Spring 2019 sports preview

Mia Riese and Shalyn Brady
Sports Editor and Sports Reporter

Men’s Baseball

After a successful 2018 season, which saw the team go 22-17 overall and 11-12 in the CCIW conference, the BlueJays are looking to get their season started off on the right foot when they travel south to Jacksonville, Ill., and Anderson, Ind., for a nine game tournament on February 23 to open the 2019 campaign.

The team will not see CCIW action until March 30 when they take on Carthage College on their home field. They will play teams from the CCIW 16 times this season, with 14 coming from out of conference play.

Trey Compton, Jacob McMillan, and Alec Berry make up the senior class, with the rest of the roster filled out by 12 freshman, five sophomore, and 14 junior players. Head coach Joel Southern will begin his 13th season as the team’s leader.

Compton comes into this season after leading the BlueJays in batting average, with a .344 average in 157 at-bats. Berry owns the best record of current pitchers, with a 4-1 record and 3.71 ERA.

Women’s Softball

In what could be seen as a tough season, the women’s softball team are ready to open the 2019 season on a fresh start. Going 16-19 overall and 6-10 in the CCIW conference, the BlueJays will play two games at home before traveling to Clermont, Fla. for spring break (opponents, dates, and times have yet to be announced).

CCIW matchups begin on April 6 when, like the men’s baseball team, the BlueJays host Carthage College. In a bit of a shorter season than baseball, the women will face CCIW teams eight times, with out of conference games taking up over seven games.

A senior-heavy team will look to veteran experience to help right the ship in 2019. Eight seniors makeup a roster of 23 women, with nine freshman, three sophomore, and three junior players. Mike Paulo, the women’s head coach, is entering his seventh year at Elmhurst College.

Young outfielder Veronica Zahn leads the team with 115 at-bats and a .426 average in 2018. Senior Stefania Passarelli had a 4-3 record, while junior Emily Despain collected an impressive 3.25 ERA.

Women’s Golf

With just two tournaments during the spring season, the women’s golf team are hoping to find success right from the tee off. Both tournaments fall in the beginning of April, just one week apart: The Judson University Invitational (April 8) in West Dundee and The EC BlueJays Spring Invitational (April 16) on their home course in Oak Brook.

Nine women, in which only two are upperclassmen, shape the roster, with Todd Scheuerman entering his 13th season as the women’s golf head coach.

Sydney Roberts had the lowest round of the fall season, shooting an 82 through two events and finishing in the top 10 two times. Roberts is a returner on this season’s squad, a freshman from Buford, Ga.

Men’s Tennis

Despite a tough start to the 2019 season, the men’s tennis team seeks to bounce back when they continue play on February 23 against Wabash College.

Opening 2019 with a 6-3 win over Lake Forest College, the Bluejays dropped their next two against Wartburg College (4-5) and Loras College (3-6). Saturday’s game will be their fourth of 17 this spring.

EC plays their first CCIW match on March 2, and from April 14 - 27, the BlueJays will only face conference teams. The team failed to pick up a match against a conference team in the 2018 season, going 0-7.

Seniors David Demoll and Chris Wallace hope to lead this BlueJays team back to success, with Jason Foreman continuing his rookie season as head coach. Foreman was a member of the men’s tennis team from 2009-12 and has become a tennis coach at all levels of the sport.

Women’s Lacrosse

The Elmhurst College women’s lacrosse team had a rough 2018 season, earning a overall record of 5-10, and a CCIW record of 0-6.

Putting the past behind them, the women’s lacrosse team looks to take on the 2019 season with help from key returners, Yaziria Cisneros, Larissa Arvanites, Tessa Sellentin, and Theresa Marcello.

Head coach Allison Brady believes the team has “doubled offensive production and rebounding after a tough season with a very young team” and “expects that with the returning players and our new additions we will be even more competitive in our schedule.”

The Bluejays 2019 home opener vs. Wartburg has been postponed due to inclement weather. Now, they will open up the season vs. Cornell College at home on February 23.

Women’s Track and Field

The EC women’s track team enters the 2019 season with only one senior. However, only four meets into their indoor season, the young team has added 24 performances to the EC All-Time Ten Indoor Performance List.

Top performers for indoor 2019 so far have included sophomore Emily Gilligan (800/1500), freshman Briana Raysby (high jump), sophomore Yasmin Chavez (100/200), freshman Stacia Landry (200/400), senior Jami Lessila (800), sophomore Elita Spadlowski (5K/10K), and sophomore Ali Mondrella (heptathlon).

Head coach Jordan Bartolazzi believes the team is “still in a rebuilding phase, but there are several athletes who will give themselves good shots at earning All-CCIW Honors and competing for spots on the National Performance List.”

The women’s track team will finish their indoor season at the Carthage Final Qualifier and the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The outdoor season will open up at Hanover College on March 30.

Men’s Track and Field

The Bluejays only finished in the top five twice in the 2018 season. However, the men’s track team returns many strong All-CCIW Honorees.

The majority of strength this year, like last, comes from the team’s throwers. Last season, senior Jim Robley took 3rd in the Javelin, followed by senior Jacob Mammosser in 5th place. Senior Dave Michaels also earned All-CCIW Honors in the Shot Put by placing 5th place.

Sprints are led by juniors Jake Taheney and Chris Griffith. Seniors Juan Castaneda and Joe Rivas look to earn All-CCIW Honors in the 1500 and lead the team in distance.

Even though the majority of the team is comprised of upperclassmen, the Bluejays look to add depth with freshmen Justin Parbs, Brandon Godfrey, and Matt Tobin in Pole Vault.

Head Coach James Akita is excited about the 2019 season, and says the team’s “goal each year is to improve as a team and have every member improve as people and as athletes,” and “We have a great squad working hard, so I am confident this will happen.”

The men’s track team will finish their indoor season at the Carthage Final Qualifier and the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The outdoor season will open up at Hanover College on March 30.

Men’s Lacrosse

The men’s lacrosse team had an incredible 2018 season, taking a 13-3 overall record and 5-1 CCIW record.

In the 2018 season, the Bluejays outscored their opponents with goals by period (236 to 211), took more shots by period (681 to 479), and took more shots on goal by period (438-271).

For the 2019 season, the Bluejays will be led by key returners senior Mac Harden, junior Ty Funderburk, sophomore Marcus Yandall, and sophomore Andrew Frerich.

