We might look back on this group of Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers as a legendary blend of experience and next-level talent. There are nine Division-I commitments on this roster, the most head coach Jared Voss has had during his 20 years at the school. Of the nine commitments, just three are seniors: second baseman Justin Conant (Ball State), and lefty pitchers Ryan Surin (St. Louis) and Aidan Tyrell (Notre Dame). The rest of the D-I-bound squad is comprised of underclassmen, including the aforementioned Knapczyk, shortstop Jared Cushing (Texas Tech), pitchers Zak Gould (Memphis), Michael Gurka (Minnesota), Alex Vera (Illinois), and OF/RHP Gregory Ziegler (Missouri State).
It’s stunning how much talent will be on the field, all at once, for Joliet Catholic each and every gameday. Last year, the team’s youth and relative inexperience caught up with the Hilltoppers in the regional championship against a strong Lemont team. They went up against a D-I arm themselves that fateful day last year in Ryan Sublette and it ended their state-fueled dreams.
A silver lining isn’t hard to find. A loss like that can rally any team, especially one as talented as this. They’re still defending conference champions and a team that will inundate its competition through sheer numbers. With so many prospects sharing one dugout, it’s the depth of this Joliet Catholic team that should have the rest of ESCC bracing for impact.
The rotation is authentically all-Division I, anchored by the seniors, Tyrell and Surin, followed up by juniors Gould, Gurka, Vera and Ziegler -- all of whom would probably be the ace of most prep staffs. Tyrell himself is coming off the honor of being named the ESCC Pitcher of the Year.
The lineup is tooled up, too, featuring the three-year starter and senior Conant, juniors Ziegler and Cushing, senior 1B Matt Bebar (North Central College), C Simon Grashoff, and three-year varsity infielder and senior Blake Munch, among many others.
One of the midwest’s most stacked squads, with seemingly no weakness on paper, Joliet Catholic is prepared to earn coach Voss’ first state title since 2013 behind a tidal wave of talent.
