Seniors Cap Off Regular Season Careers with Homers

Though the Oakton baseball squad clinched first place in the Concorde District earlier this week, the Cougars played hard in their last regular season game to honor their seniors and their pride, defeating Westfield 8-2.

"It was [an] important [game] because every time you step on the field you want to win. Especially when it's a good team like Westfield, it's just nice to get a win," said Justin Janis, Oakton's head coach. "I guess in the standings, for us it didn't change anything. But you want to go out and play well, especially heading into the playoffs."

The seniors not only took center stage before the game with an on-field ceremony, but also during the game as three seniors — Luke Willis, Chris Hanson and Chad Carroll — hit for four home runs and four seniors — Willis, Hanson, Carroll and Aaron Rochkind hit six of the Cougars' nine hits for six RBI. The last two runs were scored on passed balls.

"We had a good warmup and I had a good feeling all day," said center fielder Luke Willis, who showed up to the field early to work with Janis on his game. "Senior Night's the night you get the best out of all the seniors."

The Bulldogs has plenty of scoring opportunities. Walker Webster, senior, started each of his four innings pitching for the Cougars putting a runner on the base path.

But with a couple double plays and key strikeouts in the fourth inning, Webster worked his way out of trouble, allowing only one run to score on his watch.

Webster pitched three strikeouts and gave up six hits before Andy Gross came in to relieve him at the start of the fifth inning.

"Walker's a pretty good pitcher, and I just don't think he had his feel for his pitches right away," said Janis, remarking on the Bulldogs' tendency to put the ball in play on the first pitch. "He battled. He really gutted it out. He was in some tough situations and pitched out of them. And then in the third and fourth inning, he started to get a feel for it."

Westfield typically poses a greater threat to Oakton, so the six-run gap in the score surprised Janis and the players.

"I was coming out here ready to be in a dogfight and we kinda just pulled away," said shortstop Carroll. "Our pitching stayed strong throughout the game. We got out of some jams, got lucky breaks, and got the win."

As the No. 1 seed, the Cougars have earned a bye into the Concorde District semifinal game, which is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday at Westfield.

Janis' strategy heading into the playoffs is simple: "Our focus is to just play a good game ourselves. Hopefully the rest falls in our favor."

Willis said he could not have predicted heading into the postseason as the No. 1 seed, but he is also not surprised.

"I always expect to be the best. That's what you strive for, but you never know until the end," Willis said. "With the seasons we've had the last two years, I knew we were due for something big. We still gotta keep that going in the playoffs."

Carroll is hopeful for Oakton's chances: "The team's pitching, our staff, everything, we're just doing the job. Our bats have looked great all season, so I'm feeling really good about the playoffs."

The Cougars end their season with an overall record of 15-5 and a district record of 8-2.

But as much as the night was about looking forward to the postseason, it was also about nostalgia. On Senior Night, Oakton's 10 seniors were honored before the game with their proud parents next to them.

Janis will certainly have a large gap in his roster next year, but he feels good about the legacy the class of 2011 is leaving behind.

"The biggest thing with these guys is the amount of time they put in to make themselves better baseball players. It is just amazing," Janis said. "They worked hard during the season, but also out of season. They went to all sorts of camps, playing as many baseball games as they can, going into the weight room to do some conditioning. They just put in so much time. I'll never forget that. That's the thing we can pass on to the future players of Oakton, their dedication."

Oakton stats:

Hits: Chad Carroll (2 home runs), Chris Hanson (home run, double), Luke Willis (home run), Brian Burns (double), Mason Hauser (single), Aaron Rochkind (single), Austin Lamon (single)
RBI: Carroll (3), Willis (1), Hanson (1), Rochkind (1)