Five Lemont High School Baseball Players Announce College Plans

LEMONT, IL — Five Lemont High School seniors have made commitments to play college baseball beginning in Spring 2018. Righthanded pitcher Ryan Sublette and infielder/outfielder KC Simonich signed National Letters of Intent with Texas Tech University; infielder Dominic Connolly signed a National Letter of Intent with Maryville (Mo.) University; and catcher Rami Alul and outfielder Christian Krakar committed to play at Waubonsee Community College and College of DuPage, respectively.

All five players are expected to play significant roles for head coach Brian Storako in 2017. Alul, Connolly, Krakar and Sublette all were members of Lemont’s 2016 IHSA Class 3A State Champion squad, while Simonich transferred to Lemont this fall after playing at Joliet Catholic Academy for three seasons.

Sublette earned All-South Suburban Conference honors for the Indians in 2016, while Connolly and Krakar held down starting roles and Alul served as a reserve. The Indians finished with a 30-9 record, captured the SSC Blue Division crown, and won the program’s second state championship in three seasons.

Connolly and Sublette were part of a young squad in 2015 that went 20-14 and captured an IHSA Regional crown.

Rami Alul – Career Highlights
• Made his varsity debut as a junior in 2016, playing in five games
• Batted .200 (1-5) with a walk and a run scored in limited action
• Was perfect on 17 chances in the field
• Plays travel baseball for the DuPage Hounds
• Honor roll student
• Will play for head coach Brad Unger at Waubonsee Community College, a junior college program that is located in Sugar Grove, Ill., and is a member of the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference. The Chiefs won 37 games last year and reached the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series.

Dominic Connolly – Career Highlights
• Is a .328 career hitter in two varsity seasons, having seen time at shortstop and in the outfield
• Was fourth on the team with a .370 batting average (50-135) as a junior in 2016, and led the team in hits, runs scored (45), triples (4), hit-by-pitches (5) and stolen bases (13)
• Posted a .435 on-base percentage and slugged .467
• Was one of four regulars who posted an OPS of better than .900 (.902)
• Made his varsity debut as a sophomore in 2015 and batted .268 (26-97) with three doubles, 16 RBIs, 17 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 33 games
• Plays travel baseball for the Illinois Sparks
• Will play for head coach Seth Von Behren at Maryville University, an NCAA Division II program that is located in St. Louis, Mo., and is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Saints went 21-27 a year ago.

Christian Krakar – Career Highlights

• Made his varsity debut as a junior in 2016, playing in 32 games
• Batted .225 (16-71) with three doubles, a triple, 17 RBIs and 23 runs scored
• Posted a .371 on-base percentage and walked as many times as he struck out (13)
• Scored twice in the IHSA Class 3A State Championship game, and tallied the team’s first run of the game after walking and forcing both a balk and an errant pick-off throw
• Plays travel baseball for the Illinois Hitmen
• Honor roll student
• Will play for head coach Kevin Tyrrell at College of DuPage, a junior college program located in Glen Ellyn, Ill., that is a member of the North Central Community College Conference. The Chaparrals went 40-15-2 in 2016.

KC Simonich – Career Highlights
• Played three seasons at Joliet Catholic Academy
• Earned All-East Suburban Catholic and Joliet Herald News all-area honors as a junior in 2016 when he batted .327 with seven doubles, two home runs, 18 RBIs and 31 runs scored
• Also an all-conference and all-area selection as a sophomore in 2015, as he batted .342 with seven doubles, three triples, two home runs, a team-leading 37 RBIs, and 30 runs scored
• Plays travel baseball for Team DeMarini
• Will play for head coach Tim Tadlock at Texas Tech University, an NCAA Division I program that is located in Lubbock, Texas, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders were 47-20 in 2016, and won the Big 12 regular-season title before advancing to the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.

Ryan Sublette – Career Highlights
• One of the state’s top righthanded pitching prospects
• Has a career record of 14-3 while posting a 1.79 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 113.2 innings
• Led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts both as a sophomore and as a junior
• Put up a 9-1 record with a 2.05 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 61.1 innings as a junior in 2016
• Led the team in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and WHIP (1.04), and averaged 8.79 strikeouts per seven innings
• Went 3-0 in the postseason, completing all three of his starts, while posting a miniscule 0.64 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22.0 innings
• Set an IHSA Class 3A State Finals record by striking out 14 batters in a 10-2 win over St. Viator in the state semifinals
• Batted .304 with 16 RBIs and a .451 on-base percentage
• Paced the team with 46.1 innings, 63 strikeouts and a 1.66 ERA as a sophomore in 2015, and averaged a career-best 9.52 strikeouts per seven innings
• Posted a 4-2 record with a save in 2015, finishing second on the team in wins
• Made his varsity debut as a freshman in 2014 by allowing one hit and striking out 10 in 6.0 shutout innings
• Plays travel baseball for Team DeMarini
• Honored on the Perfect Game Preseason Underclassman All America Team in 2015 (high honorable mention) and 2016 (3rd Team)
• High honor roll student
• Will play for head coach Tim Tadlock at Texas Tech University, an NCAA Division I program that is located in Lubbock, Texas, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders were 47-20 in 2016, and won the Big 12 regular-season title before advancing to the College World Series for the second time in three seasons.