After recent solid performances against Niles Notre Dame, Waukegan and Clemente, the Scouts Baseball team will look to extend a win streak heading into a Saturday Triangular against the likes of Whitney Young and Jones College Prep. Tonight at home and tomorrow on the road, the Scouts will take on NSC Conference foe Zion-Benton.

In recent wins, the Scouts have put over double-digit scores on the board multiple times. Scoring often (and early) is crucial for the Scouts heading into key matchups.

“The biggest thing for us is that we need to score early and get a big lead for our pitchers,” said Manager A.J. Shaw. “If we can score early and keep our foot on the gas pedal, we’re good to go.”

The aforementioned pitchers have been a bright spot for the Scouts so far this year, and the rotation is almost exclusively made up of juniors. Breck Nowik, Matt Birtman, Robby Gray, Luke Chlystek, Connor Morrison and Michael Vallone have all contributed to this recent pitching success, and Nowik in particular has also excelled from the plate; his two-run homer against Waukegan set up a great hitting day from Lake Forest.

However, a couple seniors also have made effective pitching appearances. Brady Christoph, who pitched fantastic games against Lake Zurich and Evanston back in early April, and Peter Turelli, the three year varsity member and future collegiate player (at UW Whitewater) who managed to shut out Munford during the Tennessee spring break trip, have both significantly contributed to Lake Forest’s strong defensive play.

Offensively, some of the same names pop up. Nowik and Turelli led the charge for the Scouts’ RBIs back in late April, and Morrison’s .364 batting average and Nowik’s .333 were good for the first and third best, respectively, for the team. However, it’s senior Brady Christoph who many believe will come alive in the next couple days.

“[Christoph] is really starting to see the ball better the last week or two… I think he’s gonna have himself a nice series here, and a successful rest of the season,” said Shaw.

The Scouts still have plenty more baseball to play before the state playoffs in late May, so expect many players to start peaking right around now. Two games against the Zee-Bees should be good tests to see how well Lake Forest can handle a somewhat easier matchup following a talented Niles Notre Dame squad.

On a separate note, senior Peter Turelli will be “mic’d up” during the Triangular meet on Saturday. Look for future updates from LFHS New Media and TFS soon.