Best of luck to all of our Cougars, past and present, this weekend. Many Cougars "Kick-off" the High School football season this weekend at the Varsity, Sophomore and Freshmen levels mostly as Porters at LTHS. Several Cougars get things started on the gridiron Saturday for the Homer Stallions. We still have a player playing school baseball, we also have fall practice #2 at the 60/90 dimensions for the 14u club. The 11u Cougars round things out by starting their fall league season this weekend with a game in Palos! Gentlemen:Play Hard, Play Smart and Stay HEALTHY!!!!       

Cougar makes the school team... 

Congratulations to 14u Cougar Davis Purviance on making his school team. Davis was chosen by the coaches at K-G in Lockport to play for his school this fall during the IESA season. Way to go Big "D", we know you will represent the Cougar program well...  

14u Cougars fill out the roster... 

The 2011 roster is officially set for the 14u Cougars. The Cougars added some depth at several positions by adding Josh Quade, Jake Swenson and Jake Jarzynka to the club. All 3 are experienced travel players and should be a great fit for the Cougar organization. Josh is an outstanding athlete who will add speed and defensive prowess to the Cougar outfield! After a simple adjustment at the plate, Quade showed that he will be a solid hitter as well. The two Jakes will add plenty of pop to an already potent Cougar offense. Both players show great ability defensively at the corners, behind the plate and in the outfield. There is an added bonus, aside from being outstanding young men, all three will be reliable pitchers...The Cougar coaching staff is looking forward to blending these three fine players with an already talented club. The 2010 Cougars had a very successful season and is primed for an even better 2011. Welcome to the club fellas, it is great to have you and your outstanding families on board!!!            

Welcome to the Cougars... 

 The Cougars are proud to announce that there will be an 11u club in 2010. We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Coach Wally Shields and his staff. Coach Walt comes to the Cougars with many years of coaching experience under his belt and will prove to be an excellent leader for the youngest level of Cougar ballclubs. Coach Shields shares many of the same beliefs and ideals that makes the Cougar baseball club one of the more unique and results oriented travel programs in the area. It is a pleasure to have you guys on board, you will find that the families involved in our program are a very special and dedicated group of people. Check back regularly for updates on the rest of coach Walt's staff and for the unveiling of the newest group of ballplayers that will benefit from developing their skills within the Cougar program!

15u Cougars advance to the title game! 

The 15u Cougars defeated the West Lawn Crush and Southside Express this past weekend to advance to the championship game of the Oak Lawn Summer Tournament. The Championship game is Tuesday July 27th at 8pm. Congratulations and best of luck to the players and coaches John and Jim and the rest of the Cougar staff! Bring home the Hardware!!  

13u Cougars finish 2010 season with a BANG!  

The 13u Cougars finished off a successful 2010 season by finishing 2nd in the Warrenville Warriors Big Hit tournament. Some of the highlights over the weekend included an opening win against the Homer Inferno (9-5). The Cougars were led offensively by Davis Purviance 2 for 2, 2 runs and a triple. Taylor O'Donnell 3 rbi, Nick Bratcher 2 rbi and a double, Billy Krawczyk 2 for 3, 1 rbi and a double. Bratcher earned the win w/ 4 innings of work allowing just 1 run and striking out 7. Matt Maza earned the save with 3 innings of relief while striking out 8. Matt came into the game in the 5th inning with bases loaded, no outs, the score 6-2 and the Inferno top of the order coming up. Maza proceded to strikeout the first 2 hitters and Nick Bratcher snagged a one hop smash at firstbase for the the 3rd out.

On Saturday the Cougars defeated the Homer Crush 3-2 in a thriller! Jeff Schoenhofen(1 rbi), Jake Gluszek (2 rbi) and Brendan Treacy all went 2 for 3. Taylor O'Donnell went 2 for 2 w/a triple. With the score tied 2-2 in the top 6th, O'Donnell led off with a triple and with 2 strikes Gluszek went the other way with a single for the winning hit. Billy Krawczyk earned the win on the mound with 2 solid innings allowing 1 earned run. Nick Bratcher shut the door in the 7th for the save and a Cougar Win!

The final game in pool play found the Cougars trailing the Elmhurst Cougars 5-1 entering the bottom of the 7th. Finally the offense came to life and became as hot as the temperature that afternoon. The Cougars rallied for 5 runs capped off by Mike Pratl's game winning drive to the fence in right center w/the bases loaded. Davis Purviance and Jeff Schoenhofen went 2 for 4 while Jake Gluszek was 2 for 3, all 3 hitters had an rbi. Taylor O'Donnell earned the win on the mound.

