2013 Recap: Orioles Win 10th Straight Title

The Lombard Orioles did it again. The Orioles racked up a 21-2 record to win their 10th straight Wisconsin State Baseball League championship. This year, skipper Jeff Vukovich’s club finished 3½ games ahead of the Eau Claire Cavaliers.

The Kenosha Kings were third, 7½ back. Sheboygan, Oshkosh and Addison rounded out the second division.

Led by Ladarrius Cole, Eau Claire had six players in the top seven on the hitting chart and hit for a .347 team average – the highest in 15 years when the league switched to wood bats. Cole hit .470, the highest individual average since Janesville’s Chris Kilen hit .471 in 2001.

Four other players hit over .400: Eau Claire’s Brady Burzynski (.458), Yuki Yasuda (.414) and Nick Degan (.412), and Lombard’s Nick Mitedero (.431). Burzynski led the league in runs scored (23), hits (33) and stolen bases (13).

Further, the Cavs’ Brian Burman (.355), led the league in home runs (4), total bases (48), and slugging percentage (.605).

Still, it is pitching that wins and Lombard had two of the top three pitchers in the league.

Leading everybody was Jeremy Stachwyk, who went 4-0 with a 1.09 era and a league high 40 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. Third was Craig Lipp (4-0, 1.50). In between was Kenosha’s Randy Johnson (5-1, 1.33).

Defensively, Sheboygan’s Chad Langley led the way, handing 156 chances without an error. He led the league in total chances, put outs (144), and double plays (15) in addition to fielding percentage.