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A blog by James Vazquez | | | My name is James Vazquez. My aspirations is to play college level baseball. | |
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| | |  | Staying hot in the cold |
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| Posted By: James Vazquez on 2008-08-17 12:09:50 EST | Email Story | Flag As Spam | Comments (0) |
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| http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2008/04/10/spring_sports/baseball/doc47fdc2aac56b9579060270.txt By JOE STEVENSON - jstevenson@nwherald.com
 
MARENGO – Crystal Lake South first baseman Steve Kedroski found one positive in the inclement weather this spring.
“We’ve
been hitting the ball more than anything else,” said Kedroski, who hits
cleanup for the Gators. “We’ve gotten so many reps in the cages, and
that’s all added up to good hitting. We have a good approach and feel
comfortable now.”
Kedroski and No. 5 hitter Ian Gardeck
accounted for seven RBIs in the first two innings as South defeated
Marengo, 10-8, in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday at Rod Poppe
Fields.
Gardeck, a right-handed hitter, ripped a three-run home
run to right-center field in the first. Kedroski had a two-run single
in the second as South (4-1) scored in double figures for the fourth
time.
The Gators are averaging 10.6 runs a game, even with their
best returning hitter, outfielder Zack Carpenter, out for the season
with a torn left ACL.
“It forced guys to work harder and to have
a better approach,” said Gardeck, who was 3-for-3 and also had a
double. “There’s a lot of guys who have stepped up real big.”
South coach Brian Bogda said he especially liked that Kedroski and Gardeck went to the opposite field.
“They’re
definitely our run producers,” Bogda said. “They did a nice job of
waiting back and hitting it where it’s pitched. We did well in
[innings] 1-5, but we didn’t finish as well as we’d like.”
South
second baseman James Vazquez, batting No. 2 in the lineup, also had two
hits in the first two innings. Vazquez scored twice and also started a
4-3 double play to end the first inning with a runner at third.
Sophomore Easton Kowalski (1-0) allowed four hits and two runs in picking up his first varsity win.
He struck out two batters in five innings.
Marengo (2-3) made things interesting with two runs in the sixth and four unearned runs in the seventh.
“We played a little too loosely,” Kedroski said. “We have to remember the game’s not over.”
The Indians’ Chase Hauschildt was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Luke Nicholson and Jake Darlington each drove in two runs.
“We
came our flat, we just weren’t ready to play,” Marengo coach Jeff
Dobbertin said. “We made silly errors and mental mistakes that got us
in the hole. We realize now we have to come out and play. We have to
pick up things now and get going.”
  
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| Posted in baseball, high school sports, men's athletics |
| | Gators' bats come alive |
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| Posted By: James Vazquez on 2008-08-17 12:06:28 EST | Email Story | Flag As Spam | Comments (0) |
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| http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2008/04/18/spring_sports/baseball/doc4806efdaaa18f126762937.txt By JOE STEVENSON - jstevenson@nwherald.com
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South’s hitting approach was good, and its execution was even better.
The
Gators, stymied one day earlier by Johnsburg’s C.J. Fiedorowicz, took
out any lingering angst on Huntley with 16 hits in their 12-6 victory
in a Fox Valley Conference crossover baseball game Wednesday at The
Swamp.
Ryan Kelley triggered the onslaught with a two-run home
run in the first, Tony Pauls homered in the second and James Vazquez
hit another two-run shot in the third for South (6-2), which lost to
Johnsburg, 4-2, on Tuesday.
Click here for video.
“We
focused on shooting the ball the other way,” Kelley said, “not swinging
at the pitcher’s pitch, making your at-bat worth something.”
Kelley
was 4-for-4 with four RBIs, and Vazquez, hitting one spot ahead of him
at No. 2, was 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Both players had two doubles to
go with their homers.
“It’s something a little new for me, in
the No. 3 spot,” said Kelley, who led off last season. “I’m trying to
focus on hitting the ball hard the other way.”
Vazquez, who
scored in each of the first four innings, said he didn’t realize the
ball cleared the left-center field fence until he passed second base.
“I
was just trying to get on base,” Vazquez said. “We were seeing the ball
well; we were really on today. All nine of us did our parts.”
Huntley (9-5) scored one run in each of the first six innings, which wasn’t enough to keep up with South’s high-powered offense.
“We
had better approaches at the play,” Gators coach Brian Bogda said.
“Most of them were line-drive shots. We wanted to shoot the ball up the
gap, that was the mindset. Pretty much up and down the lineup we did a
good job of hitting.”
