CL Central pitcher Sadzeck picks Oklahoma

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Crystal Lake Central senior pitcher Connor Sadzeck didn’t feel as though a lot of college coaches knew his name before last summer.

That changed in a hurry. Between playing with his McHenry County Hurricanes’ 17U team and competing in several showcases, Sadzeck became well-known quickly and committed to Oklahoma last week.

Sadzeck, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound right-hander, was a Northwest Herald All-Area honorable mention last season, when he was 6-3 with a 2.70 ERA for the Tigers. He played with the Crystal Lake American Legion team two summers ago before switching to the Hurricanes.

“I’m a loyal guy, and I had a lot of friends on the Legion team,” Sadzeck said. “I went with the Hurricanes because I knew they did a good job getting players’ names out there. A lot of scouts hadn’t heard of me.”

Sadzeck also threw well enough at the prestigious Area Code Tryouts that he was one of three Illinois players selected to compete in Long Beach, Calif., in August. By that time, he was looking at Oklahoma, Creighton, Iowa, Kansas State and Michigan. Oklahoma offered him athletic scholarships that covered tuition, books and fees, and some other costs will be covered by an academic scholarship.

Sadzeck said he consistently throws in the 88-92 mph range on the speed gun. He said by July 1, the first day coaches could call, he received 25 to 30 phone calls.

Fiedorowicz’s plans: Johnsburg wide receiver C.J. Fiedorowicz grabbed four passes for 69 yards and three touchdowns in Friday’s 38-0 victory against Grayslake North. The win assured the Skyhawks (6-3 overall, 4-2 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division) a playoff berth.

After the game, Fiedorowicz discussed his college plans, which have become a hot topic in the past month. He committed to Illinois in July, but as the college season has progressed, he reopened talks with the Iowa coaching staff.

“The way Illinois has been playing, I have to look much closer at Iowa,” Fiedorowicz said. “I’m not saying I’m going to go there (Iowa) yet, but it’s definitely between those two schools.”

Fiedorowicz plans on visiting Iowa in the next few weeks for a football game, depending on Johnsburg’s playoff schedule. He established a good relationship with Illinois coach Ron Zook and his staff last summer, but he also is considering the Illinois’ coaches’ future.

“Next season, Illinois could have a whole new coaching staff,” Fiedorowicz said.

Lada honored: Mark Lada, a McHenry resident who is a senior at St. Viator, was honored Oct. 16 when he was presented a Walter Payton jersey from Payton’s son, Jarrett, a 1999 St. Viator graduate who played soccer for the Lions.

“We chose the player who day in and day out gave everything he had to the team,” St. Viator coach Mike Taylor said. “Someone who came to play every day and worked harder than anybody out there.”

Members of the Payton family are presenting jerseys with Walter’s No. 34 on them to student athletes across the Chicago area as chosen by their coaches. The program is sponsored by the Walter & Connie Payton Foundation, timed with the 10th anniversary of Walter Payton’s death Nov. 1.

• 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.