The Timothy Christian baseball team is turning the corner.
The Trojans, who started the season 1-10, recently picked up Chicago Christian Conference wins against Kankakee Bishop McNamara, Chicago Christian and Woodstock Marian Central Catholic. Those wins put Timothy at 4-12 overall and 3-6 in league action through late last week.
In a 9-8 win over Bishop Mac, Brian Gannon went 3-for-4 with three RBI. James Noll pitched five innings, allowed no earned runs and struck out six in Timothy’s 5-2 win over Chicago Christian.
Braydon McMillen went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Johnny Tragos pitched a seven-inning complete game where he allowed two earned runs and struck out seven as part of a 6-2 victory over Marian Central.
Through late last week, Noll was leading the team in hitting with a .348 batting average.
Jonah Roemmich was tops in RBI with 11, while Gannon had a team-high 18 hits. Eli Cook was leading the team with six doubles, while Tragos had 31 strikeouts in 30 innings of work on the mound.
“The team has gotten better at playing team baseball, moving runners over and getting hits with runners in scoring position,” Timothy Christian coach Frank Romano said.
Romano noted Tragos has settled in on the mound with recent back-to-back wins. “Johnny has been commanding the strike zone and using his off-speed effectively,” he said.
McMillen also had a .483 on-base percentage through late last week. “Braydon has been setting the table at the top of the order getting on base and coming up with big hits,” Romano said.
Romano also lauded the recent play of Roemmich and Gannon. “Jonah has found his stroke in the middle of the order with big hits in RBI opportunities (last week),” he said. “Brian has been doing it all on the mound and at the plate.”
Defensively, Cook and Noll have been key contributors of late. “Eli was playing lockdown defense at second base and recently has been playing some left field for us,” Romano said. “He makes diving catches and covers lots of ground. James has been a rock behind the plate and a staple of our defense.”
Romano said he continues to be impressed by his team’s desire to get better and play hard. “We have a young group with so much talent that I see growing every day,” he said. “We are rooted in the Lord and our weekly Bible studies have been really impactful for our team.”
