December 17, 2023
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Baseball: 5 standout stats from the 2023 season in DeKalb County

By Eddie Carifio
Indian Creek's Noah Fenske (right) and Hinckley-Big Rock's Martin Ledbetter at second base during their game Monday, May 1, 2023, at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona.

Indian Creek's Noah Fenske (right) and Hinckley-Big Rock's Martin Ledbetter at second base during their game Monday, May 1, 2023, at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

From a big bopper in Hinckley to a historic run in Sycamore, there were a lot of memorable players, moments and teams from the 2023 baseball season.

Here are five numbers that put the season into perspective.

DeKalb Nik Nelson (3) makes contact with the ball on Tuesday April 25th while taking on Waubonsie Valley held at DeKalb High School.

DeKalb Nik Nelson (3) makes contact while taking on Waubonsie Valley held at DeKalb High School. (David Toney for Shaw Local/David Toney)

7

DeKalb finished the year with 16 wins, the most since 2015.

But more impressive than that was the fact that the Barbs were very, very young. They started seven sophomores or freshmen in their last game, a 5-3 loss to Hampshire in a a 4A regional semifinal.

That youth movement started at the top with Nik Nelson, the leadoff hitter and middle infielder who hit .317 but had a .445 on-base percentage. Jackson Kees was named the team’s MVP. He hit .294, drove in 24 home runs and blasted a home run. On the hill he was 3-5 with a 3.02 ERA, striking out 52 and walking 12 in 46 1/3 innings.

“The outlook right now is very, very bright,” DeKalb coach Josh Latimer said. “I’m excited about it, and we just need to fill a few spots. But we have seven out of nine starters coming back. You’ve got to feel confident about that.”

Indian Creek's Tyler Bogle dives back safely on a pickoff attempt as Hinckley-Big Rock's Martin Ledbetter takes the throw during their game Monday, May 1, 2023, at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona.

Indian Creek's Tyler Bogle dives back safely on a pickoff attempt as Hinckley-Big Rock's Martin Ledbetter takes the throw at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

1.911

A good on-base plus slugging average will approach 1 at the major league level. At the high school level, 1.5 and above is a standout.

For Hinckley-Big Rock slugger Martin Ledbetter, his OPS was eye-popping to say the least at 1.911. And it was a good measure of the kind of offensive numbers he put up.

He set a school record with 12 home runs, drove in 43, hit .563, reached base almost 65% of the time and stole 18 bases.

Indian Creek's Jeffrey Probst takes a cut during their game Thursday, April 20, 2023, against Hiawatha at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona. The game was stopped in the first inning due to weather.

Indian Creek's Jeffrey Probst takes a cut against Hiawatha at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona. The game was stopped in the first inning due to weather. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

.463

Ledbetter wasn’t the only player putting up big numbers at a small school. Jeffrey Probst hit .463 this year for Indian Creek, stole a team-best 15 bases and had a 1.240 OPS. He also hit a home run.

But he was also a solid fielder in center for the Timberwolves and was one of the best defensive players in the Little 10. He was co-MVP of the team with ace Sam Genslinger and was the top hitter on the team.

Sycamore's Kyle Hartmann (left) is greeted by Tommy Townsend and Jimmy Amptmann (right) as he crosses the plate after hitting his first of three home runs during their game against Harlem Monday, March 27, 2023, at the Sycamore Community Park.

Sycamore's Kyle Hartmann (left) is greeted by Tommy Townsend and Jimmy Amptmann (right) as he crosses the plate after hitting his first of three home runs during their game against Harlem at the Sycamore Community Park. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

34

Sycamore did a lot of things well on its run to the Class 3A State Tournament, taking third place. But they could bop with the best of them.

The Spartans hit 34 home runs this year, led by Tommy Townsend’s eight. Kyle Hartmann added seven and Lucas Winbrun five for the Spartans, who had eight players homer.

To put it in perspective, the other three teams in the Class 3A tournament hit 31 home runs combined.

Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com Sycamore players celebrate with their trophy after defeating Effingham 2-1 in nine innings during the Class 3A third-place state baseball game in Joliet Saturday.

Sycamore players celebrate with their trophy after defeating Effingham 2-1 in nine innings during the Class 3A third-place state baseball game in Joliet Saturday. (Joe Lewnard)

.688

The Spartans made history, qualifying for the state tournament for the first time. But they also went 34-6, and those six losses weren’t exactly to pushovers.

The teams that beat them were a combined 143-65, a .688 winning percentage. Sycamore only lost one game to a team that had a losing record. That was an 8-6 defeat to Crystal Lake Central one day after a one-run loss to Morris kept them from winning the Interstate 8.

Every other team Sycamore lost to won at least 21 games. And one of those losses was to Nazareth in a state semifinal, which went on to win the title.