In the Semi-final game the Cougars met the host Warriors. Every time these WSBL rivals meet there is plenty of excitement! This game was no different as it was a see-saw battle to the end. The Cougars prevailed 12-8 in the slugfest as O'Donnell was 3 for 4 (3 rbi, 2 doubles) Purviance 2 for 3 (triple), Treacy(3 rbi), Bratcher and Krawczyk all 2 for 3 and Jake Gluszek 2 for 4 (4 rbi, double). The decisive inning was the bottom of the 6th, with the score tied at 7, Connor Murphy led off with a shot to centerfield for a single and the floodgates opened from there as the Cougars pushed across 5 runs. Nick Bratcher earned the win on the mound in relief of Krawczyk who again pitched well. The Warriors never quit though as they loaded the bases in the 7th and pushed across 1 run w/ 1 out. Jake Gluszek entered the game and threw one pitch. The hitter lined a shot to thirdbase that was snared by Mike Pratl and Mike beat the runner back to third for the double play, the save for Gluszek and another COUGAR WINNER!

The Cougars then advanced to the title game after 4 intense and emotional games in brutally hot weather. Nursing several injuries the weary Cougars battled and never quit. Rather than bringing in outside help with fresh arms from an upper level club the Cougars danced with who brought 'em and finished off the tournament with the heart of a champion. The Cougars continued to make diving catches, turn double plays and refused to give up though they were truly running on fumes. Heart, Pride, Fire, Desire, Grit and Determination are all words that accurately describe the Cougars weekend. Every player contributed and not one of them quit, they did what every coach asks of their club in these tournaments, "They left it on the field"!                     

 13u Cougars advance to Hardware Sunday... 

The 13u Cougars will play in the semi-finals of the Warrenville Big Hit Tournament Sunday as the #1 seed with a 3-0 record in pool play. The Cougars defeated neighborhood rival Homer Inferno under the lights on Friday 9-5. On Saturday morning the Cougars defeated yet another neighborhood foe the Homer Crush by a score of 3-2. To finish off pool play the Cougars came back from a 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the 7th to defeat the Elmhurst Cougars 6-5 on a drive to the fence by Mike Pratl with the bases loaded and the score tied at 5. More info on all 3 games will be posted soon. This current ballclub with just one new player this season has improved by 18 games over 2009 and 36 games from when they were an 11u team. The 2010 team has two titles, a 2nd place and a 3rd place finish and overall 4 appearances on hardware Sunday in 6 tournaments. As the 2010 season winds down, it has been a very proud and productive campaign for these hard working young men!

13u Cougars post 2 more victories... 

The Cougars added two more wins to their record this past weekend. On Friday the Cougars defeated the Homer Hurricanes 8-2. The Cougars were led by the strong pitching of Mike Pratl who threw 5 solid innings for the win and a solid defensive effort by the entire club. Mike also led the Cougars offensively with a triple and 3 rbi, Taylor O'Donnell added 2 rbi on the evening. The Cougars followed that up by defeating Victory Baseball on Saturday 8-5. The Cougars trailed 5-0 going into the bottom of the 4th before rallying for three runs in the 4th and adding 5 more runs in the 5th to go ahead to stay! Billy Krawczyk earned the win in relief while Matt Maza pitched 2 scoreless innings for the save. The Cougars were led offensively by Nick Bratcher who was 2 for 3 with 3 rbi. Jake Gluszek added 2 doubles while Mike Pratl doubled and knocked in 2 runs...   

13u Cougars "walk off" with the crown.... 

The 13u Cougars reached yet another goal on the season by winning the WSBL National League West Division crown in walk off fashion by defeating the Bolingbrook Rampage 9-8. With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars had 2 men on and 2 outs when Davis Purviance "SCALDED" a clutch line drive to the gap in right center to bring home Brendan Treacy with the winning run. The hit was Purviance's 2nd on the day. "D" has delivered all season hitting around the .490 mark consistently. Jake Gluszek led the offensive attack with 3 hits(2 doubles and 3 rbi), while Mike Pratl added a double and 3 more rbi. Nick Bratcher pitched the final 3 innings in relief for his 5th win on the season (5-2). The Cougars have now won their second consecutive home game in the bottom of the seventh with a walk off hit and coincidentally, Treacy scored the winning run from 2nd base in both victories. The win moved the Cougars WSBL record to 12-3-1 and their overall record to 25-16-1. Next up, round 2 of the WSBL playoffs, the Cougars enter the single elimination tournament as the #4 seed.  

It wasn't pretty....

but someone had to win. The Cougars played less than stellar defensively, collected only 6 hits and weren't sharp all day, but...still pulled out a victory! Sometimes good clubs have to win games like this as the Cougars defeated another good club, the Oak Lawn Chargers 5-4 in WSBL action at Oak Prairie Jr. High on Tuesday night. The Cougars trailed 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh and rallied to a 4-3 deficit and with runners on 2nd and 3rd, two out and two strikes, #2 hitter Jeff Schoenhofen battled and fouled off several tough pitches before lining a single to center to score Nick Bratcher from third and Brendan Treacy, who got a great jump on the hit, from second for the win! Bratcher started the game on the mound and pitched 3 solid innings. Davis Purviance also pitched 3 solid innings, his third consecutive excellent outing in the last week, and Jake Gluszek pitched a clean 7th for the win. The Cougars improved to 11-2-1 in the WSBL and 23-12-1 overall. It is only June 1st and the Cougars are within 2 wins of last season's win total. The victory avenged two ugly losses over the last two seasons to the Chargers, just more proof that this Cougar team is greatly improved.

