Pitching, depth key to Apache baseball season
By John Baracani
The 1999 Apache baseball team enters this season sporting a much different look than the team of a year ago.
Only four players return; pitcher/infielder Eric Markey, pitcher/outfielder Josh Reeder, pitcher/first baseman Charlie Riva, and outfielder Jesse Arjes, along with coach Bob Koopmann, hope to improve on last year’s record of 5 - 39.
"The four kids we have coming back from last year’s team will be the start of turning the program around to where we can be respectable; that’s what the whole goal is," Koopmann said. "They wen through a long year last year. We have a better team this year."
Newcomers to the team include a staff of ten pitchers. Sophomores Justin Wharrie, Steve Hardman, Carl Taft, Ryan Bonnamy and freshmen Tim Breuning, Bobby Torres, Matt Kornick, Steve Wasmer, Jeff Eide, and Brian Lewis round out the staff.
"We have ten pitchers who are just pitchers on this team," said Koopmann. "Last year our position players had to pitch. (This year) our pitchers can concentrate on pitching and the hitters can concentrate on hitting. We don’t have to worry about them missing practice time, so that’s going to help a lot."
Manning the infield for the Apaches will be freshmen Heath Tepovich, Nick Dzierzynski, Tony Nelson, Corey Harper, Garret Dinges, and Tom Wiesbrock.
Sophomores Mike Fulkerson and Brent Allen, along with freshmen Jeff Szczupaj and Jason Grubar compose the rest of the outfield.
Behind the plate are freshmen catchers Jon Flood, Kevin Hahn, and Jason Kearney.
Freshman pitcher Lewis said, "We’ve got some new guys and we’re all pretty much new at this. They only won a few games last year so we hope to improve on that. It should be no problem."
Pitcher Wasmer agreed: "Coach Koopmann did a good job recruiting. We’ve got some good players. We should be all right."
According to the coach, pitching and depth are his team’s strong points. He said having two players at each position gives him a chance to substitute a new player for one who might be struggling.
Koopmann believes his team will hit for a good average and have good speed on the bases, but will most likely lack home run power. He does not think, however, that the lack of power is going to be a major problem.
The team enters the season prepared for play in a tough conference, which includes perennial powers Joliet, who won the conference last year, and Triton, followed by Harper, DuPage and Rock Valley.
Despite the tough competition, Koopmann believes his team could make a run at the leaders.
"I’d hate to say that we could win the conference because Triton and Joliet are good, really good. But, when you have pitching, you can compete with those teams, and they don’t know we have this."
Two key factors, according to Koopmann, have contributed to getting the team ready to play and be competitive. The first is the trip the team took to Florida over spring break, playing 14 games.
This year was the first such trip for the Apache baseball team. Last preseason the team played just six games, all in southern Illinois.
"It was cold and horrible weather (last year)," Koopmann said. "We got back here and we were behind (the other teams) because they all go on spring trips. The more games you play, the better chance you have."
The second thing that Koopmann said was important was fall baseball, when the team worked on his offensive and defensive strategies, leaving time this spring to work on other aspects of the game.
"That helps out tremendously," he said.
With the poor condition of the baseball field, the team has been forced to practice in the gym and at the Westclox building in Peru.
At press time it had not been determined where the Apaches would play their home games, although Koopmann said he hoped something would be worked out so they could play somewhere in Oglesby.
The men play at the MetroDome in Minnesota on March 16 and are scheduled to open at home March 18 against Sauk Valley.
March 15, 1999 the Apache