Strader also excels in center field, helping make Libertyville's defense up the middle — which includes Schambow, Lockwood and junior second baseman Trevor Wallace — a strength. Strader manned the corner outfield spots almost exclusively in the previous two seasons. But he has thrived in center with his speed and has become the leader of a tight-knit group that includes sophomore Ryan Wilberding in left and juniors Carson Holmes and Jack Cenar in right. 'I love the pressure when the ball is hit to me,' Strader said. 'That's my favorite part of playing baseball. Those guys are my brothers. They help me read balls, and I'm so appreciative of them. We do a lot of the same communicating as in football.' Wilberding is a catcher by trade, but his offensive skills forced the coaching staff to get him in the lineup. His transition to the outfield has been made easier by Strader. They're throwing partners and have extended their connection to off-field activities, including fishing trips with Holmes. 'Mason has taken me under his wing a little bit and has been a good mentor,' Wilberding said. 'Our bond as an outfield has grown super strong as the season has gone on. I'll have to be more of a leader next year, and his leadership has helped me realize the kinds of things I'll want to do.' In the meantime, the Wildcats want to win the first state title in program history. 'I was a believer in this team from day one,' Strader said. 'Team-wise, we have such great chemistry, and I knew we had a team that could win it all. Now it's time to go prove it.' Like Strader has already done.
Chicago Tribune
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Libertyville sophomore Brady Buenik already throws 95 mph. He has ‘moxie.' But he's tested in sectional final.
Libertyville's Brady Buenik is in that select company of high school pitchers who can throw a 95 mph fastball. Almost as important for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore right-hander are the lessons he's learning as he reaches deeper to navigate high-pressure situations, like the one he faced in the Class 4A Stevenson Sectional championship game on Saturday. 'The adrenaline was going pretty quickly, but I think I did a pretty good job of calming down and trying to think that it's any other game,' Buenik said. 'I wasn't 100% me today, but it was a good learning experience.' But Buenik was good enough to earn the win. He pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief in the second-seeded Wildcats' 5-4 victory against eighth-seeded Lake Zurich in Lincolnshire. An effective bridge between junior starter Chase Lockwood and senior closer Zach Seiler, Buenik (5-0) allowed two hits, walked five, hit one and struck out three as Libertyville (33-4) won its first sectional title since 2013 to advance to the Schaumburg Supersectional against Maine South (23-16) at Wintrust Field at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Libertyville senior catcher Quinn Schambow, an Oklahoma State recruit, looks at Buenik's refusal to back down as a key factor in his success. Buenik struck out senior slugger Owen Strahl to end the sixth inning. 'He was throwing balls past guys, and it was pretty cool to see him get fired up on the strikeout,' Schambow said. 'That shows how competitive he is, and that's what you need to be a ballplayer — that confidence and moxie and swagger. If you don't have that, good luck. That's one of the things that makes him special.' Buenik started four games this season, his first at the varsity level. Among those, he pitched five strong innings during the Wildcats' 2-1 win against Valley Christian, a team from Chandler, Arizona, that didn't lose the rest of the season en route to a state title. 'Having that under his belt really built his confidence,' Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. 'Going into the seventh (against Lake Zurich), he said, 'Coach, I'm finishing this game.' I agreed with him and said, 'Let's start with the first batter and go from there.'' Buenik entered the game against the Bears (26-12) with a 2-1 lead — which Schambow gave the Wildcats with a two-run double in the third inning — after Lockwood pitched the first three frames. A three-run fifth gave the Wildcats insurance runs they needed. Schambow's sacrifice fly made it 3-1, and senior first baseman Joshua Holst, an Air Force commit, followed with a two-run homer. The first batter to face Buenik in the top of the seventh grounded to third. But a four-batter stretch with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, an infield error and another walk ended his day. Lake Zurich sophomore third baseman Alex Toth coaxed a walk from Seiler to make it 5-3. But Seiler struck out sophomore leadoff hitter Carson Hamblin and Strahl with the bases loaded sandwiched around plunking senior outfielder Cash Kaczmarek. 'I've been there before, and I feel comfortable getting the call to be in those situations,' Seiler said. 'I understand it's a big moment for me, but it's a big moment for them, too, and when I follow Brady, it's different for the hitter. It's nice to know that they're already off balance before I throw my first pitch.' Seiler was referring to Buenik's fastball, which has helped him produce a 1.24 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 34 strikeouts against 11 walks in 28 1/3 innings. Strikeouts have always loomed large for Buenik, but this is the first season in which his fastball hasn't been able to do all the heavy lifting by itself. 'A little bit earlier in the year, there were signs of guys catching up to it, especially in the later innings because velocity might drop a bit,' he said. 'No one was absolutely crushing it, but I've learned that you've got to mix a lot more. Anyone can catch up to a fastball, but if you execute your pitches, things will go your way.' Not everything went Buenik's way on Saturday, but that will be good for him in the long run, according to Schambow. 'He needed that for himself because not every time you step on the mound are you going to have a perfect outing where you don't walk anyone or give up any hits,' Schambow said. 'He's matured a lot as the season has gone on, and as you can see today, the pressure didn't get to him.'
