2005 SHEPARD ASTROS
18 WINS - 20 LOSSES
SICA EAST RECORD 6 - 4 THIRD PLACE
SANDBURG SECTIONAL/OAK LAWN REGIONAL 11TH SEED 2-1 RECORD
LOST TO STAGG IN SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL
| Batting Average | .305 |
| Runs | 212 |
| Runs per game | 5.58 |
| Hits | 302 |
| Hits per game | 7.95 |
| Doubles | 50 |
| Triples | 17 |
| Homeruns | 20 |
| Stolen Bases | 59 |
| Walks | 114 |
| Walks per game | 3.0 |
| Slugging Average | .450 |
| On Base Average | .378 |
| Catchers caught stealing | 13/51 |
| Catchers caught stealing % | 26% |
| Errors | 107 |
| Errors per game | 2.82 |
| Fielding Average | .901 |
| Runs allowed | 263 |
|
Runs allowed per game |
6.92 |
|
Hits allowed |
280 |
|
Hits allowed per game |
7.37 |
|
Walks allowed |
166 |
|
Walks allowed per game |
4.37 |
|
Strikeouts |
239 |
|
Strikeouts per game |
6.29 |
|
WHIP |
1.98 |
|
ERA |
4.86 |
|
OPPBA |
.269 |
Stagg, Shepard will battle in sectional
Thursday, June 2, 2005
The battle for high school baseball supremacy in the Palos community tends to bring out the best in neighborhood rivals Stagg (Palos Hills) and Shepard (Palos Heights).But the stakes have been raised considerably for bragging rights in the baseball proud Palos community this postseason.The Chargers and Astros will battle in the semifinals of the Sandburg Sectional today at 4:30 p.m.The winner advances to Saturday's sectional final (10 a.m.) and, most important, will stand just two wins away from an unprecedented Elite Eight appearance."A lot of kids on my team know a lot of kids on Stagg," said Shepard coach Frank DiFoggio. "It's a rivalry, but a friendly one."The added bonus for Shepard is redemption. Stagg took the Astros to the woodshed and whipped them 23-3 earlier in the season."That was a long time ago, way back in March," DiFoggio said. "We're a much different squad. I have three new starters and we're as healthy as we've been all year."Stagg's advancement to sectional competition is not a major surprise.Overwhelming victories against Thornton and Oak Forest guided the Chargers into today's sectional.The Chargers have played consistent baseball for most of the season, racking up a 24-12 mark, including a fourth place finish in the rugged SICA West.The key for Stagg has been its offense, led by Bret Maugeri, Andy Leonard, Dan Klecan and Neil Wahlgren, which has bludgeoned many opponents.The feared foursome have combined for 24 home runs and 113 runs batted in.Maugeri, set to attend Southern Illinois University in the fall, is intent on ending his four-year varsity career in record-breaking fashion. The hot-shot second baseman is hitting .445 with 10 home runs.Leonard, a junior, has seven homers and 43 RBI.The major question mark surrounding Stagg is who coach Dave Snider will hand the ball to on the mound.Sophomore left-hander T.J. McFarland won last Wednesday's playoff opener and is 5-3 with 77 strikeouts in 55 innings.Leonard, a right-hander, is 4-2. However, the Charger defense takes a blow without Leonard at shortstop.Chris Huber, a hard-throwing right-hander, has won five games and has posted 32 K's in 39 innings.The Chargers' best option is Brian Wabick, the staff ace who blanked Oak Forest last Saturday and has had a full four days rest.The senior right-hander is 6-2, including three shutouts, and has a 1.11 earned run average.The answer to the starting pitching question is obvious: Give the ball to Wabick.Without a victory today, there is no Saturday in the do-or-die postseason. And if Wabick starts today he can start the supersectional Monday and the state finals next Friday.Having your ace on the mound potentially three of the next four games is an option to vital to overlook."We have to worry about ourselves and play to our strengths," said Snider, unwilling to tip his starting pitching hand. "Pitching and defense are always important. This time of year, everybody is playing pretty decent. Who plays the best will advance."Until recently, Shepard has been an inconsistent squad, which is supported by its 18-19 record. But the Astros have won three in a row, dumping Oak Forest, Richards and Oak Lawn.To be fair, the Astros were riddled with injuries prior to the start of the regular season and were forced to rely on inexperienced underclassmen to pick up the slack.For the most part, young guns like Sean Carlin, Don Selby, Mike Recchia and Ramie Hamdan met the challenge.Selby leads the team in home runs (7) and RBI (32), while Recchia (7-4) and Hamdan (6-5) have pretty much carried the pitching staff.Seniors Brian Paliga, Jeff Molenhouse, Jason Koller and Jeff Ithal have provided leadership and kept the ship from sinking when it appeared the season was lost. Paliga, a left-handed hitter, has also provided solid pitching.The return of strong-armed junior Yoshio Piediscalzi, as well as a return to form of Hamdan on the hill has the Astros playing up to their ability.Odds are Coach DiFoggio will go with Hamdan on the mound today. The junior is a year older and wiser than Recchia, a sophomore.Hamdan, who pitched marvelously last Friday in a regional final victory over Oak Lawn, is more than ready with five days off.DiFoggio's pitching decision is far different than Snider's. Recchia and Hamdan are similar hurlers: hard-throwing, right-handers with good breaking pitches.And either is capable of notching the victory, which would provide the Palos Heights school with bragging rights.
