Diamond Notes: Week 10

May 27, 2022
By: Peter Hamot
Area Scout, Staff Writer

Each week, IHSA coaches around the state submit to us their nominations for the PBR Illinois Player of the Week honor. On Wednesday, we awarded the Week 10 POTW honor to senior INF Owen Housinger (Stevenson; Wisconsin-Oshkosh). Housinger finished the week going 11-for-16 with three home runs, five doubles, 15 RBIs, one walk and only one strikeout - slashing .688/.706/1.563. So far in the month of May, Housinger is making it seem like he's playing a video game; hitting .556 (20-for-36) with three home runs, seven doubles, one triple, 21 RBIs, 11 runs scored, four walks and only four strikeouts.

There were a number of other impressive performances that were in the mix for the award and deserve recognition. Here’s a look at some of the most notable.

Week 10 diamond notes

Tyler Auer OF / 3B / Neuqua Valley, IL / 2022

The uncommitted senior finished last week with a 5-for-9 line in three games, driving in two runs and scoring once - also slashing .556/.600/.556. His most impressive game came in a 9-4 win over Metea Valley, where he went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Jack Bach RHP / 1B / Normal University, IL / 2022

The Central Michigan commit put together an 8-for-12 week at the plate with two home runs, three triples, two doubles and 10 RBIs. His most dominant game came in a 13-5 win over Metamora, where he went 4-for-5 with two triples, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. The right-hander also went on to fire 1.1 innings during the week with three strikeouts and no walks.

Alex Camaj OF / Neuqua Valley, IL / 2022

The uncommitted senior went 4-for-8 at the plate in three games last week, collecting three RBIs, scoring one run and slashing .500/.556/.500. His best game came in a 9-4 win over Metea Valley, where he went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Colin Lewandowski SS / 2B / Neuqua Valley, IL / 2022

The St. Thomas (MN) commit excelled at the plate last week, going 4-for-8 in three games with three home runs, six RBIs and six runs scored - slashing .500/.600/1.750. Two of Lewandowski's homers came in the same game against Waubonsie Valley on Thursday the 19th, finishing the day 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

AJ McEneany 3B / Neuqua Valley , IL / 2023

The junior right-hander fired a dominant complete game over Metea Valley in the DVC Tournament Semi-Final, helping the Wildcats to a 9-4 victory. McEneany tossed all seven innings to notch the win with seven strikeouts and two earned runs.

Owen Murphy 3B / RHP / Riverside-Brookfield, IL / 2022

The Notre Dame commit already made PBR Illinois history by being the first player to earn Player of the Week honors twice in the same season, and his strong play has not slowed down one bit - helping Riverside-Brookfield to a perfect 5-0 record last week. Murphy finished the week 11-for-16 at the plate with four home runs, two doubles, 17 RBIs, nine runs scored, three walks and swiped three bases - also picking up a win on the mound against St. Ignatius where he tossed seven innings of one hit ball with 13 strikeouts, no runs allowed and no walks on just 78 pitches. After having only played 31 games this season, Murphy is just seven RBIs short of the State record for a single season - and that number has shrunk since last week.

Lucas Pajeau OF / RHP / Lockport, IL / 2022

The Illinois-Springfield commit helped the Porters to a 5-0 record last week which included a SWSC Blue Co-Championship and DISW Tournament Title. Pajeau finished the week 8-for-13 with a triple, two doubles, two RBIs and eight runs scored - also collecting an OPS of 1.600 along the way. On the mound, the right-hander delivered 2.2 innings with two saves while only allowing one hit, striking out four and not walking a single batter. Assistant coach Brandan Marrone had this to say about Pajeau - "Lucas had a dominant week for the Porters, leading the way to two big accomplishments for the team to close out the season. He continued to produce as a hitter in the middle of the lineup, and really stepped up big on the mound in the Stevie's Way Tournament. Lucas successfully closed out both the semifinal and championship games of the tournament, allowing only one baserunner across the two games and striking out four. Lucas was also awarded the "DISW Award" for Lockport in the tournament".

Joe Richardson LHP / 1B / Stevenson , IL / 2023

The uncommitted junior has been a force in the Stevenson lineup so far this year, and last week was no different. The left-handed hitter went 12-for-17 at the plate with a double, three RBIs, one walk and only struck out one time - slashing .706/.737/.765. Richardson not only swung it well, but he supplied stellar defense, collecting a 1.000 fielding percentage with 30 put-outs.

Braylan Smith C / 1B / Morton Community , IL / 2023

Smith, an uncommitted junior, collected five hits in 10 at-bats last week against conference foe Dunlap and a stacked Normal U-High club. Only playing three games last week, Smith collected three home runs with a double and eight RBIs - nearly hitting a third home run that fell just short on the wall in his last at-bat against U-High. For the season, Smith now has eight home runs (16 of 27 hits being extra bases), 27 RBIs and is hitting .310. He also has two walk-off hits on the season to tie it all together.

Jack Tobin 1B / RHP / Prairie Ridge , IL / 2022

The uncommitted senior had a stellar day at the plate against one of the premier arms in the state, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam, two run homer and six RBIs. On the season, Tobin is now hitting .371 with 36 hits, 11 doubles, nine home runs, 43 RBIs and is 5-for-5 in save attempts - pitching to a 0.91 ERA with 20 strikeouts and four walks.