The team rolled into the 2019 season with the same energy. They opened up their season with a 12-10 road win over Ohio Northern University on February 16.

The Bluejays are back in action February 23, hosting Hope College for their home opener.  

Bluejay women play close game against Millikin

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

Photo courtesy of elmhurstbluejays.com

Coming off a loss on Wednesday, January 23, the Elmhurst College women’s basketball team dropped a tight game at home, 79-72, to Millikin University on Saturday, January 26. The team now sits with eight wins and 11 losses on the season, with four wins and six losses in CCIW conference play.

After starting off slow, the BlueJays finished off the first quarter trailing by six points, Millikin playing disciplined in their own zone. At the end of the half, the BlueJays stormed back to lead the Big Blue 44-33, with Millikin only scoring 11 points in the second quarter.

EC did not drop the lead throughout the entire third quarter, ahead 60-52 with 10 minutes left to play. With the BlueJays hitting 42.9% of their field goals, they were able to stay committed to clean play and hold on to a commanding lead through 20 minutes of play.

But in the fourth quarter, the Big Blue took a three-point lead, 68-65, with under four minutes left. The BlueJays took 11 personal fouls in the fourth quarter alone, never once hitting double digits in fouls through the first three quarters. With much of Millikin's points coming from the free throw line, the Big Blue were able to hang on late and beat the BlueJays in a comeback win, 79-72.

Senior Kellee Clay lead the team with a 66.7% field goal percentage, and sophomore Kelly Weyhrich had six assists and two rebounds to help the team expand on their lead throughout the middle of the game. Despite the loss, the BlueJays hung in with the Big Blue in almost every category and played a solid all-around game.

EC will take on Augustana College in Rock Island on Thursday, January 31, and are back home in Faganel Hall Saturday, February 2, to face Wheaton College.

Theresa Hutto leads bowling team one strike at a time

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Theresa Hutto. Photo from ecbluejays.com

The Elmhurst College women’s bowling team has had a rough start to their season going 4th of eight teams, 19th of 27 teams, 8th of 10 teams, 15th of 18 teams, and 18th of 24 teams in their past five contests.

Head coach Mike Nape shares that “the struggle comes from having a young team, which is a problem we have faced before,” and “the lanes have been very difficult this year.”

Despite the trials for the team that is comprised of mostly freshmen, there is one bowler that has made her mark. Captain Theresa Hutto has kept the team alive this season.

Her top performances this season in scoring were a 204 against Stephen F. Austin, a 203 against Sam Houston State, and a 200 against Mt. Mercy. Hutto is currently the second highest scorer on the team with a 165 average.

Not to mention, last season she earned honorable mention All-Conference awards from the MIAA and posted eight games of 200 or higher. She also scored a season high 267, which made her top four of all time scoring in a single game at EC women’s bowling history.

However, it is not just what her scores have been that put her in the spotlight. It is her team player attitude.

Hutto was described by coach Nape as “exactly what a coach wants in a college athlete” and “the nicest person” who “always has a great attitude and takes on any task you ask of her.”

The hottest players to look out for in the upcoming MLB season

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

Bryce Harper. Picture from NBC Sports

The MLB offseason is just starting to heat up, and for Chicago baseball fans, that means rumors glore. Who is going where? Who is an early lock for the World Series? It is a fun time to be a fan because this year’s free agent market is glorious.

While the Cubs made a push towards the postseason at the end of 2018, the White Sox are still in full rebuild mode. Each organization has young talent waiting in the pipeline for their moment to shine, but patience is key when developing baseball players.

The winter meetings, a gathering each December of executives and personnel from each organization, is poised to be full of trades and signings. And for fans following along at home, it can be hard to determine what your team is looking for. We are here to give you some information to keep your eyes on as the offseason rolls on.

For Cubs fans, look for general manager and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein to make a move for either a strong starting pitcher or big outfield bat. Names like Patrick Corbin, Dallas Keuchel, and Nathan Eovaldi could be affordable and strong options. Bryce Harper, the biggest free agent on the market, has been linked to the Cubs on multiple occasions already, so look for him as a possible big ticket item on the North Side.

As for the White Sox, pitching is going to be where they need to focus as well. They have money, and they have plans to spend big this winter. J.A. Happ is another strong candidate, as well as Lance Lynn. Do not be surprised if they go after young stud Sonny Gray, a phenom early in his career with Oakland, but struggled in the New York market with the Yankees this past season.

As mentioned earlier, Bryce Harper, as well as Manny Machado, are the biggest names on the market in terms of position players. Both are asking for north of $200 million (in Harper’s case, it is rumored he is looking for $300 million minimum), and it could be a tall order to get them signed long term. But, if either the Cubs or the White Sox could work it out, it would be a franchise-altering move.

Harper is going into his age 26 season, with a .279 career batting average and 27.4 career WAR (wins above replacement, essentially a statistic that measures how valuable a player is to his team. The higher, the better). Machado is also entering his age 26 season, with a .282 career batting average and a 33.8 career WAR. Both provide depth in the batting order and are both regarded as reliable veteran players, despite little playoff experience.

Keep your eyes on the hot stove, because as the calendar moves into December, it is only going to get hotter—despite the snow outside.

Bluejays wrestling off to a strong start with Wheaton win

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Courtesy of ecbluejays.com

The Elmhurst College wrestling team opened the 2018-2019 season with 30-22 win over CCIW opponent Wheaton College.

A rocky start for the Bluejays, Wheaton’s Carlos Fuentz pinned EC’s Antonio Bess at 125 pound weight class, resulting in the Bluejays trailing 6-0.

New to the EC team, transfer Zach McCullough, evened the score by pinning Wheaton’s Ethan Harsted at 4:26.

Jimmy McAuliffe took the Bluejays ahead 12-6 by quickly pinning Cameron Calabrese at 1:52. Christian Komitas, a freshman, scored a 22-7 technical fall against Andy Harrell in the 149 pound weight class. Komitas improved the Bluejays’ score to 16-6.

At the 157 pound weight class, Keone Derain scored 9-1 over Caele Manley, bumping the Bluejays score to 21-6.

Wheaton’s Jonavan Huggins battled back at the 165 pound weight class with a last minute pin over Howie Olson. With the score at 21-12, EC’s Nevian Brittain pinned Wheaton’s Jacob Murrie at the 174 pound weight class.

