Mustangs ready to state their case

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St. Rita hasn't completely shed its let's-get-a-look-at-everyone summer mindset -- the first trip through the lineup didn't end till the top of the sixth on Tuesday, what with the Mustangs batting 23 players.

But there are signs that Rita is starting to hunker down for the summer state playoffs that start next week.

"The pitchers are on lockdown," said incoming sophomore lefty Joey Filomeno. "We can't throw for anybody but St. Rita."

Filomeno himself was in shutdown mode on this muggy afternoon, pitching six solid innings in a 2-1 Mustangs win over visiting Marist in the South Suburban Summer League's North Division.

"He's a special pitcher," teammate Mark Payton said of Filomeno, who struck out 11, walked two and allowed two hits and a run (it was unearned). "He's going to go a long way."

The win wound up going to another lefty, rising junior Anthony Andres, who worked two shutout innings.

The list of quality southpaws doesn't end there for the Mustangs, who also have juniors Payton and Shane Conlon throwing from that side.

"We should be strong on the mound," coach Mike Zunica said. "I think we've got four guys from the left side and a good guy from the right side. We're hoping that kind of competition's going to be a good thing for us."

And St. Rita (13-3) also is hoping to make a little more postseason noise than it has lately. The Mustangs had a string of six IHSA regional titles snapped this spring, and that came on top of an even earlier exit in last year's summer playoffs.

"We got [knocked] out in the first round," Payton said. "We don't want to do that ever again.

"That's not St. Rita baseball. We're going to prove to everyone we're coming back this year with a blue-collar approach."

Payton did his part on Tuesday, driving in Pat Walsh with a triple to the right-field corner in the bottom of the sixth to snap a 1-1 tie.

"We're starting to think state tournament," Zunica said, "[after] a couple more games against good teams [Simeon Wednesday and Brother Rice Thursday] to warm up."

mclark@chicagosuntimes.com