Cougars split in WASCO.... 

The Cougars went 1-1 in early pool play on Saturday in Wasco. The Cougars lost the opener 14-9 to host Wildcats. Although the Cougars collected 13 hits, defensively a couple of miscues on the field with 2 outs led to 6 runs which the Cougars couldn't recover from. Nick Bratcher, Davis Purviance, Jeff Schoenhofen and Mike Pratl all pitched better than the score indicated. The Cougars were led offensively by Davis Purviance 2-3 3 runs, Taylor O'Donnell 2-3 3 rbi, Pratl and Brendan Treacy both 2 for 2 and Bratcher adding a 310 ft bomb over the fence in right center for his 2nd dinger on the season. The Cougars bounced back in the nightcap and defeated the Elgin Warriors 19-9 in 5 innings. The Cougars exploded for 22 hits as EVERY Cougar collected a hit, ALL ELEVEN!!! Mike Pratl picked up the win in relief to even his record to 2-2, 1 save on the season. The Cougars were led by Jake Gluszek 3-3, 3 runs and 4 rbi, Matt Maza 3-4 3 rbi. O'Donnell , Pratl, Billy Krawczyk and Connor Murphy all 2 for 3. O'Donnell scored 3 times and had 2 rbi, Pratl collected 3 rbi, Krawczyk an rbi and Murph 2 rbi, a double and some aggressive baserunning... On the day the Cougars collected 35 hits in 12 offensive innings. The Cougars battle the always tough Lisle Wolves on Sunday with hopes of advancing to Monday's playoff round...

Cougars stay hot! 

The 13u Cougar bats are as hot as the weather right now as they won their 3rd consecutive game, all on the road, by pounding the Wheatland Ducks 13-2 in WSBL action on Monday night. The Cougars collected 10 hits and scored all 13 runs in the last 3 innings of the mercy rule shortened game. The Cougars defense was again solid and near perfect, which is more the trend lately, and after a sleepy 3 inning start the bats came to life. Davis Purviance led the attack by going 2 for 3 (including a double) scoring 2 runs and driving in 2. Nick Bratcher went 2 for 2 with a double and an rbi. Billy Krawczyk added 2 rbi on a hit in 3 trips including a solid at bat which found K-9 battle off some tough pitches before going the other way for an infield out that produced a run (LESS ME MORE WE)! Jeff Schoenhofen continued to be a solid #2 hitter for the Cougars as his average has hovered around .390 all season and his rbi total nears 30, Jeff added 2 more rbi Monday night and continues to be a leader in that #2 hole. Connor Murphy provided some heads up baserunning while the Ducks threw the ball around the infield and that led to "Murph" scoring easily on an infield hit by Mike Pratl. Every Cougar crossed home plate on Monday, evidence of a balanced lineup. Matt Maza earned another victory on the mound with 3 solid innings running his record to 4-0 and 2 saves and Jake Gluszek was again dominant on the bump pitching 3 scoreless innings. The Cougars have scored 44 runs while collecting 46 hits in the last 3 games which covers only 18 offensive innings...The Cougars remain on top of the WSBL National League West Division with a 10-2-1 record and are now 21-9-1 overall on the season...              

TWENTY!!!

Just two short seasons ago the core group of this team won only 9 ballgames. Last season with a few additions the Cougars won 25 games. Memorial Day 2010 has yet to arrive and that same core group who remained loyal and dedicated are enjoying their 20th victory of the season as the Cougars defeated the Bolingbrook Bandits 16-6 to move to 20-9-1 on the season! Some moved on to supposed greener pastures but nothing can match the progress and success of those that stuck it out! This group bought in to the Cougar philosophy and are now reaping the benefits... The Cougars were led by Jeff Schoenhofen 3 for 5, 3 runs scored, Taylor O'Donnell 3 for 4, 2 rbi, Jake Gluszek 3 for 5 , 4 rbi, Brendan Treacy 3 for 4 and 2 runs scored and Connor Murphy 2 for 3, 1 rbi and 2 runs scored. O'Donnell pitched 4 innings for the win (2-1) while Billy Krawczyk and Schoenhofen each pitched exceptionally well to finish it out. This Cougar club is playing mature, team baseball and has that feeling that they should never lose. The Cougars lead their WSBL West Division and have won a tournament title this season. This group is dedicated and has proved that hard work and loyalty will always bring success to the individual as well as to the whole club!

Back on Track! 

