Prep Baseball Report

Weekly Diamond Notes


By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

In our sixth edition of the season’s Weekly Diamond Notes, a collection of submissions for the PBR Illinois Player of the Week honor, we have a handful of prospects who fell just short of the POTW award. Ultimately, we crowned RHP/1B Ben Hernandez (UIC commit), from De La Salle, with our latest honor. In a week where the Meteors went 2-0 with a win over No. 2 Lincoln-Way East, Hernandez went 3-for-4 with three home runs, five RBI’s, four runs scored and two walks. In a 4-0 win over St. Ignatius, Hernandez twirled a complete game shut-out, striking out 14, scattering four hits and walking one in the seven innings. He also went 2-for-2 with two home runs and accounted for all of the runs in the win.

There were a handful of impressive performances that were in the mix for the award and deserve recognition. Here’s a look at the submissions from across the state.

WEEKLY DIAMOND NOTES

Justin Janas, 1B/RHP, Marist, 2019
Illinois commit, currently ranked No. 61 in the Illinois’ 2019 class. Janas had an impressive week with his bat and glove in a 3-0 week last week for the Redhawks. On the week Janas, a left-handed hitter, went .400 with a home run, six RBI and three runs scored. On Sunday, Janas went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in a 5-1 win over No. 5 St. Rita. Last Monday, Janas started on the mound and picked up the complete game win over No. 3 Joliet Catholic. Janas went seven innings, scattered five hits, three runs, struck out three and walked four.

Nick Kosmetatos, INF/RHP, St. Francis, 2019
Butler commit, currently ranked No. 41 in the Illinois’ 2019 class. Kosmetatos, who has long impressed with his bat, has been making more noise with his arm this season. Last week, Kosmetatos twirled a no hitter in a 3-0 win over Riverside-Brookfield. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, right-hander threw 96 pitches in his seven innings (70% of them for strikes), struck out 14 and did not walk a batter. On the season, Kosmetatos has put up gaudy numbers. He currently sits at 7-0, 43 IP, 0.16 ERA, 1 ER, 73 K and only five walks.

Breck Nowik, INF/RHP, Lake Forest, 2020
Uncommitted and currently ranked No. 57 in the Illinois’ 2020 class. Lake Forest went 4-0 last week and Nowik played a key role throughout the week. Nowik, a right-handed hitter, did his best work in a double header on Saturday. In a 7-0 win over Whitney Young, Nowik went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and three runs scored. In the second game of the day, a 9-6 win over Jones, Nowik went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. On the week, Nowik finished 5-for-10 with two doubles, a triple, three RBI, six runs, a walk and three stolen bases. Lake Forest is currently 20-7 on the season and Nowik is hitting .451.

Nathan Walker, OF, Carrollton, 2019
Rose-Hulman commit. The Hawks went 2-0 last week and once again Walker had an impressive week with his right-handed bat. Walker went 4-for-7 (.571) with a two-run home run and a double. He also got a win and a save on the mound last week. On the season Walker is 3-1 and has struck out 43 in 28.2 innings pitched. Walker is now 49-81 (.605 BA) on the season, with 44 runs scored and 36 RBI for Carrollton, who is now 21-7 on the season. He also has four doubles, seven triples and eight home runs.

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