Shepard wins one for DiFoggio
Sunday, May 29, 2005
He'd occasionally glance from the third base coaches box into the bleachers Friday, recalling the exact spot where his beloved father, John, sat in a folding chair 10 months ago cheering on his favorite high school baseball team.John DiFoggio, diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer, made the trip to Oak Lawn that July day to support his son Frank, the head coach of the Shepard Astros, for a meaningless summer league game.And, Friday, less than a year later, Frank DiFoggio was coaching on that same field, leading his team to a 5-1 regional championship against heavily-favored Oak Lawn.And while John DiFoggio lost his battle with cancer last November, any person with an ounce of faith realizes the elder DiFoggio was smiling from above, immensely proud of how a Shepard team with an 18-19 record upended Oak Lawn."This is the field he was at and I remember right where he was sitting, with a smile on his face," said Frank DiFoggio, whose Astros will now play the winner of the Stagg/Oak Forest game Thursday in the Sandburg Sectional. "I kept looking at him that day, watching him smile. I couldn't help but look the last couple of days at that same spot where he was sitting."How big of an effect did John DiFoggio have on the Astros?The players took it upon themselves to dedicate the season to him."I really appreciate how the team dedicated the season to him," said DiFoggio, filled with emotion.Having lost 19 of 35 games heading into the postseason, Shepard was not expected to advance past their first round matchup with Richards, much less upset a 25-win Oak Lawn squad on its home field for the regional title.But with Ramie Hamdan spotting his pitches— all 127 of them to be exact— with keen accuracy, the defense executing flawlessly and the hitting, led by a suddenly resurgent Don Selby, coming through at clutch moments, Shepard made fairly easy work of Oak Lawn.I hesitate to refer to the Astros as a Cinderella story, knowing how a season-long battle with the injury bug prevented them from playing up to their ability until recently.Without a doubt, the addition of Yoshio Piediscalzi to the line-up has been the biggest boost. The nephew of former White Sox and Yankees outfielder Dan Pasqua just recently regained his health and has provided quality defense at shortstop and a dependable stick in the No. 2 spot in the batting order."We're healthy," said DiFoggio, who had to shuffle his defense around to accommodate Piediscalzi's return. "I really believe that's the reason we're playing better."As good as you felt for DiFoggio and the Astros, you couldn't help but feel some compassion for Oak Lawn and its classy coach Skip Sullivan.This was expected to be the year the Spartans would finally remove the postseason Gorilla off their back, knowing it's been 35 years since Oak Lawn baseball won a regional title.But the playoff Gorilla will remain in Oak Lawn for another season."It's so frustrating," said Sullivan, whose Spartans finished 25-7. "I give Shepard all the credit. This isn't a fluke. They're playing good ball. They did all the right things."If Oak Lawn had taken advantage of some early scoring opportunities, who knows, it could have led to a different outcome.The Spartans stranded 12 baserunners.Give credit to Hamdan, who failed to register a one-two-three inning but rose to the occasion all afternoon."I feel like I can pitch another seven innings," said Hamdan, showing no adverse affects to the high pitch total. "The defense did the job and we got some timely hits. If we keep playing like this, we can stay on a roll."The Spartans defense certainly gift-wrapped a few runs for Shepard. And, undoubtedly, Oak Lawn pitcher Nick Chigas deserved a better fate.But the Astros came through when needed, especially Selby, who shook of a recent slump to record three hits and drive in three runs."I was doing great until conference came around and then I started thinking too much," said Selby, who leads the Astros in homers with seven. "The last three or four games, I've been going up to the plate and not thinking much. I'm just trying to put the ball in play."And good things are starting to happen, not only for Selby but for the entire Shepard team.