Then a tough decision was made by the coaching staff to forfeit the 184 pound weight class. The forfeit brought the score 24-18, but the Bluejays still held the lead.

Head coach Steve Marianetti explained, “We had a strategic plan to move Mark Miller up a weight, and he had to adapt to the last minute change to wrestle at 197.”

The move was the right decision, as Miller got the pin over Wheaton’s Max Gierke.

Wheaton’s Darien Miller took the 285 pound weight class pin over EC’s Karim Fuentes in the last match of the dual.

The Bluejays took a 30-22 victory over Wheaton. The wrestling team returns to action December 1 at the MSOE Invitational.  

Bluejays men's basketball gains victory over BU

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

In their first game of the 2018-19 season, Elmhurst College men’s basketball team made a statement, defeating the Benedictine University Eagles 83-76 at home in Faganel Hall on Saturday night, November 17.

Sophomore Jake Rhode led the way, shooting 8-for-16, grabbing 10 rebounds and going 8-for-11 on free-throws. Senior Jeremy Ireland was on the court for 35 of the total 48 minutes, shooting 3-for-8 and securing 9 rebounds for the Bluejays.

Though Benedictine made a late push in the 2nd half after struggling with possession in the 1st half, the Bluejays were able to fend off the Eagles and secure a victory. In a game that saw chances flying on both ends of the court, consistency in the offense was key. While the defense struggled with turnovers, especially late in the game, the scoring was enough to hold on for the win.

EC is coming off an average season last winter, ending the 2017-18 run with a 13-12 overall record, and a 6-10 record within the CCIW conference play. After losing just one senior in Brandon Auker last season, the team has five graduating seniors to part with after this season. With a young team ready to win, the Bluejays got off on the right foot Saturday.

The Bluejays will host Blackburn College on Tuesday, November 20 and then hit the road for a two game trip to Buena Vista University and Wabash College. They will be back in action on Saturday, December 1 in Faganel Hall as they take on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

2018 fall sports recap

Mia Riese and Shalyn Brady
Sports Editor and Sports Reporter

Women’s XC

With a heavily dominated sophomore team, the women’s cross country team came out hot by placing second at their first meet of the 2018 season, the Earlybird Invite.

At the second meet of the season, the Aurora Invite, the Bluejays captured a first place title. Top runners at the Aurora Invite were Emily Gilligan, Elita Spadlowski, Isabella Wolke, and Alisandra Mondrella.

Emily Gilligan was the top finisher for the Bluejays for Earlybird and Aurora Invitationals. Gilligan finished second at the Earlybird Invite and sixth at the Aurora Invite, resulting in her receiving CCIW Athlete of the Week.

The women’s XC team kept the 2018 season rolling with a fifth place finish at the Augustana Invite.

Becky Garcia was the Bluejays top finisher at the Benedictine Eagle. The team finished 11th without the majority of their regular top runners.

At the final invite of the season, the Pre-National Invitational at University Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Gilligan, Wolke, and Spadlowski led the Bluejays to a 33rd place finish.

Emily Gilligan and Elita Spadlowksi earned All-CCIW Honors.

Men’s XC

Graduating five seniors last year, the men’s cross country team had to rely on the freshmen class and a few seniors to carry them through the 2018 season.

The Bluejays opened up the season with a fourth place finish at the Earlybird Invitational. The team was led by Ashith Chirayath placing 30th and Juan Castaneda placing 32nd.

As the season continued, Castaneda and Chirayath were the top finishers for the Bluejays as the team finished 12th at the Aurora Invitational and 17th at the Augustana Invitational.

The Bluejays competed at the CCIW Championships, earning an eighth place team finish out of nine teams.

However, head coach James Akita explained the eighth place finish by saying, “We competed, and with 3 top 25 teams in the country in our conference, it can be tough to place high. On top of that, our number 5 runner, Armando Alvarez dropped out due to injury, which hurt our team score.”

Juan Castaneda placed 23rd at the CCIW Championships, being just three places shy of receiving All-CCIW honors.

Women’s Tennis

The Bluejays welcomed new head coach Tadd Matlby and assistant coach Terry Maltby to their coaching staff for the 2018 season.

The new coaching staff led the women’s tennis team to a 7-4 overall record and a 4-4 conference record.

The women’s tennis team cruised passed many of their opponents—only taking losses to North Central, Augustana, Carthage, and Wheaton.

Captain Rachel Rettger commented on the success of the team, “It was the team’s first winning season in 10 years, so that was something we were all proud of.”

The Bluejays wrapped up the 2018 season with a huge 9-0 conference win over North Park University. Doubles Kathryn Wheeler and Rachel Rettger, Chiara Guidio and Ysabel Gonzaga, Sarah Paist and Maddy Freeman swept all three double matches. The team also easily took all six single matches.

The women’s tennis team will be back in action for the 2019 spring season.

Football

The football team started the season off with a great 21-20 win over Aurora University. However, it stopped there.

After the first game of the 2018 season, the Bluejays struggled to get another win under their belt. The Bluejays lost all 5 of their home games and also lost on the road to Carthage, Illinois Wesleyan, and North Central.

Despite the team struggles, defensive player Brandon Greer earned CCIW Player of the Week two times this season. Kicker Blake Bailey also earned a CCIW Player of the Week honor.

The Bluejays wrap up their season Saturday, November 10 at Wheaton College.

Women’s Golf

The women’s golf team, made up of primarily freshmen and sophomores, struggled to stay afloat this season.

Three of the five tournaments the Bluejays finished in last place—one of those being the 2018 Women’s Golf CCIW Invitational.

However, the Bluejays earned a third place finish out of five teams at their home Invitational at Oak Brook Golf Course. Freshman Sydney Roberts led the way for the Bluejays at their home tournament shooting 82, which made her tie for second place. Sophomore Eva Toon shot 86 for a ninth place finish, and freshman Julia Shaver shot 99 for a 23rd place finish.

The women’s golf team has two spring 2019 Intiationals, April 8 and 16.

Women’s Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team finished the year with a 12-19 record, which falls just below the average for a .387 win percentage. From that 12-19, they only came away with two wins in conference play, losing six for a .250 win percentage in the CCIW. They dropped five of those 19 at home, winning only three matches in their home gym.

Despite the difficulty of finding success for this young and growing team, the Bluejays finished the season with back-to-back wins against Benedictine University and Lincoln College.

