Summit Hill Spartans Advance In Baseball State Tournament

FRANKFORT, IL — The seventh- and eighth-graders on the Summit Hill Junior High School Spartans baseball team are set to make their appearance in the Elite Eight round of the IESA State Tournament Friday after claiming the Sectional Championship with a 7-2 win over Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center Saturday.

"I'm really proud of the kids and the work they've put in," Spartans' Coach Fred Pufahl said. "It's not easy to get to this point. From day one, the work ethic and practice and time they've put in, the talent's there and it's been there, but they've done all the extra stuff you need to do to be prepared."

The Spartans’ claimed their IESA 3A Regional Championship Sept. 20 with a 11-1 victory over Hickory Creek.

John Strzechowski was credited with the wins on the mound in both games, while Mason Meskimen, Ryne Pearson, Sean Tadevich, Cory Les, Matt Safarik, Jordan Everett, Lucas Garcia, and Strzechowski all recorded multiple hits and runs scored to help pace the offense in both contests, according to information provided by Summit Hill Junior High.

The other members of the team are Casey Mikrut, Matt Orban, A.J. Laurencell, Derek Levato, Aidan Dillon, Landon Ehman, Curtiss Crossley, Jake Mendoza, Lucas Ervin, Carson Crittendon, Tyler Osmanski, Charlie Palmer, Isaac Miranda and Chace Bugel, according to Summit Hill Junior High.

"One of our big strengths is our depth, especially with our lineup," Pufahl said. "We feel like we can cause a lot of problems for teams up and down the order. We have a lot of guys who can do a lot of things with the bat, handle the bet well."

The Sectional Championship victory over Bourbonnais improved the Spartans’ record to 16-3 on the season. They are scheduled to play Williamsville at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Eastside Centre in East Peoria.

"For their region, I call them a perennial, solid opponent down there, year in and year out," Pufahl said of Williamsville. "When you get to the Elite Eight, you're there for a reason. Whether you've been doing it all year, or you got hot at the right time, it really doesn't matter. Everybody's coming in with the belief that they can get that first win [Friday] and get to Saturday. They're going to be a strong test for us, but that's what we would expect at this point. We're looking forward to the challenge that they present."

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