Westminster gears up for another playoff run

Updated: May 16, 2011 3:41PM

Being the second smallest school in terms of enrollment in the Class 2A state baseball playoffs won’t weigh too heavily on Westminster Christian.

The Warriors will be looking to conquer new ground when they open postseason play this week at their own Westminster Christian Regional. In addition to being the reigning Class 1A state champion, Westminster is also brimming with confidence after compiling a 23-7 record against a regular-season schedule that included several formidable Class 3A and 4A opponents.

“If we play our game our way, we’re going to be pretty hard to beat,” Westminster junior Kevin Elder said. “When we go into a game we know we can beat anybody that we play.”

The top-seeded Warriors are the favorite to emerge this week with their fourth regional title in five years. They will take on the winner of Monday’s play-in game between No. 4 Ida Crown and No. 5 Rickover on Wednesday. The other semifinal pits No. 2 Northridge and No. 3 St. Edward on Thursday.

Westminster’s strength rests with a dominant pitching staff led by Elder and fellow junior Ryan Perez, who form one of the best pitching duos in the state. Perez, an ambidextrous standout, is 8-1 with a 1.57 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 58 innings. Elder is 7-2 with a 1.94 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 57-2/3 innings.

Perez and Elder played leading roles in last year’s run to the Class 1A state title, but the Warriors will need solid defense and timely hitting if they hope to advance deep into the postseason again. Junior catcher Frank Oliver leads the offense with a .477 batting average and five home runs.

“Obviously Kevin and Ryan are probably going to be their normal selves on the mound, but we’ve still got to play defense and hit the ball,” Westminster coach Jeff Moeller said. “We’re not going to be a team that’s going to scare anybody. It’s important for us to know that and realize we’ve got to come out and play.”

Moeller is particularly concerned about St. Edward (5-21), which lost to Westminster 5-1 last month in a game that remained nip and tuck into the late innings.

The Green Wave has taken its lumps this season with a young roster that includes two freshmen and two sophomores in the regular starting lineup. Junior Luke Duffy is St. Edward’s top offensive threat, and he and fellow junior Austin Davis are the team’s top two pitchers.

“It’s been a baptism by fire for a lot of our guys this year, but they’re really starting to respond now,” St. Edward coach Gene Belmonte said. “Our biggest worry is our hitting. If we score some runs we’ll be OK because our pitching has come around pretty well.”

The Wave will have some extra inspiration with this being Belmonte’s sixth and final season guiding the program. Assistant coach Tim Dovichi, husband of St. Edward girls volleyball coach Jaime Dovichi, is expected to take over as St. Edward’s coach next year, and claiming the program’s second regional title in three years would serve as a worthy send-off for Belmonte.

“I feel good from the standpoint that the cupboard is not going to be bare next year,” Belmonte said. “We’re going to have our top three pitchers coming back.

“It’s been a good transition to (Tim Dovichi). It’s been good for him and it’s been good for the team. He’s taken on more and more responsibility as the season has gone on.”

The winner of the Westminster Regional advances to the Lisle Sectional at Benedictine University next week.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.