Suburban Life baseball notes: Cincinnati commit Tucker King sharpens command, leads Lyons’ pitching staff

Lyons senior pitcher Tucker King made a few slight adjustments in the offseason.

After posting a 7-2 record with 34 strikeouts and a 2.64 ERA last season to be named to the West Suburban Silver All-Conference team, King is showcasing a different version of himself on the mound this spring.

And that’s bad news for Lyons’ future opponents.

“I’ve been feeling great on the mound so far with a clear mind and confident,” King said. “I’ve just been keeping up my fast pace and control of the game really has a difference so far this year.”

King’s mastery on the mound is combined with stellar stuff. His repertoire of pitches includes a sinker, changeup and slurve. King, a Cincinnati recruit, said he’s learned to hone his pitches to attack hitters better this season.

“Last year I had a problem with usually all three pitches consistently for strikes,” King said. “It caused me to raise my pitch count more than I wanted to, so this year the goal every start has been to pound the zone as much as possible with all three pitches and just let my defense work. There’s no reason to be trying to blow it by people.

“My command has gotten a lot better because I improved my mechanics over the offseason. I switched my arm to a little higher slot and it has allowed me to stay connected with the catcher all the way through. I’m just going to go into every start with the same attack plan and execute it for the rest of the year.”

Lyons coach Kevin Diete said King’s a different pitcher this season, which is good news for his talented staff. King tossed a complete-game one-hit shutout with three strikeouts against Oak Park-River Forest on April 4.

“Tucker’s a special kid to have,” Diete said. “He’s all about the team and getting better and pushing the team. He’s leading the charge for us. He’s very comfortable on the mound and poised. He’s pitching now. Sometimes pitchers have a tendency to try and throw as hard as they can and try and burn it by guys. This year he’s crafted out his pitches and location.

“He’s throwing hard but also hitting it for strikes and is consistently in the zone.”

The’ Lions (5-1, 1-0) have opened up the season on a strong note, relying on quality pitching and hitting to hit the double-digit run total in three of their six games.

“It’s been good with the team so far in terms of how hard they’ve been working,” Diete said. “It’s a long road, a marathon not a sprint. We tell our guys to get better from every single loss and are hopefully playing our baseball by the end of the season. I’ve been impressed with our hitting and defense so far.”

The Lions bring back three starters from last season, most notably infielder Blake Ragsdale and outfielder Luke Nicholaus from a 21-12 team.

“We’ve got a couple of positional guys coming back but they weren’t consistent starters,” Diete said. “Our pitching is strong with Tucker and Mercer Krantz and Jack Slightom, an up-and-coming player who is getting a lot of Big 10 looks, including from Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State. Pitching and defense have been our tradition. We would like to keep that tradition, so hitting is a bonus but pitching and defense wins you most of the games.”

Wheaton Academy update

A year ago, Wheaton Academy opened up the season with an extended winning streak that built momentum for the playoffs. The Warriors won 17 straight games last season following a loss in their season opener.

This spring, the Warriors (3-7) struggled playing against some tough competition in Florida, partly due to battling teams which had numerous games under their belts. The Warriors are coming off a 31-6 record last season, while posting a 29-7-1 mark in 2023.

The Warriors, who have won back-to-back regional titles, have three key starters in senior outfielder Brandon Kiebles, senior catcher Gunnar Fitzpatrick and senior outfielder/pitcher Gino Spinelli back this season

“We’re a little different from last year,” Wheaton Academy coach Justin Swider said. “We have two players on the varsity from last year, but expectations for the boys are the same as last year. We have some guys competing for spots now, just trying to future that out especially after playing some really good Florida teams.”

The Warriors’ early season has included some tough late-inning losses in their Florida trip, but Swider said his players should benefit from the five-game experience.

“Five games in five days is tough,” Swider said. “I was pleased with a few things. We had a chance to win ball games, but you have to capitalize on your chances. We saw some good things on the trip.”

Tidbits

Downers Grove North (7-1) opens up West Suburban Silver Conference play today against Hinsdale Central (3-2). The two teams kick off a three-game series. The Trojans have won seven straight since opening the season with a 12-2 loss to Lincoln-Way East.