Hampshire coach Steve Ream knew all along what his team was capable of accomplishing.
The hard part proved to be getting his players to realize that potential.
With several talented underclassmen returning and a host of juniors ready to join the varsity team and make an immediate impact, Ream entered the season quietly confident. However, that confidence was put to the test when the Whip-Purs struggled to find their footing early on while limping to a 2-6 start.
With only two seniors on its roster, Hampshire slowly began to make gains as the season wore on, notching a few impressive victories while navigating a challenging schedule that was filled with games against bigger schools and included only seven home games due to this spring's soggy weather.
That upward trajectory continued all the way to the postseason when the Whips finally fulfilled their coach's expectations by capturing the program's second straight regional title and first-ever sectional title before losing to eventual state runner-up Illinois Valley Central in the Rockford Class 2A Super-Sectional to finish with an 18-14 mark.
Ream's ability to take his young team from a shaky start to new heights is why he is the 2008 Courier News Coach of the Year. St. Charles North's Todd Genke and Westminster Christian's Jeff Moeller were also considered.
"Coach Ream motivated us the whole time," Hampshire junior Joe Moore said. "He knew we could go pretty far, and he basically pushed us as hard as he could and as far as he could."
Added junior Zach Crinigan: "(Ream) never stopped believing in us, and that drove us through the whole playoffs. He worked really hard this season to get us better."
While Hampshire's postseason run was satisfying for everyone involved with the team, it was especially so for Ream.
A 1974 graduate of Hampshire High who played baseball under former Whips coach Ron Ellett, Ream is well versed in the history of the school's baseball program, which until 2007 didn't include a postseason title of any kind.
Ream, a math teacher at Hampshire, began coaching baseball on lower levels at the school 14 years ago. He took over the varsity coaching duties 10 years ago, and since then has compiled a 153-136 record.
Ream's first eight years on the job included four losses in regional championship games before Hampshire finally broke through for its first regional title in 2007. Despite losing several key seniors from that squad, Ream envisioned bigger things for the 2008 Whips.
"I said at the beginning of the year that I think we can be a better team than we were last year when we won the regional," Ream said. "We were telling the kids this at the beginning of the season, but I just honestly don't think they realized it or believed it. They were flat-out intimidated against some of the bigger schools we played early on."
Sure enough, ugly losses to Huntley and Geneva dropped Hampshire's record to 2-6 and seemed to reinforce the idea among Whips players that they couldn't compete with bigger schools.
But that lack of confidence began to crack after Hampshire beat Burlington Central 1-0 on April 22 for its first win against the Rockets in six meetings. A few one-run losses combined with some satisfying wins made for an up-and-down final two thirds of the regular season, but the Whips entered the playoffs better than their 14-13 record indicated.
"(Ream) always stayed positive," Crinigan said. "When we lost games we shouldn't have, he never got down on us. He'd just tell us things we should have done better, and if we had practice, we'd work on those things. In the games we'd win, he'd praise us, but also tell us not to be satisfied."
With sophomore pitchers Ryan Burke and Kent Larson leading the way, Hampshire won four straight postseason games, claiming regional and sectional titles in the process. The playoff run included a win against top-seeded Stillman Valley on the Cardinals' home field in the regional final and a comeback win against Mendota in the sectional final.
In the end, the Whips were able to fly under the radar in the postseason thanks to their challenging regular season.
"We weren't sitting out there with a 25-4 record," Ream said. "For crying out loud, we were 14-13. But I'll take 13 losses if it's going to make us a better team, and sure enough it did this year."
The future certainly looks bright for Hampshire, which will return seven starters and its top three pitchers next year.
After two straight years of progress, the Whips will try to raise the bar once again in 2009 and make a trip Downstate. However, Ream has gone to great lengths to let his players know that much work remains if that goal is to be realized.
"I had all the players write down what they are going to do to get better for next year on a piece of paper and put it in a self-addressed envelope," Ream said. "I just warned them that if we sit back and expect to get back to the super-sectionals, it's not going to happen.
"I think we've got a great shot next year, but no one is going to give us a free ride. We did a lot of nice things this year, but each of our players has a lot of room for improvement."
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