Junior right side hitter Bailey Brouwer led all attackers with a 3.05 kill per set average, racking up a total of 338 kills on the season, while junior setter Kelly Townsend led the charge all season long, accumulating 626 assists and a 5.91 assist per set average. Freshman defensive specialist Valerie Thomas finished her rookie season strong with 432 digs, a 4.32 dig per set average.

The women’s volleyball team is one of the youngest, with ten players currently on the roster who still have three more years left at EC.

Women’s Soccer

After falling to Wheaton College in the CCIW semifinals on October 31, the women’s soccer team wrapped up its season with a successful 9-6-2 record for a .588 win percentage. They went an even 4-4-0 in conference play, won five matches on home turf, and went 4-4-1 on the road.

Freshman MJ Lessila came onto the team and dominated from the start: she finished the season first in goals with six, second in points with 13, and fifth in assists with one. She also had a team-high three game-winning goals. Senior Sidney O’Keeffe contributed 14 points, three goals, a team-leading eight assists, and one game-winning goal in what was a strong final season.

After starting the season on a hot 5-0-1 streak, they surrendered their first loss on September 18, 19 days into their season. With losing ten seniors this spring, they welcomed in five freshman, all of who performed well in their first seasons on the team.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team dropped their final game of the season on October 27, a 1-4 loss to Illinois Wesleyan University. They ended the year with a 4-14 record and a .222 win percentage.

The team won just 2 at home and dropped 8, while going 2-8 on the road. In the process, the team fell to a 2-5 record in CCIW play.

Senior Keegan Thompson was stellar throughout the season, leading the team in every single category. 11 points, 4 goals, and 3 assists.

Men’s Tennis

In their first season under new head coach Jason Foreman, the men’s tennis team had a final record of 0-19. They won 14 of 149 total sets played, winning with just a .009 percentage.

The team of seven players will be losing two in Chris Wallace and David Demoll come springtime.

Men’s Golf

Playing in seven tournaments this fall, the team finished in top the five three different times, including one first overall victory.

Four players led the way in rounds played with 11, and two of those four had team lows of 68. Senior Curtis Geiger had one first place finish in the Judson Fall Invite—the same tournament in which the team came away with first place—and freshman Ethan Green ranked second overall in just his second tournament of the year, the Aurora University Invitational. At their annual Elmhurst College Fall Invitational, the Bluejays captured third place with an overall score of 302.

Soccer loses to Auggie

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Homecoming weekend at Elmhurst College finished with the women’s soccer team (9-4-1) taking a 4-0 CCIW loss on a penalty kick by Augustana at Langhorst Field Saturday night, October 20.

EC’s key defensive player and captain Kennedy Irmen tore her ACL Wednesday, October 17 against North Central, and the Bluejays had to reorganize their back line for the Auggie game.

Auggie attacked early in the first half with header into the back of the net by Karissa Gottardo, assisted by Jordyn Sundberg.

The Bluejays went into halftime only trailing 1-0, but the Vikings came out with full force in the second half.

Anna Fank, for the Vikings, scored off of Abby Wendell’s corner kick 13 minutes into the second half. Then Andria Seria added another goal, increasing the lead to 2-0 for Auggie.

The Vikings went on to score another goal when Wendell sent a corner kick into the box, and then Seria scored off of an assist by Fank.

The Bluejays shuffled defense could not keep up with Auggie’s offensive pressure. Now, the Vikings had quite the opposite effect on the Bluejays’ offense.

“Auggie had a really solid back line, and that made it hard for us to penetrate and get into the box in order to get some dangerous attempts on goal,” explained senior MF Jami Lessila.

The Bluejays only had 6 shots on goal compared to Auggie’s 12.

In the final moments of the game, Auggie scored again when Fank converted on a penalty kick, resulting in Auggie cruising away with the 4-0 win over EC.

The Bluejays travel to Kalamazoo College Tuesday, October 23 for a non-conference matchup.  

Bluejays fall short at homecoming game

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

It was a bitter ending to the Homecoming game Saturday, October 20 when the Bluejays lost in the last six minutes after leading since the kick off.

The Bluejays’ offense came alive for the overflowing crowd in the first quarter when Jim Robley scored on an 18 yard pass from Jake Tahnaey. The drive took 5 plays for 82 yards. Kaiden Triniger kicked the extra point.

Millikin evened out the score in the second quarter with Jazontae Howard’s 6 yard touchdown run. The drive took 15 plays for 93 yards, and Raibley secured the extra point.

Later in the second quarter, EC broke the 7-7 tie with a 28 yard field goal by Kaiden Triniger. The drive was completed in 11 plays for 51 yards.

In the third quarter, EC stretched their lead to 13-7 after driving 54 yards in 11 plays to score with a 27 yard field goal by Triniger.

The Bluejays’ defense held off Millikin in the third quarter when Romaine Richards sacked quarterback Cal Pohrte on the 40 yard line on 4th down giving EC back the ball. Brandon Greer also helped the Bluejays’ defense in the third quarter with an interception in the end zone, which kept Millikin from scoring.

EC failed to get a first down on their next possession, and Millikin took the ball at midfield after the EC punt. In the middle of the fourth quarter, Pohrte found Tyrice Hines for a 33 yard touchdown pass, giving Millikin a 14-13 lead.

“With 5 minutes left on the clock, the hope was to drive down the field to get into field goal position [range],” said head coach Ron Planz’s about his strategy when Millikin took the lead.

However, at Millikin’s 45 yard line, EC turned the ball over with one minute left. This allowed Millikin to run out the clock and steal this year’s EC Homecoming football game.

The Bluejays travel to North Central College next Saturday, October 27 for another CCIW match up.

Bluejay volleyball defeated by Aurora

Shalyn Brady
Sports Reporter

After splitting a tough day on Friday, October 19 with a straight set loss to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a 3-2 hard-fought win over University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the Bluejays fell in 3 sets to the Spartans of Aurora University on Saturday afternoon, October 20—their second straight set loss in two days.

Though comebacks would be had throughout the contest, the Spartans, led by outside hitter Karli Chambers, overpowered in almost every aspect of the game.

With a total of 49 kills, 2 aces, 7 blocks, 46 and 52 digs, the Spartans cruised through the 1st set, winning 25-17. The closest the score ever got was 15-12 when the Bluejays closed within three.

