Local talent helps Lombard baseball team thrive
As the manager of the Lombard Orioles amateur baseball team, Jeff Vukovich has enjoyed his share of success.
The team, in fact, clinched its seventh consecutive Wisconsin State Baseball League title earlier this month and is also leading the standings in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League.
Vukovich also has coached his shared of standout players from the McHenry County area, including Cary-Grove graduate Brett Nommensen and Hampshire's Jake Goebbert.
This summer, the Orioles are thriving again with four local players currently on the roster - Crystal Lake South grads Ryan Faidley and James Vazquez, along with Prairie Ridge's Bobby Martin and Jacobs' Matt Igara.
"They're all just good, solid ballplayers," Vukovich said.
Faidley, Igara and Martin were part of the 18-member CSBL North All-Star team that played July 12 in the league's all-star game in Crestwood.
Faidley, an outfielder who will be a senior at NCAA Division I Eastern Kentucky this fall, helped Lombard clinched the WSBL title July 18 by homering in the first inning and driving in four runs during the first game of a doubleheader sweep against the Sheboygan A's. He is No. 2 in the WSBL with a .439 average.
"Ryan's got some tools," Vukovich said. "He's got a chance to be pretty good."
Igara and Martin starred at Heartland Community College in the spring and will both be moving on to D-I programs.
This summer, Igara, who will play at Western Illinois, has been a reliable bat at the top of the lineup for the Orioles.
"He just goes out and does the right things," Vukovich said.
Martin, who will play at Valparaiso, has been a key member of the infield.
"He plays a really good shortstop, and we've played him some at third base and some at second," Vukovich said.
Martin ranks No. 6 among the WSBL's leading hitters with a .388 average.
Vazquez made an impact in the spring as a freshman at D-I Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and is playing second base this summer for an Orioles team that is 20-5 in the WSBL and 21-4 in the CSBL.
Providing relief: Kenny Long, a pitcher at Illinois State, is having a strong summer for Orleans (Mass.) Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Long, a Dundee-Crown grad, has a 2-3 record with a 1.50 ERA in 15 relief appearances for the Firebirds of the prestigious wood bat summer league. Long, who will be a junior this fall at ISU, has recorded one save and has struck out 27 batters in only 24 innings for Orleans (14-18).
High Point hotshot: Richmond-Burton grad Nate Roberts finished his junior season as an outfielder at D-I High Point (N.C.) University by earning a pair of awards last month.
Roberts, who is playing in the Minnesota Twins' minor-league system after being drafted in the fifth round in June, was named a third-team Ping! Baseball All-American. He led the nation with a .573 on-base percentage and 88 runs scored while hitting .416 with 19 homers and 36 stolen bases.
Roberts also was one of only two unanimous selections to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association's All-State team.
Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.
