Top 10 Stories Of 2016: No. 7 Perennial Power Lincoln-Way North Closes

By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

Follow @PBRIllinois

Over the next few weeks, in addition to highlighting the Top 10 Player Profiles of 2016, we will also highlight the Top 10 Stories in Illinois High School Baseball during the 2016 calendar year.

Today, we’ll take a look at No. 7 Perennial Power Lincoln-Way North Closes

Lincoln-Way North closed its doors this summer after eight years in existence. The 2016 class, a class of 443 students, was the final class to graduate from Lincoln-Way North. School District 210 will save about $5.2 million per year by closing Lincoln-Way North. North closing created a domino effect to the rest of the Lincoln-Way high schools. The boundaries were redrawn and the following took place.

All of Lincoln-Way North students relocated to Lincoln-Way East. Some Lincoln-Way East students were relocated to Lincoln-Way Central and some of the Central students relocated to Lincoln-Way West. All of the current Lincoln-Way West students were able to stay put.

When it comes to athletics and baseball, Lincoln-Way North closing is a big deal in the state of Illinois. The Phoenix, a 4A baseball program, were one of the top baseball programs in the state, year in and year out. They had won seven straight region championships dating back to the 2009-2010 season. In the last six years they won 30 plus games four times.

Here is a look at Lincoln-Way North’s baseball records by year and by coach:

Coach Skarbek’s overall record: 129-41-1 (.757 winning %)

Coach Nowicki’s overall record: 86-20 (.811 winning %)

Schools overall record: 184-56-1 (.767 winning %)

The Phoenix were the PBR Preseason No. 13 team this season. They ended up 31-6 and were ranked in the top 10 in the PBR Power Rankings the final six weeks of the season. They won 20 straight games at one point this season. Although they lost a heart-breaker to the eventual Class 4A 3-Peat Champion Providence Catholic in the Sectional Final it was an impressive final season.

Game Stories from this season:

3.30.16 - Naperville Central Upsets No. 13 Lincoln-Way North
5.5.16 - No. 10 Lincoln-Way North Gets Comeback Win Over No. 11 Sandburg
6.2.16 - 4A New Lenox Sectional: Lincoln-Way North Advances in Walk-Off Fashion
6.4.16 - 4A New Lenox Sectional: Providence Advances

Below was Sean Duncan’s “Outlook” for the Pheonix in our Preseason Top 25 Countdown:
2015 was an up-and-down year for the Phoenix, one that was filled disappointment, followed by an unexpected IHSBCA summer state championship and, sadly, the news that Lincoln-Way North will be closing the school at the end of the 2016 school year. Indeed, this will be the last season for the Phoenix, a program that had established itself as one of the strongest in the state over the last six years. Coach Mitch Nowicki is hopeful his squad can go out on top after the Phoenix won the IHSBCA summer state championship. The championship came on the heels of a very disappointing spring campaign, one that had LWN as one of the prohibitive favorites to win the Class 4A championship. Despite having premium pitching and lots of returning talent, the Phoenix never got on track and lost in the sectional semifinals. While LWN may not have the high-visibility arms of last year, the team features considerable depth and quality. Look for RHP Tyler Laux to have a breakout senior campaign. Offensively, SS Ben Troike returns to anchor the infield, along with INF Tom Szczasny. OF Nicholas Figus, a highly athletic centerfielder, is one of the top uncommitted prospects in the state.

Notable Lincoln-Way North Alumni with original commitments:

• RHP David Calderon (2014) - Morehead State
• OF Nicholas Figus (2016) - Creighton
• RHP Liam Jenkins (2015) - Arizona State
• SS DJ Lee (2014) - Richmond
• OF Josh Mutter (2015) - Northern Illinois
• LHP Kyle Ostrowski (2015) - Purdue
• 3B Kevin Smith (2013) - Creighton
• INF Tom Szczasny (2016) - Northern Illinois
• MIF Ben Troike (2016) - Illinois

Top 10 Stories of 2016