The 2nd set was a much closer game, with the Spartans barely escaping with a 26-24 win. The Bluejays stormed back from a tough 10-6 start, using a 6-1 stretch to bring the game to 23-21. But yet again, the Spartans rallied and closed it out in extra points. The 3rd sounded much like the middle set, with the Bluejays closing in on a win with a 20-19 lead. But the Bluejays ran out of gas, and the Spartans grabbed the 25-20 win, closing out the weekend with a sweep over the home team.

Though the Bluejays had a tough weekend at home, head coach Julie Hall had some positive things to say about her squad.

“Our team is super young, super inexperienced, and the goal for us is to get better every day, so even though we took a couple steps back, I think overall, we got better as the weekend went on.”

Junior right-side hitter Bailey Brouwer hung toe-to-toe with Chambers, notching 14 kills, while fellow junior setter Kelly Townsend had 37 assists to match Aurora’s 40 from setter Emily Lines. They currently hold a 10-17 record on the season.

The Bluejays have one more home game of the season against North Park on Wednesday October 24, and then they close out the season with a road game at University of Chicago on Friday, October 26, and with two against Lincoln College and Benedictine at Benedictine University on Saturday, October 27.

Bluejays rally against North Central

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

After graduating all six of their starting positions, the EC volleyball team had to started scratch. Still, the young team consisting of sophomores and freshmen rallied past CCIW opponent, the North Central Cardinals, on October 2 at R.A. Faganel Hall.

The first set went back and forth and was tied 9-9 until sophomores Taylor Zurliene and Kaye Lesure led a 4-0 run for EC. However, North Central countered back coming within 1 point of EC. Again, the Bluejays pulled away with a 5-1 run. The Cardinals trailed behind the Bluejays the rest of the set. The Bluejays won the first set 25-20.

The Bluejays came out hot in the second quarter, leading the scoring 12-5. The Cardinals could not keep up with EC’s pressure, and came no closer than 3 points the rest of the set, thus resulting in a 25-18 victory for the Bluejays.

In the third set, the Bluejays kept rolling and got an early 10-6 lead. The Bluejays then upped the score to 22-13, and North Central could not keep up. EC took the win in three sets.

“Even though they are young, they have experience,” said head volleyball coach Julie Hall on the team’s success. “They also have a willingness to get better, are coachable, and take it personal when things don’t go well.”

The volleyball team is back in action, Wednesday, October 10 at Carthage College.

Emily Gilligan is a force to be reckoned with

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

Sophomore Emily Gilligan, the top female cross country runner for the Bluejays this season, never ran a XC meet in her life until this season. After seeing her times and places this season, no one would believe that for a second.

Gilligan came as a sprinter for the track team, but that changed when head coach Jordan Bartolazzi noticed her voluntarily running with the team last fall.

“Emily was setting the pace for our long runs, and she wasn’t even on the team,” said Coach Bartolazzi. “Now, she is 10 seconds away from being with the top 10 runners in Elmhurst College history.”

Gilligan placed 2nd at the Earlybird Invite, which was her first XC meet ever. She then went on to place 6th at the Aurora Invite, 9th at the Augustana Invite, and 6th at the Minnesota Invite. At each of these invites, she was the top finisher for the women’s XC team.

Not to mention she was named CCIW Athlete of the Week for women’s cross country after running in the second XC meet of her career.

“I didn’t run my freshman year because I had never planned on running cross country, but I couldn’t be happier with how everything unfolded last year when I realized that I liked long distance,” Gilligan explained.

Gilligan’s PR is a 22:46 for a 6k, and that puts her in the running to be CCIW All Conference this season.

Bluejays lose yet again

Mia Riese
Sports Editor

The Elmhurst College football team took a gut wrenching loss against Carroll University on Saturday at Langhorst Stadium.

The Bluejays went into the game without their starting quarterback, Orlando Hernandez, because of an ankle injury.

“Anyone would get nervous when the starter goes down, but luckily our coaching staff did a good job preparing us for this situation,” explained substitute QB Chase Hankins.

However, the team lost 16-14.

The Bluejays offense came out strong in the second quarter. They drove 85 yards down the field with 10 plays. They resulted in a touchdown run by WR Jawan Gaines to put them on the board 7-0. The extra point was good by Blake Bailey.

Carroll then countered in the third quarter by driving 80 yards down the field with 9 plays. They resulted in a touchdown run by QB Colton Bahling to put the Pioneers on the leaderboard.

Going into the fourth quarter, the game was tied 7-7. Carroll drove 12 yards with 6 plays, without a touchdown, resulting in a 28 yard field goal. The Pioneers go up 10-7, but the Bluejays battle back with an interception by CB Brandon Greer, leading to a QB Ryan Summers 3 yard run touchdown putting the Bluejays up 14 to 10.

The Bluejays almost pulled off the win without starting QB Orlando Hernandez. However, with 6 seconds left in the game, Carroll’s WB Parker Zitzke received a pass from QB Colton Bahling resulting in a game winning touchdown for the Pioneers. The Pioneers drove 73 yards with 17 plays in a heartbreaking loss for the Bluejays.

The Bluejays will be back in action, Saturday, September 29, at Carthage College.

Bluejays rally to win game one of doubleheader against Carthage

By Brandon DeJesus, Sports Writer
Follow him @WRSEBrandon

Thanks to great resilience shown in the seventh and eighth innings, the EC Bluejays came back to defeat the Carthage College Redmen in game one of a doubleheader by the score of 7-6 on April 25 at Butterfield Park.

Carthage got out to an early 3-0 after they scored two runs in the first and then another in the third. Then the Bluejays started to rally when junior infielder Trey Compton got an RBI single, followed by an RBI double by Jacob McMillian to make the score 3-2. 

McMillan continued his big day by getting an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game at 3. That was followed by two walks with the bases loaded to give the Bluejays their first lead of the game 5-3. 

Carthage would take back the lead in the eighth off of a sac fly but then Jacob McMillan drove in what ended up being the game winning run in the bottom half of the inning. He went 3 for 5 with two RBI’s.

Coach Joel Southern commented after the game about McMillan and his production at the plate by stating the following.

“McMillan has been swinging the bat extremely well, getting big hits for us. He is a guy we want up there in that spot,” said Southern.

Southern went to talk about the momentum this comeback win gave them heading into game two later in the day. 