Bogda also lauded reliever Wes Evans, who
worked four innings and allowed three runs, but didn’t walk a batter
and struck out six.
“Wes kept them off-balance and threw strikes,” Bogda said. “That’s just what we needed, throw strikes and get outs.”
Sean
Wilson had three hits, and Pauls has two hits and two RBIs for the
Gators. Zach Liebman was the Red Raiders’ only player with two hits.
Huntley used five pitchers to get through the game.
“Crystal
Lake South is a very good hitting team, and our pitchers left pitches
up,” Huntley coach Andy Jakubowski said. “And we couldn’t make plays in
the field. We were awful in all three aspects of the game, and we got
beat.”
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| Posted in baseball, high school sports, men's athletics |
| | Vazquez holds up under pressure |
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| Posted By: James Vazquez on 2008-08-17 12:02:46 EST | Email Story | Flag As Spam | Comments (0) |
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http://www.pioneerlocal.com/algonquin/sports/highschools/1012461,al-stvshwcase1-061908-s1.article
For the first time all year, James Vazquez was feeling a little bit uneasy on a baseball field.
In front of countless college and professional scouts, the Crystal
Lake South standout tried to stay composed at the Northwest Suburban
Baseball Tournament Saturday.
 "When we were all in deep shortstop during warmups, it was pretty
nerve-racking at first," Vazquez said. "After a while, I got the hang
of it."
Vazquez had made onlookers across the area take notice by the end of
his junior season, when he proved to be one of the best infielders in
the FVC.
The all-conference second baseman's solo shot off Prairie Ridge star
right-hander T.J. Swank gave South an early lead in what would be a
season-ending loss to the eventual 4A state champions in the sectional
semifinals.
Seizing opportunity
This summer, Vazquez is hoping to leave a similar impression and secure an opportunity to play at the next level.
He no doubt opened some eyes with his performance last weekend at
the Stevenson High School showcase, which featured all-star teams from
eight of the biggest conferences in the north, northwest and western
suburbs of Chicago.
Vazquez went 1-for-2 with a single and made a couple slick plays in
the field in the FVC's 11-7 loss to the West Suburban Conference
Saturday.
"It wasn't my first showcase," Vazquez said, "but it was my first
time playing in something like this with so many great players. There
are a lot of great players here."
"Hopefully, I can get recognized by a lot of great colleges," he said. "That's the main thing."
In addition, the incoming senior is adjusting to a position change. Vazquez is set to replace star Ryan Kelley as the team's shortstop and No. 3 hitter.
New position
"We're looking for him to move over and fill Ryan's shoes," CLS coach Brian Bogda
said. "Those are some big shoes to fill, but he's a similar type of
player. He's a great fielder and has a good stick. We're hoping to get
the most out of him."
"Basically, the biggest difference is the throw," said Vazquez, who
played at short and third base Saturday. "Everything else, like
fielding, I treat the same."
Vazquez and Kelley are reunited this summer on the Crystal Lake Bombers travel team.
Gators Tim Ambrose, Tony Pauls and Danny Walsh also are on the Bombers' roster. Others from the FVC are Alex Cooke, Nick Hammonds, Sean Kaveney and Kendall Konrath from Cary-Grove, Nate Prokuski from Huntley and Michael Rung from Jacobs.
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| Posted in baseball, high school sports, men's athletics |
| | 2008 Travel Team Results |
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| Posted By: James Vazquez on 2008-08-03 22:22:11 EST | Email Story | Flag As Spam | Comments (0) |
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| We just completed our 2008 Crystal Lake Bombers Travel Season. I started every game at 2nd base. I hit in the number 2, 3 or 6th postion this year. My BA was over .395. No errors at Second base. |
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| Posted in baseball, high school sports, men's athletics |
| | James Vazquez Crystal Lake South Baseball Player |
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| Posted By: James Vazquez on 2008-06-27 07:13:06 EST | Email Story | Flag As Spam | Comments (0) |
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This is my video at a 2008 - Pro-Scout Showcase (Metrodome- Minneapolis, MN) YouTube Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXNyc2EaDYY
Recently received press from various newspapers:
http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2008/04/17/spring_sports/baseball/doc4806efdaaa18f126762937.txt
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/algonquin/sports/highschools/1012461,al-stvshwcase1-061908-s1.article |
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| Tags: James Vazquez, Baseball |
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| Posted in baseball, high school sports, men's athletics |
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