Baseball: Newman’s underclassmen a big reason why Comets are headed back to state

Senior standout and Notre Dame recruit Brendan Tunink is the headliner for the Newman Central Catholic baseball team, but a number of younger players have stepped up in a big way as supporting acts this season for the state-bound Comets.

Newman started two freshmen and three sophomores in Monday’s 6-2 win over Hope Academy to advance to the Class 2A state semifinals at 4 p.m. Friday against Maroa-Forsyth at Peoria’s Dozer Park.

Newman (25-4-1) plays Maroa-Forsyth (26-4), fourth in Class 2A in 2022, in the first semifinal. Effingham St. Anthony (25-5-1) plays Wilmington (27-1) in the second game. The championship game is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday.

Leading the youth movement for Newman are freshmen Ashton Miner and Liam Nicklaus, along with sophomores Evan Bushman, Garret Matznick and Garet Wolfe.

For Newman coach Kenny Koerner, the only thing that matters is that a kid can play.

“They get into some big situations, and we tell them just to breathe,” Koerner said of the younger players. “Just do what you do best.”

The underclassmen have delivered.

Miner leads the team with 41 RBIs hitting in the No. 3 spot behind Tunink, and Nicklaus starts at second base.

Bushman is 11-0 in 11 starts on the mound this season with 42 strikeouts in 58 innings, sporting a 3.26 ERA. He held Hope Academy hitless through five innings Monday and tossed a complete game in the win.

“Really just excellence out of our younger guys,” Bushman said. “And it’s going to continue that way for the next couple years, and I’m really proud of us. As a young team we do really well and perform when it comes to game time.”

Wolfe has yet to take a loss on the mound either at 6-0 with a 2.23 ERA. He also has 27 RBIs and starts at third base.

Matznick is the team’s leadoff hitter and key on defense at shortstop. He is second on the team with 32 stolen bases and a .442 on-base percentage, behind only Tunink. He’s also 1-0 on the mound with 14 innings pitched.

“They’re really, really good,” Tunink said of the younger players. “They’re really stepping up, really playing well out here. They’re going to be special next year and in a couple years to come. So we’re not going anywhere.”

Tunink and Isiah Williams are Newman’s only seniors, and they’ve provided leadership as winners of four straight sectional titles.

“We have them talk before the game, and they talk after the game,” Koerner said of the two seniors. “They’ve been really good leaders for us, and that’s helped out a lot this year, too.”

With Tunink rarely pitching in the regular season as he gears up for a potential future professional baseball career, the pitching staff has been led by Bushman and Wolfe. Junior Joe Oswalt is also 3-0 for Newman with a 1.27 ERA.

Tunink still has been big at the plate this season.

The athletic lefty is batting .557 with a .711 on-base percentage. He has seven home runs, 54 runs scored, 27 RBIs and has walked 39 times and stolen 37 bases.

Tunink has stepped into a closer role this postseason. He has yet to be charged with a run in 13⅔ innings pitched, striking out 28 this season. He’s walked six and allowed only three hits.

Reaching state for the second straight year and first in Class 2A after last year’s third-place finish in Class 1A, the Comets hope to make some history. Newman has won 17 straight games.

And the underclassmen have played a big part in it.

“All the younger guys are really stepping up,” Williams said, “and doing their part.”