Neuqua Valley eying summer state title

Updated: July 24, 2011 1:58PM

Ending the 11-year wait to get a summer state regional title last year to go along with its 2007 state title and a third-place finish in 2008, Neuqua Valley earned yet another program milestone.

After winning a pair of games and reaching the semifinals in the 2010 Phil Lawler Summer Classic, the Wildcats are back again looking to add to their trophy case.

“I can’t explain it. I really can’t,” Neuqua Valley coach Robin Renner said of the 11-year drought followed by consecutive summer state regional crowns. “This team I like as well as any team we’ve had since the ’07-08 team (that finished third in Class 4A). I don’t think they’re that good, but I like them as well just because all of them, up and down the lineup, (can hit).”

While pitching and defense led Neuqua Valley to the double-elimination portion of the Phil Lawler Summer Classic a year ago, its offense helped out a little bit more in its four victories this past week.

“The reason we got there last year was pitching and defense, clearly,” said Renner, who will miss the remainder of the tournament because of a vacation in Hawaii, leaving pitching coach John Fumagalli in charge. “This year was pitching, defense and hitting. We hit better this year than we did last year.”

The 29 runs scored in the four games this week was up from the 23 runs the Wildcats scored in summer state regional play in 2010.

Last year, the Wildcats’ pitching staff held its four opponents in the Glenbard South Regional to just two runs and tossed shutouts at St. Francis, Benet and Wheaton North.

This week, outside of Benet’s eight-run outburst on Wednesday, Neuqua Valley’s pitching has been spectacular in holding Plainfield East, Hinsdale South and Naperville Central to two combined runs.

Starters Danny Mokryzki, Nick Blackburn, David Gerber and Eric Littler proved to be the beneficiaries of the increased offensive output.

Gerber, a junior right-hander, came up large in Wednesday’s 9-8 regional semifinal victory over Benet with 3 2/3 innings in relief of starter Cody Coll, earning the victory.

“It’s a big thing,” Gerber said of the program winning a second straight summer state regional title. “It’s a big confidence booster for our team and we all, as a team, want to win. We really want to go far this year.”

As the lone constant on the mound during both extended summer runs, Blackburn, a senior right-hander, will carry a summer scoreless streak of 18 2/3 innings into his start at 10 a.m. Monday against St. Joseph.

Neuqua Valley, the only school to return from the 2010 field, is sitting in the exact same spot it was in to begin the double-elimination part of the tournament last summer.

A year ago, a 3-2 victory over Providence in the Monday morning opener at Benedictine got Neuqua Valley on the right foot, so it knows the importance of winning its first game and avoiding going to the loser’s bracket.

Blackburn has his eyes focused on duplicating that feat and sending his team into a meeting against the winner of Prairie Ridge and Lincoln-Way North at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at North Central College.

“We just gotta keep hitting as a team, keep playing defense and pitching (well).”

and we should be all right.”

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