The 13u Cougars got back into the win column on an absolute beautiful Saturday afternoon by defeating the host Longshots from Downers Grove 15-3. The Cougars sent 14 men to the plate while scoring 9 runs in the top of the first inning. The first 8 batters reached safely. The offense was lead on the day by leadoff man Davis Purviance who was 3 for 4 scored 3 times and had 2 rbi. Jeff Schoenhofen, Taylor O'Donnell, Jake Gluszek and Nick Bratcher all were 2 for 3, Gluszek had 4 rbi while the others added 2 rbi each. The Cougars pounded out 15 hits on the day and defensively played yet another errorless game, which is starting to become a habit for this markedly improved ballclub. The offseason focus was to improve defensively and the reps, challenges and extemely hardwork and dedication is paying dividends... Nick Bratcher earned the win on the mound. Nick improved to 4-0 on the season by throwing 3 shutout innings allowing one hit and striking out 5. Nick had his above average fastball on the day and mixed in his breaking ball and knuckleball beautifully keeping the hard hitting Longshots off balance. The key was location for Nick as he threw his offspeed stuff for strikes all day long. Taylor O'Donnell called an excellent game behind the plate for Bratcher and Purviance as Davis finished up the final 2 innings in relief. The Cougars remain on top of the National League West of the WSBL with a 9-2-1 record. The Cougars are now 19-9-1 overall on the season. 

Cougars lose a tough one... 

The 13u Cougars lost a tough 9 inning game, 7-6 to the Warrenville Warriors on Wednesday night. The Cougars fell behind 6-0 early but battled back to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Two timely hits in areas that nobody can get to did the Cougars in, one early in the game, a two out 2 strike blooper just inside the foul line that scored 3 runs and then the 9th inning game winner a bloop down the line again with 2 outs... There were many bright spots in spite of the loss. Taylor O'Donnell (3 inn, 0 runs) and Nick Bratcher (3 inn, 0 runs) were unhittable while the Cougar defense was again rock solid! Davis Purviance at SS, Jeff Schoenhofen and Billy Krawczyk both at 2b and Mike Pratl at firstbase all had strong games. The main reasons behind the huge Cougar turnaround this season has been the improved defense up the middle, the great "TEAM FIRST" attitude and the never quit mentality!!! The Cougars remain in first place in the WSBL West division with an 8-2-1 record while holding an 18-9-1 overall mark...                   

EIGHT STRAIGHT!!! 

The 13u Cougars ran their winning streak to 8 games on Saturday by winning 2 games. In the morning game the Cougars improved their home record to 8-0 with an 8-2 victory over a good Wheaton Knights club. Matt Maza earned the win with 3 solid innings of work. The Knights put alot of pressure on the Cougars but the defense stood firm and played errorless baseball to get out of several jams. In the 4th with the Cougars ahead 4-2 Billy Krawczyk pitched out of a bases loaded 1 out jam with a strikeout and a hard groundout to thirdbasemen Davis Purviance. Jeff Schoenhofen made back to back web gems on consecutive outs. One was a backhanded catch on a looper over second base. the very next batter hit a liner to Jeff's left and he sprawled out for the diving catch! Jeff and Davis battled all morning to try to out do one another defensively and it was ruled a draw... Taylor O'Donnell was stellar at shortstop and Mike Pratl incredibly smooth in centerfield. In the second game the Cougars traveled to Naperville to take on the previously unbeaten Wheatland Ducks. The Cougars prevailed 6-3 to run their WSBL record to 8-1-1. Jake Gluszek earned the win with 3 solid innings and Matt Maza came in and earned a 1-2-3 inning for his 2nd save in 24 hours. Maza piled up a win and 2 saves over the 3 wins... The Cougars played their 2nd consecutive errorless game. Again the infield anchored by O'Donnell, Purviance and Schoenhofen was stellar. Maza and Nick Bratcher dug out some tough throws at first and Pratl was again awesome in center. He even caught 3 innings and threw out a base stealer. The 3 wins were total team efforts with the pitching being solid and the defense unreal. The Cougars are now 18-7-1 on the season...

Cougars roll to 6th straight win... 

The 13u Cougars won their season high 6th consecutive game by defeating the Darien Hornets 10-6 in Darien. The Cougars improved to 6-1-1 in the WSBL and 16-7-1 overall on the season. The offense was paced by many heroes on the evening. Matt Maza, Mike Pratl and Jeff Schoenhofen all went 3 for 5 on the evening while Davis Purviance and Nick Bratcher were both 3 for 4. Purviance had 2 doubles and a triple, Schoenhofen 3 rbi, Pratl 2 rbi and Bratcher 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. The Cougar defense was again solid behind winning pitcher Purviance (2-2) and Taylor O'Donnell 3 k's in 3 innings. Matt Maza came in to a jam in the bottom of the 7th with 2 runners on and 2 outs. Matt struck out the only hitter he faced on 4 pitches to earn the save to go along with his 2 wins on the season. Defensively Bratcher threw out 3 base stealers on the evening from behind the plate. Brendan Treacy gunned down a runner trying to go from 1st to 3rd on a hit to rightfield, Connor Murphy made a couple of nice plays in left field and the middle infield was solid with outstanding play by shortstops O'Donnell and Purviance and second basemen Schoenhofen and Billy Krawczyk. Those four have really solidifed the Cougar defense up the middle in 2010. The all important middle defense has never been as solid or as deep as it has been this season and that is a huge reason the Cougars are on a record pace for wins this year... All four of those middle infielders are  centerfielders as well along with steady Mike Pratl while O'Donnell, Purviance and Pratl all help with catching duties along with Jake Gluszek and Bratcher...