“We never gave up, fell behind early, fell behind late. This team has been resilient all year. We went through a rough patch a couple of weeks ago where we lost close games and I think we learned from that and we got some big hits,” said Southern.

Senior first baseman Austin MacMillan spoke after the game about the team’s will to comeback and win this important game.

“It does not tell us anything we already know. We have had that will all season long, we have had close games all season long. It has not always turned out our way but we always battle, we always fight and we give ourselves a chance to win,” said MacMillan.

Once again this was game one of a doubleheader and this season has been ravaged and riddled with cancellations due to inclement weather. MacMillan went on to talk about what doubleheaders do to a player’s endurance. 

“Luckily we are still quote unquote young and our bodies are still fresh and everything and we are used to playing doubleheaders because we do it in preseason and spring trips. Most of our conference games come in the form of doubleheaders. It sucks that our schedule has to get moved around because of the weather but we do with it what we can,” said MacMillan. 

Not only did they win game one, but they also won game two by the score of 2-1 in 10 innings to sweep the doubleheader of Carthage. Their final home game of the season will take place at Butterfield Park on May 5 against Wheaton College.

Bluejays sports round up

By Cole Sheeks, Sports Editor

Follow him at @ColeSheeks

Men’s Lacrosse

Season Record: 13-2 (5-1 CCIW)

Top Performers: Mac Harden (54 goals, 72 points), Ty Funderburk (23 goals, 42 points), Andrew Frerich (27 goals, 46 points).

The Bluejays men’s lacrosse team completed their regular season schedule by winning their final three games against conference opponents, defeating Carthage College, North Central College, and Augustana College in that order.

Entering the CCIW tournament with a 13-2 overall record, head coach Mark Morrell’s team set a school record for most victories in a season as they finished ranked second in the conference behind only Illinois Wesleyan.

Junior attacker Mac Harden ended the regular season matching last seasons record point total of 72, leaving him with a chance to set a new record in tournament play. His 54 goals are already a new school record.

Softball

Season Record: 15-19 (6-10 CCIW).

Top Performers: Veronica Zahn (.471 OBP, 11 steals), Emily Despain (65 strikeouts, 17 walks, 3.25 ERA).

With one game remaining, the Bluejays softball team has finished their season on a strong note, winning seven of their past 10 games, while claiming five of their six CCIW victories during that same stretch.

While the team will likely finish in seventh place and will fail to exceed last season’s win totals for overall, as well as conference play, the successful run to end their season will have likely establish positive momentum heading into 2019.

Freshman outfielder Veronica Zahn was one of the Bluejays leading players this spring, stealing 11 bases, posting a .471 on-base percentage, and scoring 29 runs (all figures led the team).

Sophomore pitcher Emily Despain threw 108 innings, striking out 65 while walking 17, as she led the teams pitching staff and finished with a 3.25 earned run average.

Women’s Lacrosse

Season Record: 5-10 (0-6 CCIW).

Top Performers: Isabel Walker (41 goals, 62 points), Grace Knoebel (53 goals, 59 points).

2018 was a bit of a bounce back year for the Bluejays women’s lacrosse team, as the squad claimed five victories in 15 contests, increasing upon last season’s total of two.

A pair of scorers stepped up for EC, as freshman Isabel Walker and senior Grace Knoebel both eclipsed the 50 points mark, with Walker finishing in the team lead a school record 62 points.

Knoebel, on the other hand, set a school high with her 53 goal season.

Despite their individual success, the team itself still met its share of trouble, particularly towards the end of the year, as the Bluejays lost each of their last six games and seven of their last eight.

That being said, after doubling their offensive production (150 team goals in 2018 after 75 in 2017), it is easy to see the progress the team made.

Chicago Bears NFL Draft preview

After their fourth consecutive losing season, the Chicago Bears decided to relieve head coach John Fox of his duties and bring in an offensive minded head coach in former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. 

With Mitchell Trubisky poised to have a breakout season in 2018 after showing some great promise last year and new faces on offense such as Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, to me it is their top priority to give Trubisky even more help in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

The hot topic of the 2018 NFL Draft is the rich pool of quarterbacks that will more than likely all be off everyone’s draft board by the time the first round comes to an end. There are many teams who will look to draft prospects such as Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield among other signal callers including the Buffalo Bills. 

That being said, I think the Bears should trade down with the Buffalo Bills and draft the best wide receiver prospect and that is Calvin Ridley from the University of Alabama. 

Currently the Bears have the eighth pick in the first round and will not be picking again until number 39 in the second round. The trade that makes the most sense is the Bears trade the eight pick and the 39th pick to Buffalo in exchange for their two first round choices which are 12 and 22. 

In the latest mock draft by Mel Kiper Jr, he has Calvin Ridley being selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 16th pick but I think he is better than that. 

The best thing about Calvin Ridley being drafted by the Bears is that he does not have to be the man right away. He can learn from Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel who have played in big games before and can show Ridley how to be a winner in the pros.

Ridley is coming off a National Championship winning season with the Crimson Tide in which he caught 55 passes for 967 yards and four touchdowns. He did a terrific job over the last three years replacing Amari Cooper who is a Pro Bowl receiver for the Oakland Raiders. 

The type of receiver the Bears will be getting is one who is very fast, can run routes with ease, is unfazed by elite competition and has great durability. He still needs to get stronger and there should be some concern about him dropping big passes. If he can improve those two things along with the positives he has going for him, I see him as being another Amari Cooper and that is a great thing. Again, Cooper is a Pro Bowl wide out and is easily the number one target for Derek Carr in Oakland, he too runs routes extremely well and can run like a deer. 

Ridley to me has all the potential in the world to be a featured number one receiver in an offense. 

On a side note, the trade I proposed would give the Bears the 22nd pick in the first round. With that pick, the Bears should consider drafting the offensive lineman from the University of Georgia, Isaiah Wynn. Mitchell Trubisky needs protection in front of him and Wynn brings great athleticism and is extremely dependable as a run/pass blocker. 

The 2018 NFL Draft gets started on Thursday, April 26 from AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

Titans snap Bluejays nine-game winning streak

By Cole Sheeks, Sports Editor

Follow him at @ColeSheeks

Long, wet, and mostly unsuccessful.

That is how the past couple weeks in Bluejay athletics can be described as EC teams have collectively combined for an 8-17 start to the month of April with 10 postponements or cancellations.

