Baseball: 5 storylines to watch in DeKalb County in 2025

Not only are baseball games scheduled to start March 17, but the forecast seems to indicate cooperative weather for most of the week.

So with the start of the season right around the corner, here are five things to know.

DeKalb looks to continue upward trajectory

Last year, the Barbs finished 22-13 and picked up their first playoff win since 2018. This year, with a lot of players returning from last year, they are looking to claim the program’s first regional title since 2017.

It was the team’s first winning season since 2015. It was also DeKalb’s first season with a winning conference record (8-7) in the DuPage Valley. The 38 wins in the past two seasons are more than from 2016-2022 combined.

All four first-team selections from the Daily Chronicle 2024 All-Area Baseball Team return. Leading the way is senior shortstop and pitcher Jackson Kees, who was 6-4 with a 2.43 ERA with 78 strikeouts and 23 walks. He made five errors all season and hit .387.

Senior second baseman Nik Nelson, junior outfielder Cole Latimer and senior outfielder, corner infielder and pitcher Brodie Farrell also return.

Can Sycamore make it to four straight supersectionals?

The Spartans have gotten mighty familiar with Stone Field in Geneseo recently, playing supersectionals there each of the past three years. They are 1-2 in those games, including a 5-3 loss to Interstate 8 foe Morris last year. They took third in Class 3A in 2023.

It’s just the latest escalation in a long run of excellence under coach Jason Cavanaugh. The team hasn’t lost double digits in a season since a 19-10 campaign in 2021. They’ve had winning records in 15 of the last 18 seasons and still won a regional in 2010 when they finished with a record below .500.

The Spartans lost a fair amount to graduation, but the cupboard’s not totally bare. Davis Collie is the only one of the four first-team selections to return. The senior first baseman had a 1.051 OPS while hitting .371 with three home runs.

Junior outfielder and pitcher Tyler Townsend was a second-team selection last year despite missing some time due to an injury. Senior third baseman and outfielder Kyle Prebil also returns and was a second-team selection as well.

Will Martin Ledbetter see and/or throw more pitches to hit this year?

Hinckley-Big Rock senior and reigning Daily Chronicle Baseball Player of the Year Martin Ledbetter drew 26 walks last year - including multiple times intentionally with the bases loaded.

He hit .492 with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and a 1.774 OPS. And that was with him aggravating his rotator cuff midseason, which limited him to 21⅔ innings pitched, going 2-0 with a 0.97 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 16 walks.

He certainly seemed 100% healthy during basketball season, averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds per game in helping the Royals reach a sectional final. It’ll be interesting to see what numbers he puts up both at the plate and on the bump if he’s fully healthy again.

Hall of Famer Brian Aversa going for 400th win at Kaneland

Longtime Kaneland coach Brian Aversa was inducted into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January. He can hit another milestone right out of the gate.

He’s sitting on 399 wins in his Kaneland career. Their season is set to open March 24 at home against Aurora Christian then play March 26 at Wheaton Academy.

The Knights have 20 wins in the last five full seasons, last winning a regional in 2022. All five of their all-area selections from last year graduated.

Genoa-Kingston poised to make a leap

The Cogs finished last season 7-20-1, last had a winning record in 2018 and last won a regional in 2000.

But the team played better in the second half of last season and featured an inexperienced pitching staff, which is not the case this year. Only three seniors graduated from last year’s squad and seven starters are back.

Senior pitchers Nate Kleba, Andy Swider and Nick Cantrell all return, while junior Colton McDowell should factor into things on the mound as well.