Cougars streak at 5... 

13u Cougars coming off their longest layoff (4 days off) since March played thru the sluggishness and extended their winning streak to 5 games matching their previous season high streak with a 9-4 victory over the Naperville White Sox. The Cougars who improved to (7-0) at home were led offensively by Mike Pratl who had 2 doubles and 2 rbi. On a warmer, less windy day, both of Mike's drives to the fence would have been homers! Pratl is the Cougars leading hitter, hitting a robust .534...Nick Bratcher was in control on the mound striking out 7 over 3 innings for the win, his third on the season (3-0). Matt Maza threw 3 scoreless innings and struckout 6 hitters and as the rust shook loose, Matt started to find his groove and dominate. Jake Gluszek finished off the game with one inning of relief, netting 2 strikeouts and a groundout. The Cougars are now 5-1-1 in WSBL action trailing the division leaders by only 1/2 game. The Cougars have 3 more league games this week to make up some ground. The Cougars overall record improved to 15-7-1...         

13u Cougars still perfect at home... 

The Cougars remained perfect (6-0) at Oak Prairie Jr. High after a 7-6 come from behind victory over the Southside Express on Wednesday. The Cougars fell behind 4-0 after and inning and a half before chipping away and finally passing the Express with a 4 run 5th. Trailing 6-3 in the 5th, Connor Murphy and Davis Purviance coaxed walks. Jeff Schoenhofen then moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Taylor O'Donnell ripped a shot to left to bring the Cougars within one. After a stolen base by O'Donnell, leading hitter Mike Pratl knotted the score with a single to right. Pratl stole second and the Cougars hottest hitter Matt Maza (2 for 3, 2 rbi) ripped a shot to center to knock in the winning run! Mike Pratl worked 4 excellent innings of relief for the win while Jake Gluszek pitched the final 2 dominant, scoreless innings for his second save in the last 4 games. The Cougars displayed their versatility as regular shortstop Purviance made "Big League" plays at 3rd base and in centerfield. Regular centerfielder O'Donnell made a couple of "Big League" plays at shortstop and regular first baseman Nick Bratcher made a couple of "Big League" throws from behind the plate to nail two would be base stealers, the second was the potential tying run in the 7th. Nick also called a great game from behind the plate. The Cougar philosophy is to develop well rounded ballplayers who "think the game" rather than robots who need to be guided, so the catchers call every pitch of every game. The Cougars have used 5 catchers on the season and each and every one of them is making incredible strides in commanding (and learning) the game! The Cougars are now 14-7-1 on the season with current 4 game win streak. Next on the schedule a Friday meeting with the Bolingbrook Bandits at beautiful Oak Prairie field...                       

HEAVY METAL!!!! 

The 13u Cougars swung the metal big time at Oak Prairie on Tuesday evening. The Cougars pounded out 15 hits in a 17-0 victory over Wheaton-Briarcliffe in WSBL action. The Cougars are now 4-1-1 in the WSBL and 13-7-1 overall. The victory was the Cougars 3rd in a row after recovering from a week long "team" slump. During the 3 game streak the Cougars have scored 37 runs... The leaders of the hit attack were Matt Maza (3 for 3, 3 rbi 2 doubles) Davis Purviance (3 for 4, 2 rbi, 3 runs scored) Brendan Treacy (2 for 3, 2 runs and an rbi) Jake Gluszek (2 for 3, 3 rbi and a homer) Taylor O'Donnell (double, 2rbi, 3 runs scored) Nick Bratcher (homer and 2 rbi). Matt Maza doubled home 2 runs with 2 outs and 2 strikes to put the Cougars up 5-0 in the third. Nick Bratcher led off the 4th with a 280 foot bomb over the fence in left. The solo blast was Bratcher's 1st on the year. Jake Gluszek followed 6 batters later with his 4th blast of the year, a 2 run bomb to right center, estimated at about 285 feet. The fourth inning saw the Cougars march 18 batters to the plate while scoring 12 runs. Lost in the excitement of the offensive explosion was the errorless defense the Cougars played behind starting pitcher and winner Jeff Schoenhofen. Jeff improved to 3-2 on the season striking out 3 hitters and allowing only 1 hit in 3 innings. Maza finished up the final 2 innings with 5 strikeouts while allowing only 2 hits. The Cougars take on the Southside Express on Wednesday evening!  

2010 13u Cougar current offensive leaders are posted on the 13u team site in the Cougar news window...     

13u Cougars advance again... 

