Kaneland enters the rankings, while six teams all move up behind Geneva and South Elgin.
Top 10
With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.
1. Geneva 26-5 (1): Blake Kopec and Tommy Lyons combine for 5-0 DuKane Conference win over St. Charles East to clinch the Vikings’ first league title since 2007.
2. South Elgin 23-8 (2): Zacharia Barkho strikes out seven in 17-0 complete-game win over Riverside-Brookfield while also going 6-for-12 with five runs in three games.
3. West Aurora 22-9 (4): Angel Romero ends up 3-for-4 with three runs, a double, a homer and four RBIs in 14-1 win over Fenton.
4. Bartlett 21-10 (5): Valparaiso recruit Brandon Pelz pitches six dominant innings, striking out five in 5-0 nonconference win over Ridgewood.
5. St. Charles East 19-11 (6): Gavin Fuscone, Kyle LaRose and Niko Vahmistrovs each hit homers in 13-6 win over Batavia to clinch three-game series in DuKane Conference.
6. Yorkville 18-11 (7): Gavin Geegan goes 2-for-3 with three runs, triple and two RBIs in 9-4 win over Plainfield North to clinch three-game series in Southwest Prairie Conference.
7. St. Charles North 18-11-1 (8): After dropping the first game, the North Stars outscore Glenbard North 22-0 over final two games to take DuKane Conference series.
8. Jacobs 18-10 (3): Belmont recruit Andrew Deegan hits third homer but it’s not enough as the Golden Eagles lose 10-8 to Cary-Grove.
9. Waubonsie Valley 17-11 (10): Oakland recruit Shane Torres finishes 3-for-3 with two runs, a double, a triple and three RBIs in 9-3 win over Yorkville.
10. Kaneland 14-11-1 (NR): Hayden Foster pitches the Knights to 10-0 win over LaSalle-Peru to clinch a share of the Interstate Eight Conference title, striking out 13 in seven innings.
Player of the Week
Junior catcher Oscar Alexander Jr. continues impressive spring with big week for West Aurora. In four games, Alexander goes 7-for-14 with eight runs, two doubles, a triple, two homers and 10 RBIs.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
