Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 12 St. Laurence

With the aforementioned losses that St. Laurence suffered, the Vikings will be looking for their next star talent to lead the way. On paper, the perfect candidate is senior RHP/C Matt Zahora. Zahora has been making an impact on varsity since he was a key bullpen arm his sophomore season. Zahora flew under-the-radar to us some last season but he emerged as one of the top prospects in the conference and the state with his success on the mound. The UIC commit finished the season 9-0 on the mound with all nine wins coming against Power 25-ranked teams. Zahora sported a 1.61 ERA, earned an All-Area selection, as well as a spot on the First Team All-Chicago League. Zahora has a loose, quick arm from a ¾ slot and has worked in the mid-80s in the past. Zahora gets run and sink to his fastball, works both sides of the plate, and he pairs it with a swing-and-miss slider. 

Besides his talents on the mound, Zahora should also be one of the top position players for the Vikings this spring. The right-handed hitter will be counted on to be one of the key run-producers, and he'll spend some time behind the plate when his arm will allow it. If Zahora can continue to produce at the rate he did last season on the mound, while anchoring a spot in the middle of the order, the Vikings will be in store for another impressive season.

Does losing two of the top bats from your lineup hurt? Of course it does, but St. Laurence has plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into this season. First, they return all of their starting pitching and three relievers from last year, a season in which they went 35-6, finished second in the daunting CCL-Blue, and finished as the 3A runners-up. 

They also return experience at a number of positions on the diamond and in the lineup. Most of the returners have been starters since their sophomore season and have conference experience, but more importantly, they have experience working their way through the one-and-done playoff system en route to Joliet.

The pitching staff should be the core strength of the Vikings this spring. They are talented, deep, and experienced. Zahora, mentioned at length earlier, will headline the pitching staff. Alongside him should be seniors LHP Chris Seropian (Fairleigh Dickinson), LHP Cole Anderson (Maryville), RHP Brett Buzzelli (Carroll), RHP Ryan Berg, RHP Tommy Kazeneskie and LHP Billy Ernst. Seropian who will also get some time in the outfield had eight wins in 2019, a 2.60 ERA and was Second Team All-Chicago Catholic League. Anderson struck out 33 in 22 innings pitched and Buzzelli collected four wins with a 1.30 ERA last season as well. An underclassman who has the potential to help the staff as well is sophomore RHP Ryan Carroll.

This is set to be a new-look offense in 2020. They lose two impact bats that hit for average and power from the middle of the order and it's not realistic to replace their production, individually. The Vikings will have to be balanced up and down the lineup to produce runs creatively and in a number of different ways in 2020. Coach Pete Lotus believes they have the pieces to do just that. They should have a lineup deep with seniors, tough at-bats, hitters who can move runners, put pressure on the defense, speed on the bases as well as a few run-producers in the middle. The two names who will be relied on to drive in a multitude of runs looks to be Zahora and McCormick, both mentioned above. 

This year’s group of Vikings are prepared to avenge their second-place 3A finish from last spring. The team's obvious strength lies on the mound and should keep them in games, day-in and day-out. They lack the intimidation factor without the two horses in the middle of the lineup, but they may be just as scary given all the different things Coach Lotus will be able to do with the offense. Expect them to constantly put pressure on the defense, play small ball, force the issue on the bases and take quality at-bats.

St. Laurence knows how to win and they have more than enough ingredients to make a run back to Joliet. With a number of talented 3A teams across the state, Laurence can be viewed, again, as one of the 3A favorites.