Published: May 06, 2008 12:20 pm            

CITY BASEBALL SERIES 2008: EHS, St. Anthony set to clash Wednesday

The 29th Annual City Series begins Wednesday, and this year's edition of the crosstown rivalry match features two baseball teams playing two drastically different brands of baseball heading into the yearly three-game showdown.

Effingham High School enters the series with the better record at 17-8, but is in the midst of a three-game slide which includes a 7-5 loss at Teutopolis eight days ago followed by a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Charleston in Saturday's Apollo Conference finale.

The losses to Charleston ended EHS' shot at sharing a second straight Apollo title and in the end may drop Chris Fleener's club all the way to fourth in the final standings.

St. Anthony, meanwhile, comes in at 13-8 but had captured victories in five of its last six before last night's 3-2 loss at North Clay (Louisville), a game in which the Bulldogs used five different pitchers in an apparent effort to keep everybody loose for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday's games.

Joey Ohnesorge's bunch began the year 0-4 before rattling off seven victories in a row, capping off that stretch with a 23-0 drubbing of Windsor on April 17.

Of course, when it comes to the City Series, you can throw the rest of the season right out the window.

"I think it's going to be another good series," said Fleener, whose squad has swept the last two series. "I'm looking for it to be a pretty close match all the way around."

Ohnesorge, whose team came up short by identical 3-2 scores in all three of last year's games, agrees with that assessment.

"I think we both match up pretty well," said Ohnesorge. "Nobody is a clear favorite going in. Our pitching staffs line up pretty well and both of us have some dangerous hitters in the lineup. I expect a good series this year."

Neither coach knows exactly how his pitching rotation is going to set up this week.

Barring any last-minute injury issues, senior Lake Land College recruits Curran McNeely and Trey Kistler should see starts as they have been the Flaming Hearts' one-two punch for the last two seasons. Tyler Ohnesorge, a junior, seems like the best bet for the other start.

"Right now, my game one starter is up in the air," said Fleener. "It could be Trey or Curran depending on how their arms feel, but it could be T.O. It all depends on how our arms heal up."

That's where things get interesting for St. Anthony's coach, who'll be skippering against his own son.

"If (Tyler) pitches, my team is going to have to figure him out for themselves," said Ohnesorge. "I'm not going to give them any inside information. If he gets a chance he'll want to do the best he can against me."

Tyler got a start at third base in one of last year's City Series games, and Ohnesorge admits it was a strange feeling to coach against his own flesh and blood but also says it won't faze either one of them.

"You're a dad or a son at home, but it's all business when you step between those white lines," said Ohnesorge.

"Tyler's the best person for the job," joked Fleener. "With coaching from me and from Joey, he ought to go out there and throw a perfect game.

"The players all know each other and have played together at some point anyway," continued Fleener. "That's what is fun about this, and I look for it to be fun again this year."

As far as relief pitching goes, Chad Green and Austin Mahaffey will most likely get the calls while Derek Meinhart is another possibility.

Parkland-bound senior Danny Winkler is a shoo-in to get one of the Bulldogs' starts while junior Jordan Amlong has emerged as the No. 2 on Ohnesorge's staff.

Anthony Hecht, recruited to Kaskaskia College along with teammate Jordan Schmidt for his infielding prowess as well as his skills at the plate, has seen several starts this year and Andrew Koester, another senior, has also seen substantial time on the hill.

A wild card that could emerge is left-handed sophomore Greg Schmidt, a tall soft-tosser who at times this spring has displayed a deft touch around the corners and a big curve.

St. Anthony's offense is currently averaging 7.8 runs per game; the only constant in the Bulldogs' lineup this year has been Hecht in the leadoff spot with an excellent on-base percentage and terrific speed on the basepaths.

Hecht will play at shortstop while Koester is a fixture at second base; J. Schmidt or Chris Parker will be at first base while the other will be the designated hitter and either Amlong or Justin Schutzbach will see time at third base.

In the outfield, Winkler generally patrols center field when he isn't pitching, although he has also played in right at times with sophomore Matt Hecht in center.

John Steppe, who provides some pop in the middle of the order along with Winkler and Parker, will likely start in left unless A. Hecht pitches, in which case he'll move to shortstop.

Marty Jansen is a candidate for an outfield spot or second base depending on who is pitching, and Cavan Walsh has also seen plenty of innings in the outfield while sure-handed Alex Westendorf is the Bulldogs' top catcher.

For EHS, McNeely has been the cleanup man all year long and sees time primarily at third base when not on the hill, although he's also a candidate to DH or play first base if sophomore sensation Chad Green comes in to pitch.

Green, a starter along with twin brother Chase, is Effingham's top hitter with a .468 average and 31 RBIs in the three-hole.

Chase plays second base and bats second while Meinhart is the shortstop and generally leads off. Kistler is the center fielder when not pitching while Jeremy Grewell usually finds a spot toward the middle of the order and can play any outfield spot.

Kenny Harris and Mitch Frey, both seniors, have split time behind the plate while Mahaffey plays at third when McNeely pitches and can also play in the outfield along with senior Geoff Hecht. Cody McCollum, another sophomore, has seen some time in right field and also occasionally as a DH for Fleener's team.

No matter who plays or what happens on the field, though, both coaches know the atmosphere is a big part of what the City Series is all about.

"There's always a good crowd and excitement in the air," summed up Ohnesorge. "A lot of good baseball is played and the games are never decided for sure until that last out is made. You can never relax.

"There's lots of camaraderie, but competitiveness at the same time. Anyone who doesn't come out for this is missing something special."

Game time all three nights is set for 7 p.m.; Evergreen Hollow Park will be the site of Wednesday's and Friday's games while Thurday's action is at Paul Smith Field in Community Park. Effingham leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1980 when only one game was played, by a 17-9-2 margin.

Dustin White can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 123 or dustin.white@effinghamdailynews.com.