Baseball

The Joliet Generals are poised for their second season of Midwest Collegiate League baseball and announced their roster on Wednesday. The Generals finished 17-23 and 5th in the MCL in 2018. At the helm of this year’s squad will be former Northwest Indiana Oilmen and current Robert Morris assistant coach Matt Vitulli.

Jordan Baker, P, McKendree University / South Holland, Ill. / Marian Catholic HS

Baker returns for his second season with the Generals. He started in five of his 10 appearances and pitched 33 innings for Joliet in 2018. He recently completed his freshman season at McKendree. He is one of two returning players on the 2019 Generals roster. Before college, Baker played at Marian Catholic.

Mark Blonski, P, Robert Morris - Illinois / Lake Zurich, Ill. / Lake Zurich HS

Blonski just completed his freshman season at Robert Morris. He is one of five Eagles on the 2019 Generals roster, where new Joliet manager Matt Vitulli is the assistant coach. Blonski played his high school ball at Lake Zurich HS.

Danny Borgstrom, SS/2B, University of Evansville / Morris, Ill. / Morris HS

Borgstrom is having a phenomenal freshman season at Evansville. The middle infielder has played every game this season for the Aces, batting .242 with eight doubles, one home run and 30 RBIs. He also is tied for the team lead with 178 at-bats. Before Evansville, Borgstrom batted .397 with a .498 on-base percentage in his senior season at Morris HS.

Chris Broccolino, 2B, Robert Morris - Illinois / Schaumburg, Ill. / Oakton CC

Broccolino enters this summer coming off an impressive junior campaign at Robert Morris. He played in all 51 games for the Eagles, leading the team in at-bats (175) and RBIs (40). Broccolino also hit for power, finishing second on Robert Morris in doubles (12) and home runs (4). He previously played at Oakton CC.

Ty Castillo, OF, Robert Morris - Illinois / Defiance, Ohio / Cuyahoga CC

The Ohio native just completed his junior season at Robert Morris. Castillo played in 34 games, starting 13. He brings speed to the Generals, ending the season fourth on the Eagles in stolen bases (6). Previously, Castillo attended Cuyahoga CC.

Bryant Diel, OF, Triton College / South Elgin, Ill. / South Elgin HS

Diel is in the middle of an outstanding 2018 campaign at Triton College. The now redshirt junior hit .370, with a .570 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.059. He leads the Trojans in runs (37) and walks (19). Diel has five games with three or more hits. He played his high school ball at South Elgin HS. 

Ben Jung, OF, Wisconsin-Oshkosh / Downers Grove, Ill. / Benedictine University

Jung returns for his second season with the Generals. He joined the team halfway through the summer last year, compiling a .273 average with one home run and five RBIs. After transferring from Benedictine, he played in five games this season for the Titans. Jung is a speed demon, running track at Oshkosh. Back in early May, he ran a 100-meter dash in only 10.669 seconds, good for the 20th-fastest time in Division III this season.

Joe Kelley, OF, Illinois State (Club) / Lemont, Ill. / Robert Morris - Illinois

After the 2018 season at Robert Morris, Kelley wanted a change of pace. He now plays club baseball at Illinois State. He batted .269 with four doubles this past year with the Redbirds. Before college, he played at Lemont HS, the summer home of the DuPage County Hounds.

Will Krushena, 1B, Denison / Bloomfield Hills, Mich. / Detroit Country Day School

The steady first baseman for Denison continues to have a monstrous 2018 season. The rising senior has had a breakout season, hitting .393 and slugging .618. He leads the Big Red in at-bats (178), doubles (21) and RBIs (68). He is second on the squad in hits (70). Krushena is the first Michigan native to play for Joliet, and attended Detroit Country Day School previously. 

Max Lahn, 2B/SS, Denison / Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day School

Lahn is having a standout sophomore season at Denison. He leads the Big Red in batting average (.438), hits (71) and on-base percentage (.531). His BB/K ratio is an astounding 35/13. Lahn is the first North Carolinian to play for Joliet, and attended Providence Day School before college.

Mike Laib, P, Robert Morris - Illinois / Tinley Park, Ill. / Tinley Park HS

Laib just completed his freshman season at Robert Morris. Previously, the right hander played his high school ball at Tinley Park HS.

Ben Lynam, P, Parkland College / Batavia, Ill. / Batavia HS

Lynam played the past two seasons at Parkland College, also the college of 2018 Generals outfielder Jeremiah Lebron. The Batavia native is a hard throwing lefty, with a 6-4 frame on the mound.

Jake Meyer, P/3B, Roosevelt College / Barrington, Ill. / Barrington HS

Meyer got a fair share of experience during his freshman season at Roosevelt. He appeared in nine games, with five starts and pitched 24.2 innings. Meyer also plays third base. He played his high school ball at Barrington.

Frankie Morales, P, Robert Morris - Illinois / Maracaibo, Venezuela / South Suburban CC

In his first season at Robert Morris, Morales finished 2-1 with 25.1 innings pitched over 14 appearances. Before becoming an Eagle, Morales played at South Suburban College. He is originally from Venezuela, making him the first international player in Generals history.

Johnluca Moschetto, P, Carthage College / LaGrange Highlands, Ill. / Lyons Township HS

Moschetto comes to the Generals after playing two seasons at Carthage College. The lefty attended Lyons Township HS where he pitched and played in the outfield.  

John Oldman, IF, Aurora University / Dixon, Ill. / Dixon HS

Oldman is in his freshman year at Aurora. The Spartans are 34-9 and are still alive in the Division III tournament. Oldman hit over .500 in his senior season at Dixon HS.

Connor Olson, IF, Illinois Wesleyan / Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North HS

Olson was a key contributor during his freshman season at Illinois Wesleyan. Before college, he played at Wheaton North HS in the DuPage Valley Conference.

Rocco Pascente, C, College of DuPage / Aurora, Ill. / Plainfield Central HS

Pascente split time behind the plate in his freshman season at College of DuPage. This year, he hit .208 with 15 RBIs. He also tied for the team lead in home runs with three. At Plainfield Central, Pascente was the 13th ranked catcher in Illinois for the class of 2018.

Seth Quick, P, Triton College / Lombard, Ill. / Montini Catholic

Quick is in his freshman year at Triton College. The right hander has made seven appearances, getting more than 10 innings of work. He previously played at Montini Catholic.

Danny Wizceb, P, Triton College / Lombard, Ill. / Vernon Hills HS

Wizceb is finishing up his senior season at Vernon Hills HS. He committed to Triton College for junior college baseball. Standing at 6-4, Wizceb’s fastball reaches mid 80s.

The Joliet Generals are one of six teams in the Midwest Collegiate League. The MCL plays a nine-week, 50-game regular season schedule in addition to holding an All-Star Game and postseason league playoff.