For the third time in three consecutive weekends the Cougars are advancing to play meaningful baseball games on Sunday! The Cougars bounced back after a tourney opening loss to the host (and eventual champ) team to win two come from behind ballgames on Saturday and will advance to hardware Sunday in North Aurora! The Cougars recovered from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Lemont Phantoms 6-5 in the opener on Saturday then stormed back in the nightcap from 6-0 and 11-4 deficits to defeat the D/C Lightning 14-11. Nick Bratcher (2-0) picked up the win in game one (3 innings, 7 K's and 1 hit allowed) and was named game MVP, with the save going to Jake Gluszek (1 inning, 2 k's). In the nightcap, rock steady Brendan Treacy (2-0) picked up the victory in relief. Brendan has come into many games, not just this season but since he has been a Cougar, and gotten people out!!! A big spark was provided by Gluszek's (game MVP) tape measure 3 run bomb in the second game to cut the deficit to 11-8 late. The blast was Jake's 3rd on the season. Mike Pratl provided the game winning rbi in the next inning by suicide squeezing home Taylor O'Donnell who doubled home the tying runs earlier in the inning. Pratl later was driven in by a RED HOT Matt Maza to add some insurance. The #1 and #2 hitters, Davis Purviance and Jeff Schoenhofen, are constantly setting the table for the rbi guys as those two are doing nothing except ripping everything in sight and getting on base! The Cougars exploded for 10 runs in the last 2 innings for the win breaking out of a slump that found the Cougars going 1-4-1 over the last week, mostly because of the quiet bats. This ballclub is playing at a higher level of baseball in 2010 and fully expects to win everytime they take the field. There are no "ME FIRST" players on this roster and the proof is on the field as the overall team depth is at an all time high. The Cougars are now 12-7-1 on the season with a championship and a 3rd place finish in four tournaments...  

Cougars finish 3rd.... 

The Cougars lost 5-3 in the semi-final game of the Hub-City Basebrawl tournament in Rochelle, IL. The Cougars final position was based on tie breakers. The Cougars bats were silent most of the game but some great defensive plays were made on the day. Billy Krawczyk made a great running catch in left field with two out and the bases loaded to save 3 runs. Matt Maza flashed some leather at the hot corner in what may have been his best defensive game of the season and Mike Pratl made some great defensive plays on the mound and he even picked a baserunner off of second. The Cougars stand at 10-6 on the young season and gear up for another busy week with one league game, one non league game and their 4th tournament in April! The Cougars have played a grueling early season schedule which has included 3 tournaments and overall 16 games in 19 days... The Cougars have a championship under their belt as well as a 3rd place finish in the 3 tournaments and are already far ahead of their record from last season having played a much tougher schedule. This is a much improved ballclub having made only minimal changes. This 13u Cougar club is definitely playing at a HIGHER LEVEL in 2010!!!!!            

13u Cougars advance to the Semi-finals... 

The Cougars bounced back from a tough 3-2 loss to North Aurora Saturday to defeat the DC Lightning 9-6 and advance to the semi finals of the Hub City Base Brawl in Rochelle, IL. The Cougars take on top seeded Illinois Valley Lightning on Sunday morning with the winner going to the Championship. The Cougars (10-5) are looking to get to finals in consecutive tournaments on back to back weekends... In the opener, Jake Gluszek pitched exceptionally well but the Cougars gave up 3 unearned runs in the 3-2 loss to the eventual tournament champion. In the nightcap, the Cougars played sluggishly but still had enough in the tank to pull out the win behind another solid effort on the mound by Matt Maza (2-0). Taylor O'Donnell's 2 run double late in the game helped the Cougars pull away. Billy Krawczyk came into the game in the last inning with bases loaded and nobody out and retired 3 straight hitters, 2 by pop out and one strikeout for his first save as a Cougar.           

13u Cougars stay HOT!

The first road game of the season, aside from tournaments, found the Cougars facing the coolest temperatures they have played in during this young season and even the cold temps and brisk breeze couldn't slow down the red hot Cougar bats! The Cougars collected 18 hits while defeating the Naperville White Sox 15-3. This is the 6th consecutive victory by the Cougars that has ended early! Every Cougar had a hit with the Big Blast coming off the bat of Jake Gluszek. Glu hit a Grand Slam in the 2nd inning to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead and they never looked back. Jake had 5 rbi on the night on 2 hits, his Slam gives him two long homers this season. Taylor O'Donnell had another 3 hit night including a ringing double as he continues his assault on opposing pitchers. O'Donnell and Mike Pratl each scored 3 times with Pratl adding 3 rbi. Matt Maza had 3 hits and Pratl, Jeff Schoenhofen and Billy Krawczyk all added 2 hits. Davis Purviance, Schoenhofen and Maza all added 2 rbi. Brendan Treacy and Connor Murphy are now starting to heat up as well as both have hits in consecutive games. Matt Maza started on the mound and was sharp! The Cougars won a tournament over the weekend having played 4 games in 2 days and still had enough pitching depth to put together outstanding starts by Purviance (Tuesday) and Maza tonight. Matt pitched the 3 allowed innings and faced the minimum, 9 hitters, allowing 0 hits and striking out 5 White Sox hitters. Nick Bratcher pitched the final 3 innings allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and striking out 6 hitters. The Cougar defense was again outstanding with steady Jeff Schoenhofen leading the way with some outstanding 2nd base play and catcher Jake Gluszek throwing out 2 more runners to bring his season total to 5 caught stealing! The Cougars are now 9-3 overall and 3-0 (WSBL) setting up an early season showdown with the unbeaten (WSBL) Bolingbrook Rampage on Thursday night in Bolingbrook...                

