McHenry Times

The Johnsburg Skyhawks laid some eggs early in the season, but they clawed their way back and ended up perched on top of the Kishwaukee River Conference. 

Johnsburg entered the season with a youthful roster that had a lot of potential. After an impressive season-opening 11-0 victory over Westminster, the Skyhawks lost four of their next five, grabbed a couple of wins, but then lost five in a row.

"We had a tough stretch in Florida during our trip," head coach Sam Lesniak said. "Unfortunately, all of our players were not able to attend. We were a young team at this point, and we needed to have our guys put into some situations that were difficult to overcome."

But the Florida trip wasn't all bad. The players had a chance to bond, and they came back strong, winning seven consecutive games that included three shutouts. The mental and emotional parts of the game clicked with the team's philosophy. 

"We brought everyone in and talked about goals and what each player hoped to achieve this season," Lesniak said. "We spoke several times about forming a brotherhood and always picking each other up. We spent a lot of time on focusing on the mental part of the game and controlling our emotions with the highs and lows."

The team essentially traded wins and losses after that, but standout performances helped them close out on top of the conference with a 14-6 record to go along with their overall mark of 17-14. Lesniak pointed out some of the reasons the Skyhawks took the conference title.

"Chris Krennrich has been outstanding this season on the mound," Lesniak said. "He has posted a .750 ERA this season. Adam Jayko at the plate has been outstanding. He is hitting over .400 this year with 15 doubles. Adam and Casey Wilson have been great leaders for the team. Casey Wilson is an awesome teammate."

Lesniak said he believes hard work and a positive attitude will lead to contention for a state title. 

"The goal of the program is to contest for state championships," he said. "Similar to several programs, we will continue to strive to compete at the highest level. Our boys this spring are excited to begin postseason play."