There have been a few bright spots here and there, with the men’s lacrosse team storming their way to a nine-game winning streak before losing to Illinois-Wesleyan on April 15 and the baseball team winning a pair of games over Millkin on April 7 before they dropped four in a row as they battle to keep pace in the CCIW standings.

Junior Mac Harden of the men’s lacrosse team has scored 44 goals this season, good for second in the CCIW behind only Andy Szun of Carthage.

As for the baseball team, third baseman Reagan McReynolds is tied for second in the CCIW with 11 doubles on the season, in addition to ranking second with 12 stolen bases.

Right-handed pitcher Nick Drago has struck out 37 batter in 39 innings, which is good for a new career high for a season and ranks fourth in the league.

The softball team traveled to North Central on April 12, when they dropped both games of a conference double header before recovering by taking a pair of games against Trinity Christian College the next day.

Women’s lacrosse has a 1-3 record in April, with their victory taking place on April 4 at Concordia University of Chicago. With four games remaining in their season, the Bluejays have already exceeded last year’s final win total, as they own a 5-7 record on the 2018 season.

Finding balance: Bluejays take series from Wesleyan for first time since 2011

By Cole Sheeks, Sports Editor

Follow him at @ColeSheeks

The last series victory that the EC baseball team had captured against Illinois Wesleyan University came in 2011, back when planking was all the rage, Rebecca Black was at the top of the music charts, and Charlie Sheen was #Winning.

That fact changed over the weekend, when the Bluejays, led by a run-per-inning offensive pace, defeated the Titans 9-7 in a back-and-forth affair on March 31.

“We’ve been having good at bats all week against these guys,” said EC right fielder Tyler Kledzik. “They had a pitcher last night that kinda shut us down, but the first game we scored a lot of runs too. So we just stuck with the same approach and it worked out for us.”

Kledzik has been swinging a hot bat in the early goings this season, leading the Bluejays with a .457 on-base percentage and 21 runs batted in after he added another RBI knock to the collection against IWU, driving in a pair with a second inning single.

The left-handed hitting sophomore credits his success to a consistent approach with his preparation, and after the teams latest victory Kledzik explained that his quick start is a result of, “just taking swings when I get home, off the tee, things like that. Anything I can do to make myself better.”

But Kledzik was not the only Bluejay hitter who had a productive day at the plate, as Christian Ott, Jacob McMillan and Matt Wilson all added extra base hits, Karson Thomas plated three runs, and Reagan McReynolds had a pair of hits in addition to a stolen base.

The Bluejays used that offensive output to jump ahead early on in this contest with a five run second inning, eventually building an 8-3 lead heading into the seventh frame.

Bluejays starter, freshman righty Carter Truong, went 4.1 innings while allowing two earned runs, striking out three, and walking six.

Sophomore right-hander Kevin Johlie earned the win for EC, throwing 2.2 innings in relief with one strikeout and no free passes, which he felt was the key to his success.

“Just throw strikes,” said Johlie, citing these words as a mantra. “When I struggle it’s because I’m not in the strike zone, but when I stay in the strike zone I do pretty well, and that’s just the key I think. I don’t really care if they hit me, but a walks a free base and I don’t want that to happen.”

Johlie recognized that he was not going to overpower batters with his fastball, rather opting to focus on an offspeed approach.

“I was throwing a lot of sliders and a lot of splitters, just to keep them off balance,” said Johlie. “They’re a good fastball hitters, everybody in this conference is. That’s a really good team, you just gotta keep them off balance and all my pitches were feeling pretty good today.”

While all-conference games matter equally in the standings, the significance of claiming the season series over the Titans is not lost on this EC squad.

“That’s awesome,” said Kledzik. “A team like Wesleyan that we know is gonna be good, that we’re gonna need to compete against, taking two wins from them was definitely big.”

Johlie agreed with his teammate, while specifically referencing the fact that this win was overdue for the Bluejays.

“It’s big because, Wesleyan, we haven’t beaten them in a while, in a full series and it’s huge for the seniors because they’ve never beaten them,” said Johlie. “They are always a top team, so that just shows what we are.”

The Bluejays (12-6, 3-2 CCIW) will try to keep the good times rolling as they hit the road for three games to face CCIW foes. They will travel north to play at Carthage College on April 3 and then retreat south to Millikin University on April 7 and 8 before heading home to play a doubleheader against Carroll University at Butterfield Park on April 10.

LEADER REVIEW: MLB The Show 18 Review: The Impact Veteran of Sports Games

By Brandon DeJesus, Sports Writer
Follow him @WRSEBrandon

Playing ‘MLB The Show 18’ feels like a baseball veteran approaching his retirement. He feels unafraid and knows he will have a spot in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

With that said, ‘MLB The Show 18’ feels more like a fine-tuning installment in the series. There are some excellent gameplay changes players had issues with last year that keep the action on the field fair and balanced, but takes baby steps as far as new features go in three main modes that have been a stable of the series over the last few years.

The gameplay in ‘MLB The Show 18’ is the best it has ever been in the series, with the main culprit being better hitting results. Hitting the ball feels a lot more logical than it was last year where a pitch can be anywhere in the zone and the ball would leave the stadium in no time. It is definitely less frustrating than in ‘MLB The Show 17.’ 

The ball also travels a lot better thanks to a new variety of hits and more realistic ball physics. Fielding also feels much more compact with the main problem in ‘MLB 17’ being addressed and that is catchers are much less of a liability. They can block balls that go in the dirt and are able to throw out potential base stealers with much more relative ease than in previous years. 

Going beyond gameplay, the new visuals are outstanding. The textures on the uniforms are stunning to look at, the new camera angles and replay effects make ‘MLB The Show 18’ feel like as much of a television broadcast than ever before. 

Matt Vasgersian once again returns as the play-by-play commentator along with Dan Plesac and former Chicago Cub Mark DeRosa who replaces Harold Reynolds from last year’s game. The commentary feels incoherent at times but it is still nice that they still include allusions to past performance and stats on specific players.

Gameplay aside, the overall package of the game is a bit of letdown. There were little changes made to Franchise Mode and Road To The Show. Online Franchise and Season Mode are absent in this game. The two distinct changes made to Franchise is re-designed menus and the season being broken up into phases which helps the process of how a baseball team is ran. 