Cougars rolling!!!! 

Coming home after a long grueling Championship weekend, the concern was that the 13u Cougar squad would be flat. Just the opposite! The Cougars kept the championship intensity and fire while defeating the Villa Park Panthers 11-1 to remain perfect (4-0) at home and 2-0 in the WSBL. The Cougars defense was again near perfect behind winning pitcher Davis Purviance(1-1). Davis hasn't pitched in a week but was in mid-season form scattering just 3 hits. Purviance had 7 inning stuff but league rules allow only 3 innings per game so he handed the torch to Billy Krawczyk who pitched the final 2 shutout innings. The offense was paced by Jake Gluszek's 5 rbi while Taylor O'Donnell added 3 rbi and Matt Maza 2 rbi. Purviance, O'Donnell, Gluszek, and Krawczyk all had 2 hits each, Purviance and Gluszek had triples and O'Donnell added a double. O'Donnell, the leader in rbi in 2009 has 16 rbi in the last 7 games after a slow start. The top of the lineup Purviance and Jeff Schoenhofen each scored 3 times in the game...The Cougars have gotten off to a strong start against some pretty good ballclubs, running their early season record to 8-3 with their last 4 wins coming via the mercy rule... Next up a visit to Naperville to play the White Sox on Wednesday evening.

13u Cougars bring home the hardware... 

The Cougars defeated a classy Mokena Blaze club 13-1 on Sunday afternoon to bring home the Dwight Titans Early Bird Tournament Championship. The Cougars played lights out in the tournament outscoring their opponents 42-9 in the 4 games. Typical Cougar baseball was the theme throughout the weekend as the Cougars again played errorless baseball and Coach Treacy's pitching staff was outstanding. After a slow start this season with the bats, the boys are heating up. On Sunday all 10 Cougars collected a hit. Davis Purviance, Mike Pratl, Nick Bratcher and Matt Maza all chipped in with 2 hits each(Purviance added a triple and Pratl a double). Throughout the weekend the Cougars, as a team, had only 7 strikeouts! Jake Gluszek went the distance on Sunday scattering 3 hits and collecting 3 strikeouts for the win. Taylor O'Donnell was stellar behind the plate as was Purviance at shortstop. The Cougars are now 7-3 and looking forward to a full slate of games coming up this week.        

Cougars are 2-1 in Dwight...

The Cougars played well despite a real difficult schedule in Dwight/Odell, IL. The Cougars defeated friendly neighborhood rival Homer Hurricanes 14-1 in the opener. Brendan Treacy came into the game in the top of the first with bases loaded 1 out and 1 run already in and pitched out of the jam. B.T went on to pitch 5 innings allowing 0 runs and just 2 hits for the win. In game 2 Taylor O'Donnell was in cruise control while his defense was outstanding behind him in a 10-0 Cougar win. In game three on the day, the Cougars, running on fumes battled back from a 5-1 deficit late to force extra innings against the host Dwight team which so happened to be playing their only game on the day. Dwight prevailed 7-5 in the eighth inning some 11 hours after the Cougars first arrived to start the day.  The Cougars showed alot of heart, played great defense and sprayed the ball all over the park. Jake Gluszek threw out the only 3 baserunners that attempted to steal on him, the pitching was solid and O'Donnell, Gluszek, Pratl and Purviance continue to heat up at the plate. The Cougars head back to Dwight this afternoon for a matchup against the Mokena Blaze and a chance at the title!

13u Cougars notch another "W"... 

The Lockport Cougars remained unbeaten at home (3-0) after earning a 12-6 victory over the Southside Express. The Cougars were a little flat and struggled at times but made key plays and delivered timely hits late to prevail. Jeff Schoenhofen (2-1) earned the victory on the mound. Jake Gluszek, Mike Pratl, Taylor O'Donnell and Davis Purviance all doubled to carry the offensive load. Purviance pitched out of a bases loaded no out jam in the 4th and Schoenhofen made a great bases loaded diving catch in centerfield to end the game!   

Cougars back on track...

The 13u Cougars returned home after going 0-2-1 in a tough weekend away tournament. The road weary Cougars were able to push themselves to a 7-1 victory over the Lemont Phantoms. Nick Bratcher made his first start of the season on the mound for the Cougars and was exceptional. Nick "Smash" allowed only a single and piled up 9 strikeouts over 4 shutout innings for the win. Steady Brendan Treacy allowed only an unearned run during his one inning stint and Connor Murphy making his first mound appearance in two seasons proved to be worth the wait as he pitched 2 shutout innings to close it out. Bratcher was also the star of the game at the plate going 2 for 2 with a long double and 3 rbi. The Cougars have now effectively pitched all 10 kids in 5 games and over the course of a very long season, that kind of depth will help win many ballgames... 

