Naperville area ready for postseason

Updated: May 21, 2011 5:28PM

Since 2006, the Naperville area has seen four of its teams make appearances in the state tournament, with three of them—Naperville Central in 2006 and 2010 and Neuqua Valley in 2007—coming away with state championships.

For the second straight year and for the fourth time since 2006, two area teams have garnered top-four seeds within the same sectional.

Off the heels of Naperville North and Naperville Central meeting in a sectional for the first time ever last season in the Redhawks’ 7-1 triumph in a 2010 Class 4A Plainfield South Sectional Semifinal, third-seeded Neuqua Valley and fourth-seeded and defending Class 4A state champion Naperville Central lead the area’s six-team crop within the Class 4A Neuqua Valley Sectional.

If the two programs are to defy seeding lines and meet in a potential Class 4A Neuqua Valley Sectional Final on June 4, they’ll get there along different motivational lines.

Hosting a sectional for the fourth time and for the first time since 2008, the motivation for Robin Renner’s Wildcats is simple—get home. “We’ve talked about that before, too, so (the players) know that,” Renner said. “They know that we’ve got work to do. … We have the capability to beat anybody in that regional. We also have the capability to lose in that first game.”

The Wildcats followed up a recent 3-5 stretch that was lowlighted by being handed their first-ever sweep at the hands of crosstown rival Waubonsie Valley by reeling off a six-game winning streak entering their regular season finale on Monday against Burlington Central.

In order to win its first regional since 2009, Neuqua Valley (23-9-1) could very well need to avenge that three-game sweep in a potential Class 4A Lockport Regional Semifinal against Waubonsie Valley on Wednesday and avenge last season’s 11-1, regional-semifinal loss to Lockport in a potential rematch with the Porters Saturday in the Class 4A Lockport Regional Final.

Meanwhile, the school that emerged last season from Lockport as regional champions, Naperville Central, will be looking to give outgoing coach Bill Seiple, who’s retiring after leading his alma mater for 30 years, an extended swan song.

“If there’s any coach that deserves it, no one more than him,” Redhawks’ senior left-hander Dan Ludwig said.

Winners of at least 20 games for the 26th time under Seiple, Naperville Central (20-12) wasn’t eliminated from DuPage Valley Conference contention until the final day of the conference season---despite having to replace its entire starting lineup from the 10-4 victory over St. Rita in the Class 4A state title game last June.

“These guys, they work hard, they’re fun. I think that they have probably grown and gotten better faster than maybe than any team we’ve had in a while,” Seiple said. “It’s important for them and it’s been fun for us. We’re excited about it.”

With Ludwig and junior right-hander Ian Lewandowski as the team’s top two starters, the Redhawks may be best equipped to win a regional of the six area teams, which would be the 15th in program history.

When the Redhawks open their Class 4A title defense Wednesday, they’ll do so in the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Regional, which also features fifth-seeded Downers Grove South, which was ranked No. 2 in the preseason by both the Chicago Sun-Times and Prep Baseball Report and features a pair of heralded starters in Nick Burdi and Matt Wivinis.

In order to emerge with the 14th regional crown under Seiple’s tutelage, Naperville Central’s offense, led by Conor Philbin, will need to step up and provide adequate support behind both Ludwig and Lewandowski.

“The bats have slowed down recently. We know what kind of pitching we’re gonna face,” said Philbin, who leads the team with a .424 average and 33 runs scored. “We’re very confident with Luddy and Ian going day after day. We’re really excited. We think we can make a run.”

For the fourth straight season, at least one area school will enjoy the benefit of playing at home during regional play.

If ninth-seeded Benet (14-18-2) hopes to follow in the footsteps of both Naperville Central and Naperville North, which hosted and won regionals in each of the past two years, it will have to win three games and most likely will have to defeat the team considered by many to be the best team in the state—Providence—in a regional final on Saturday.

In 2008, the last year the Redwings hosted a regional, they won it before losing to Lockport in a Class 4A Neuqua Valley Sectional Semifinal.

“I think we’re feeling pretty good. Coach (Jeff) Bonebrake has set a mentality about (how) we’re ready to play anyone, anytime,” said Benet senior shortstop Nick Moore, who has signed with Missouri. “You can see our schedule that we’re playing the top teams in the state. He’s just getting us ready for playoffs.

“The regular season, our record’s not as good as we want it, but it doesn’t matter until playoffs come.”

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