Young L-P baseball team wants to ‘prove something to themselves’

The La Salle-Peru baseball team lost a solid group of seniors from last year’s squad that finished 15-16 overall and 6-9 in the Interstate 8 Conference.

However, the Cavaliers do have a few veteran players back to lead the team.

Jacob Gross, Kaedin Bond and Adrian Arzola are entering their third season as varsity starters. Arzola missed most of last season with an injury.

Also back are Brady Backes, Brevyn Vogel and Jackson Piecha, who both saw significant varsity time last spring.

“We are a young team when it comes to varsity experience, but they are a hungry group that loves to compete,” L-P coach Matt Glupczynski said. “I feel this will be our strength because this group wants to be great and prove something to themselves. The players are working really hard. Every position is wide open.”

Gross returns at third base and could also see time at first base. Bond will play third base, shortstop and first base. Arzola will play in the outfield.

Vogel saw time in the outfield last season and will see time there again along with playing catcher, while Piecha started some games at second base last spring and will play there and at first base.

Monti Lorenzi could see time at third base, Grey Ernat may play shortstop, Nolan O’Brien, Ceyton Urbanski and Jett Hill are in the mix at second base, Kyle Rios, Nolan Wieczorek and Gavin Kallis could play first base and Brandon Lamps will see time behind the plate.

In the outfield, Braylin Bond, Kallis, Jentz Watson, Tyler Spelich, Lamps and Hill are vying for time.

“With everything being wide open right now, we don’t know our lineup,” Glupczynski said. “I do believe everyone will play a significant role on this team and have an opportunity to show their talent and carve out their role.”

The Cavaliers have a long list of players who could see time on the mound, including Arzola, Kallis, Rock Radtke, Backes, Piecha, Rios, Spelich, Lorenzi, Urbanski, May, Ernat, Hill and Gross.

Backes pitched 38 innings last spring, stirking out 50 batters. Radtke threw 13 innings last season, while Gross logged 11 innings on the mound.

“The rotation, relief, conference starters, nonconference starters, we are still working through this,” Glupczynski said.

Offensively, Gross is expected to be among the Cavs’ top hitters after hitting .337 (32 of 95) last season while ranking top 10 in the area in RBIs (28), home runs (2), triples (5) and doubles (12).

Kaedin Bond had 23 at-bats last spring, while Vogel had 23 and Piecha had 16.

“We feel that we have a lot of interchangeable parts right now,” Glupczynski said. “We will be a well-rounded offense that will look to put pressure on the defense.”

The Cavs are hoping to end some droughts as Glupczynski said L-P’s goals are to win 20 games, a conference title and a regional championship.

L-P’s last 20-win season came in 2014 and last regional plaque came in 2013.