Cougars off and running!!!!! 

The 13u Lockport Cougars opened the 2010 season with a 6-4 home victory over the Wheatland Ducks on Tuesday night! The game marked the Cougars debut in the tough WSBL. The focus in the offseason was DEFENSE and the Cougars played a flawless errorless game to start the season. The Cougar program has always prided itself on developing deep pitching and solid defense and this youngest Cougar squad is starting to fit that mold. The offense had several timely hits to help the solid defensive effort. Jake Gluszek started the fireworks with a home run in his first at bat of the new season. Jake drove the ball roughly 275 feet to right center easily clearing the fence. Jake later added a line drive single to left center for another rbi. Connor Murphy started a 3 run 3rd inning rally by ripping a single to centerfield and later scoring on a deep double to the centerfield fence by Davis Purviance.  Winning pitcher Jeff Schoenhofen helped his cause by driving a solid rbi single to right and newest Cougar Billy Krawczyk had an rbi on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt to score Mike Pratl. Jeff Schoenhofen started on the hill and threw a solid 3 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits and throwing only 23 pitches.  Billy Krawczyk making his Cougar debut threw 3 solid innings allowing only one run. With the Ducks rallying in the 7th down 6-4 with a runner on and no outs, Mike Pratl came in to shut it down for the save. Mike struck out a batter, got the next hitter to bounce back to him and got the third out on a grounder to secondbaseman Schoenhofen. Some of the defensive highlites included Schoenhofen snaring a low liner and doubling a runner off of firstbase, also Taylor O'Donnell ran down a drive in right center and threw out a runner trying to stretch his hit into a double... The Cougars head to Jacksonville this weekend for the Lenz tournament!

Cougars add another sponsor... 

The Cougars are proud to welcome back O'Neil Funeral Home (Lockport) as a sponsor for the 2010 season! Kim O'Neil Golob has been an avid supporter of the Cougar program for some time now. A great big thanks to Mrs. Golob and the entire O'Neil family... 

COUGAR PRIDE!!!! 

The Lockport Cougars organization is proud to announce that ALL eleven Cougars from the 2009 14u squad who tried out made their high school freshman teams... ELEVEN FOR ELEVEN!!! Jeff Pattison, Ron Sessler, Jeff Milas, Jeff Duschene, Frank Gabriel, Nick Lindemann, Matt Pattison, Justin Howard, Connor Ryan, Brett Stogsdill and Eric Duzan all will play high school ball this spring. The Cougar program is especially proud of three charter members of our organization. Jeff Pattison, Ron Sessler and Jeff Milas all were a part of the very first Cougar club in 2006. Those 3 were 11 year olds playing up at the 12u level and set the tone for their development way back then! The Cougar program prides itself on continued player development so that all of our players have the opportunity that these 11 players have realized. Congratulations gentlemen and best of luck! Your hard work is paying off, we are all very proud of you!         Congratulations are also in order for Coaches John, Jim and Ron all original Cougar coaches, and the rest of the Cougar staff who shared in the growth of these fine young ballplayers.            

Two more sponsors renew with the Cougars...

The Cougars welcome back two sponsors for the '10 season. The DBA Midas Shop Tinley Park(CAB Corp.) and The DBA Midas Shop Orland Park(Bratco Inc) will continue their support of the Cougar organization. A hearfelt thank you goes out to the Bratcher Family for their valued partnership and support of our program. You can support our sponsors at the following locations; The Orland shop is located at 14810 S. LaGrange Road and the Tinley shop is located at 7011 W. 159th street.

Another Returning Sponsor... 

Innovative Medical Devices, Inc. is the latest sponsor to re-join the Cougar family. Thanks to Mark Hildebrandt and Innovative for the generous sponsorship and for the continued support and partnership! Special thanks to Coach Sean for his help with bringing in this Cougar partner again!!! 

Returning Cougar Sponsor...

Treacy & Sons Properties LLC is the first returning Cougar sponsor for the season. Thanks to Coach Sean and family for their very generous donation. 

LESS ME!!!! MORE WE!!!!! 

Good Bad or Indifferent, I still have never seen an umpire lose a game for us by dropping a pop up, missing a sign, swinging at a pitch over his head or making a bad throw...

While Coaching your own son, "Coach" him on the field, "Parent" him at home!

PRIDE, DESIRE, DISCIPLINE! Many preach it, We teach it!          

COUGAR BIRTHDAYS IN AUGUST 

13u-

15u-Frank Gabriel 3RD  

16U-Kyle O'Donnell 9TH    

We are proud of all of our Cougar players' accomplishments, athletically and/or academically. Perhaps the thing that really makes the coaches most proud is the fact that we usually end our discussion about each player with the statement, "what a great kid". We really are blessed to have some remarkable young men in this organization!        

Being good is fine if you're an average player playing on an average ballclub. Work toward becoming an EXCEPTIONAL player on a DOMINANT ballclub!!!