Hurricanes’ Wikierak contemplates future

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JOLIET – Marian Central baseball coach Gregg Wikierak was ready to go out on top.

If the Hurricanes had won the IHSA Class 3A State Tournament, Wikierak said he would have called it a career. Marian lost to DeKalb, 6-1, in Friday’s semifinal, then defeated Joliet Catholic, 8-3, in a rain-shortened, four-inning game Saturday for third place.

That finish is the best in Marian’s history and would be a great way for Wikierak to end his 21-year coaching career at the school, but he might be back.

“I have talked with my wife [Cindy] about it,” Wikierak said. “I told her if we won it all I definitely would hang it up. If not, I don’t know.”

Wikierak will enjoy a vacation with his family, do some fishing this week and contemplate his future.

“Maybe it will come to me while I’m fishing,” he said.

Wikierak works his regular job as a paramedic fireman in Arlington Heights.

Hot stick: Marian center fielder Scott Franzegrote entered the final weekend hitting .393 and ended the season at .427 after going 6 for 7 in two games at Silver Cross Field.

“I was just up there looking for pitches to hit and was lucky that they threw me some in spots where I could hit them,” Franzegrote said.

Franzegrote attributed some of his success to extra batting sessions with his grandfather, Jay Whitehead, of Island Lake.

“Grandpa Jay can still throw,” Franzegrote said. “That’s helped a lot. I think my batting average here’s higher than most of my test scores at Marian.”

His and Hers medals: Huntley baseball coach Andy Jakubowski was able to share a nice moment at Silver Cross Field on Saturday with his wife, Michelle, after the Class 4A third-place game. Stevenson beat Huntley, 5-0, in a three-inning game shortened by rain and lightning.

Michelle Jakubowski is Huntley’s assistant athletic director and was serving in that capacity, so she received a fourth-place medal just before Andy.

All hands: Jakubowski pulled junior Jake Staab in the second inning and used three sophomore pitchers in the next two-plus innings. Justin Gundlach finished the second, Bryan Doherty threw a scoreless third and Jake Perkins was pitching in the fourth when the game was suspended.

After an hour delay, IHSA officials called the game a final and waited for good enough weather for Naperville Central and Chicago St. Rita to play the championship.