Other little changes include weather effects (rain delays can occur) and the CPU can sit a player down if he is underperforming on the team. 

The card collecting mode Diamond Dynasty sees a change in the ratings system. Diamond level players can range from 85-99 overall, with the 99 overall cards referred to as the Immortals. Small programs eventually lead up to obtaining the Immortals. The pleasure someone will get out of Diamond Dynasty is how much time and hard earned money a player is willing to spend to have a stacked team.

Road to the Show sees changes in how your created player will develop his skills. No longer are there microtransactions to upgrade stats, they increase or decrease based on performance on the field. Player archetypes are new to the mode as well. Selecting one of many archetypes will increase and decrease stats in specific areas. For instance the Power Corner archetype will see an increase in fielding and power in return for low speed. 

Despite few changes to the game’s three main modes, ‘MLB The Show 18’ still remains as the best baseball simulation on console thanks to the welcomed gameplay tweaks and fantastic authenticity.

Chicago Cubs 2018 season preview

By Cole Sheeks, Sports Editor

Three National League Championship Series appearances, 292 regular season wins, and one long awaited World Series victory.

To suggest that the Chicago Cubs have raised expectations in Wrigleyville over the past three years would be quite an understatement.

As a result, many fans would tell you that the 2017 campaign represented a disappointment, as the team never truly flexed its muscle or pulled away from the pack throughout the summer and needless to say, their eventual 4-1 playoff series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fall left a foul taste in the mouths of a now proud baseball city.

“When it came to playoffs, I really think they probably shouldn’t have beaten Washington,” said Nick Drago, a pitcher on the EC baseball team. “The Nationals were a really good team and the Dodgers were even better.”

So despite waking up from their century long nightmare only a year and half ago, one could say that the northsiders enter the spring attempting to solve a question that is relatively new for the franchise: how do they get back on top?

“The pitching just wasn't as good as [2016],” said Drago. “You don't usually see your top three guys with a sub-three [earned run average] and Hendricks with like a one-eight. That's just not gonna happen every year.”

In late February, Cubs ownership opened their collective wallet as they made an effort to answer that question when they signed highly touted free agent right-hander Yu Darvish to a 6-year contract worth $126 million.

“When it came to playoffs, I really think they probably shouldn’t have beaten Washington,” said Nick Drago, a pitcher on the EC baseball team. “The Nationals were a really good team and the Dodgers were even better.”

The 31-year-old hurler brings postseason experience along with him after he was traded to the Dodgers late last season and pitched against the Cubs in their previously mentioned playoff series, throwing 6.1 innings of one run ball while striking out seven and walking only one.

That being said, Darvish went on to falter on the games biggest stage, as he allowed nine runs in only 3.1 innings during the World Series while his team fell in seven games to Houston.

“I think adding Darvish to replace Arrieta, he’s got a lot of potential,” added Drago. “Hes not necessarily going to be that ace that we might need, but as long as Lester and Hendricks can keep up what they've been pretty consistently doing, I think they’re gonna be alright,” said Drago.

Darvish struck out 209 batters with 58 walks over 186.2 innings last season, posting a 3.86 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

The newest Cub joins fellow free agent addition Tyler Chatwood (3-years, $38 million) in a revamped rotation that the Cubs faithful hopes will put them in a better position to compete throughout the regular season and carry them deep into October, where Darvish will surely be seeking an opportunity make things right.

The Cubs signed another former Dodger, right-handed reliever Brandon Morrow, to a two-year, $21 million contract (with a third-year team option) in hopes of replacing high leverage reliever Wade Davis.

“The bullpen is a different situation. Losing [Davis] hurt, he was electric last year,” added Drago.

Morrow posted a 2.06 ERA over 43.2 innings pitched with 50 strikeouts and nine walks in 2017. He will be joined in the Cubs bullpen by Carl Edwards Jr., fellow free-agent addition Steve Cishek, and left-hander Justin Wilson, who will be looking to repair his reputation as a shutdown reliever after disappointing fans with his 5.09 ERA in 17.2 innings as a Cub last season.

“I think adding Darvish to replace Arrieta, he’s got a lot of potential,” added Drago. “Hes not necessarily going to be that ace that we might need, but as long as Lester and Hendricks can keep up what they've been pretty consistently doing, I think they’re gonna be alright,” said Drago.

Taking a look around the diamond, the Cubs will return a majority of the lineup that has found them so much success in recent years.

Third baseman Kris Bryant (.295/.409/.537 with 29 HR in 2017) and first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.273/.392/.507 with 32 HR) return as the cornerstones of the offense and they will be joined by catcher Willson Contreras, who stepped forward as a major piece of the Cubs foundation in his first full season in the majors.

Shortstop Addison Russell and second baseman Javier Baez also return, with the duo penciled into the middle infield.

One of the few changes that is expected to be made is the role of Albert Almora Jr, who figures to receive increased playing time in centerfield, along with the switch-hitting utility man, Ian Happ.

Also of note, left-handed hitting slugger Kyle Schwarber appears to be a changed man. While it is common for ballplayers to arrive in the spring claiming to be in the best shape of their lives, the Cubs left fielder has been turning heads in camp with a dramatically changed physique.

“I know he lost some weight, which is probably good as far as injury prevention and being more athletic out there in left field,” said Drago. “It's all necessary stuff for him to come on as a baseball player and come on as an athlete.”

Whether or not those changes translate to increased production at the plate, it is evident that Schwarber spent a great deal of time preparing for what he hopes to be a bounceback season.

“I know [Schwarber] lost some weight, which is probably good as far as injury prevention and being more athletic out there in left field,” said Drago. “It's all necessary stuff for him to come on as a baseball player and come on as an athlete.”

“If he can be an everyday left fielder that would be fantastic,” added Drago. “Especially in the playoffs last year, defense was definitely a big issue with him … I don't doubt that he’ll hit. It's just really a matter of being able to be in the National League and be an everyday outfielder and staying healthy.”

Flanking him on the other side of the outfield will likely be Jason Heyward, however the $184 million man could potentially see his role reduced if he continues to struggle at the plate.

The Cubs enter the season as two-time defending champions of the NL Central, but they could face some stiff competition this year after the Brewers added Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain over the winter.

“I definitely think that Milwaukee is a dangerous team,” said Drago.

The Cubs open their season in Miami on March 29 before making their Wrigley Field debut on April 9 against the Pirates.