High School baseball is miserable, and I still love it

High School baseball is miserable, and I still love it.  In 2004, we were on top of the world and in 2008 I must have forgot how to coach.  We were 2004 state champs after defeating Joliet Catholic and Carmel, two conference rivals, at the Illinois Class AA state tournament.  I was named Illinois Coach of the Year, and now, in 2008 we are (6-8)… (that rhymes). 

It is April 21^st, we played 14 games and here is how Illinois baseball goes.  We were No-Hit in our first game of the year and that was the second day we were actually on a baseball field.  For our opponent, that was their first day OUTSIDE.  We came back strong the following day and won a 4-3 game in the bottom of the seventh on a wild pitch.  

We then flew to Florida where it was between 65 and 85 degrees each day.  When it was 66 degrees the Floridians complained saying it was too cold (They have no idea).  In game one we played Bishop Moore High School.  In 2007 they were ranked #1 nationally and won a Florida Class 3A State Championship.  Our (1-1) record against the (16-2) Florida State Champs. 

I’ll take you to the Top of the 7^th, where we scored 2 runs to tie the game and go to the bottom of the 7^th with some momentum.  Our pitcher gets the first 2 outs and then walks the third batter of the inning.  A bloop single makes it first and second with 2 outs.  A walk then loads the bases, for a great finish to a high school baseball game.  We get ahead with strike one, which all you baseball fans out there know, that if you jump ahead with strike one, a hitter’s average falls .175 points than if you fall behind in the count.  The pitcher comes set.  The delivery. The pitch.   A high pop-up just in front of the mound.  The pitcher looks at the catcher, the catcher looks at the pitcher.  The third baseman  and first baseman run in but give up as the pitcher and catcher are both pretty much underneath it.  The catcher semi-dives for the ball as the pitcher moves away and the ball lands between 4 players in front of the pitcher’s mound.  High School Baseball is miserable and I love it. 

To bring you up to date, with our record at (6-8), that rhymes too, we won the next game 9-2 over Westminister Christian out of Miami- that is where Alex Rodriguez went to high school, but we then proceeded to lose the next 2 games.  We returned to Illinois and to snow and rain.  We were cancelled twice and then played Barrington High School where my college coach now coaches.  It is great to see him and it is a wonderful feeling to see the coach who gave me an opportunity to play college baseball.  But we were No-hit for the second time in the season, something that, in my eyes, is extremely tough to do. 

We come back with 2 nice come-from-behind wins against Lane Tech and Maine East, then beat Joliet Catholic 5-3 for a tree game win streak! 

But then, a loss to Joliet Catholic 5-4 ended our run, in which, I had a nice extended stay in Joliet with our right fielder that had to stay in the hospital until 11:00 pm for a fractured nose which happened in the top of the 7^th (he is a tough kid, he’ll be ok). 

Proceed to this past weekend.  We win game #1 of the double header vs. Marist 6-2 in our bounce back game.  But then, after we score 8 runs in 2 innings and lead 8-0, Marist scores 11 unanswered and we lose 11-8.  Last night, we go up 8-1 against Loyola, and then lead 10-5 in the bottom of the 5th and eventually lose 12-11 in the bottom of the 8^th, on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch.  HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL IS MISERABLE AND I LOVE IT!  Today we bounce back?!?!

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Head Coach Kostuch played division I college baseball for 4 years at Northeastern Illinois University before becoming an assistant varsity coach at Ridgewood High School in Norridge, IL.  After three years at Ridgewood and one as an assistant to former ND head coach Guy Gianni, who is currently the head coach of a Notre Dame High School in Arizona, Coach Kostuch accepted the Head Varsity coaching position.   In the Dons first season, 2003, under head coach Bob Kostuch, the team finished (24-11) and won the Maine South Regional Championship.  Six of eight seniors are off playing college baseball.  In his second year, the Dons went on to win the IHSA state championship posting a record of (34-9).  In the attempt of a a repeat, the 2005 Dons won the ESCC Conference but lost in the Super-Sectional vs. Oak Park, 1 game away from going downstate again.  The Dons finished (29-9).  In 5 seasons, the Dons are 126-61-1 and have won the 3 regionals, 2 sectionals, a super-sectional, a conference championship and a state title.