Hawaii’s offer changes plans for lefty Brown

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What started as a joke between Woodstock graduate Derek Brown and his mother turned into a significant career move.

Kim Andes suggested that her son, who was planning on playing baseball at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, try out at the University of Hawaii.

Brown, as it turned out, had an “in” with Rainbows coach Mike Trapasso. Jason Basil, who coached Brown with the Cincinnati Flames the past two summers, played for Trapasso at Georgia Tech.

Basil spoke to Trapasso on Brown’s behalf, and Brown accepted an offer as a preferred walk-on to the NCAA Division I school last month.

“They didn’t have any [scholarship] money left and were in desperate need of left-handed pitchers and sticks,” said Brown, who bats and throws lefty. “They may let me play a little outfield and first base, too.”

Brown had some D-I schools looking at him as a pitcher, but he had a better senior season as a hitter. He logged a .355 batting average, with six home runs and 37 RBIs, and was selected to the Northwest Herald All-Area second team.

As a pitcher, Brown was 4-5 with a 4.30 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 582⁄3 innings. He allowed 64 hits and walked 42 batters.

Brown will pay for his first year, then receive scholarship money as he contributes more to the program. He committed in late July.

“I called [Trapasso] this summer and sent him some film,” Brown said. “He said, ‘We could use you.’ It’s going to be an experience.”

The Rainbows were
32-26 last season.

Road trip: Johnsburg senior C.J. Fiedorowicz found a great way to relax Monday, two days before football camp opened. Fiedorowicz, classmates Thomas Kinney and Tyler Chambers, and his speed coach, Chris Leathers, attended the University of Illinois camp in Rantoul.

Fiedorowicz (6-foot-6, 250 pounds) last month committed to Illinois, where he will play tight end. Kinney is one of the area’s top kickers and has attended some camps at D-I schools.

“[Kinney] wanted to go and check [Illinois] out,” Fiedorowicz said.

Fiedorowicz spent some time talking with offensive line coach Joe Gilbert, who was instrumental in Fiedorowicz’s recruiting. Leathers enjoyed talking with Illinois strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez.

“It was awesome, man,” said Leathers, who trains athletes at Davis Speed Center in Crystal Lake. “What was really cool is that we’re implementing a lot of the things that Illinois does. After the football season, we’ll do Illinois’ program, but it’s a lot of the stuff we’re doing anyway.”

Swimsuit ruling: Following the lead of FINA, the international governing body of swimming, the IHSA has banned “high tech” suits from interscholastic competition.

FINA announced at the World Championships this summer in Rome that the full-body suits would be banned starting Jan. 1. The IHSA ban begins immediately.

The new suits have been given credit for record breaking swims at all levels of competition. At the boys swimming IHSA State Finals in February at New Trier in Winnetka, eight state records were set in 11 total events. At the recently completed World Championships,
43 world records fell.

As of Tuesday, legal competition swimsuits must be made of permeable fabric so as not to aid in buoyancy. For males, the swimsuit must not extend above the waist or below the top of the kneecap. For females, the suit must not extend beyond the shoulders or below the top of the kneecap. Also, suits cannot use zippers or other fastening devices except for a drawstring.

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at 815-526-4513. He also can be reached by fax at 815-459-5640 or by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.