St. Charles North sectional
LOCATION St. Charles North, 255 Red Gate Road, St. Charles
CLASS 4A
SECTIONAL GAMES Wednesday, June 3; Thursday, June 4; Saturday, June 6
AREA TEAMS St. Charles North, Batavia, Willowbrook, St. Charles East, Wheaton North, Bartlett, Glenbard West, Wheaton Warrenville South, York, Glenbard East, Proviso West, West Chicago, Geneva
TOP SEEDS Wheaton North, Elk Grove, Batavia, Geneva
REGIONAL OPENER Monday
OUTLOOK Wheaton North grabbed the No. 1 seed in this sectional and will be looking to make a return trip to the state tournament. The Falcons, who finished fourth at state a year ago, have posted a record of 22-4, which included a 20-game winning streak to start the season.

The squad is led by Trey Martin, Jack DeAno, Eric Dama and Wade Cervenka both at the plate and on the mound.

Wheaton North will kick off the postseason on Wednesday at the St. Charles East regional against either the host team or Addison Trail. A victory would move the Falcons into the May 30 regional championship versus the winner of the Bartlett/Marmion contest.

Despite having only one returning starter this spring in Mike Olp, Wheaton Warrenville South has posted a 17-11 campaign and are over the .500 mark in the DVC. The Tigers received the No. 7 seed and will open the playoffs against No. 10 York at the Hoffman Estates regional on May 28.

The squad would then mostly likely see No. 2-seed Elk Grove Village in the regional title game on Saturday, May 30.

Since beating Proviso East on April 30, Glenbard West has dropped 11 straight games (10-22 overall). One of those was Monday in a 4-3 setback to Proviso West. The Hilltoppers outhit the Panthers 8-2, but committed three errors in the game.

Chris Kavanaugh (two RBIs) and Ben Krusen (3-for-4) drove in the three runs. Joey Wheeler, Nick Morley, Jesse Condie and Scott Lembitz have been other offensive leaders throughout the season.

After closing up the regular season this week, the Hilltoppers will look to get back on track in the postseason. They are the No. 15 seed in the sectional and host No. 19 Hoffman Estates for a regional quarterfinal game at 11 a.m. on Monday in Glen Ellyn. The winner plays No. 2 Elk Grove in a semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Hoffman Estates, while the regional final is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 30.

West Chicago is battle-tested after going through the rugged DuPage Valley Conference. The Wildcats received the No. 13 seed in the sectional and will host No. 20 and fellow DVC foe Glenbard West on Monday. A win in that contest propels the squad into Wednesday’s regional semifinal against No. 4 and regional host Geneva.

Lakes sectional
LOCATION Lakes High School, 1600 Eagle Way, Lake Villa
CLASS 3A
SECTIONAL GAMES Wednesday, June 3; Thursday, June 4; Saturday, June 6
AREA TEAMS Glenbard South, St. Francis, Wheaton Academy
TOP SEEDS Vernon Hills, Woodstock, Glenbard South, Lake Villa
REGIONAL OPENER Monday
OUTLOOK Glenbard South was one game away from making it to the IHSA state tournament last spring. The Raiders are looking to take the next step.

Although the Raiders were 15-16 overall as of Monday, they won five of their last eight games, including a 2-0 victory over Batavia, and have eight losses by two or less runs this season.

The Raiders are the top seed in the Wheaton Academy regional and play No. 4 St. Francis in a semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner gets either No. 2 Wheaton Academy or No. 3 Crystal Lake Central in the regional finals at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. It was Crystal Lake Central that beat the Raiders last year in the supersectional to get to state.

Offensively, Sterling Smith (.380 average, five home runs, 19 RBIs), Matt Behnke (.337 ave., 22 RBIs), Joe Ramirez (.333 ave., nine doubles, 26 RBIs), Nick Slezak (.333 ave., 17 RBIs) and Mike Meath (.310 ave., 18 RBIs) have led the way.

Pitchers David Suffern (3-4, 2.03 ERA), Ramirez (4-3, 3.00 ERA), Ryan DeRosa (3-1, 3.56 ERA) and Tony Scotellaro (3-4, 3.08 ERA) have logged the bulk of the innings.

Wheaton Academy wrapped up the 2009 campaign with an 18-8-1 record, which included a 10-4 mark in the Private School League. The team received the No. 2 seed in the regional they are hosting and will play No. 3 Crystal Lake Central on May 28.

St. Francis has had its share of struggles lately on the diamond but does have the talent to pull off an upset or two. The Spartans are led by seniors Michelangelo Consiglio and Jason Lombardi and junior Mike Pugliese. Sophomore Jack Roback has also been one of the team’s top pitchers.