The Winningest Mahomet-Seymour baseball team closes out 2023 season

By Fred Kroner

The symbolism was present for the Mahomet-Seymour baseball team in its Wednesday (May 31) Class 3A sectional encounter against Rochester.

As the sun was setting and as the calendar was in its final hours of the month, the winningest M-S baseball team of all-time was closing out its season.

In a game played at Lincoln High School, the Bulldogs dropped a 6-2 decision. M-S fell behind, 2-0, in the second inning and was unable to catch up against the Rockets’ ace, Jack Swaney.

“They were big in clutch situations, and we left too many runners on base,” M-S coach Nic DiFilippo said.

The Bulldogs stranded nine runners. Seven were left in scoring position. In both the fifth and sixth innings, M-S left the bases loaded.

The tone for the game was set in the opening inning. Alex McHale led off with a double for the Bulldogs, but his teammates were unable to get him home.

“We couldn’t get the big hit,” DiFilippo said.

M-S was out-hit by Rochester, 11-6. Neither team made an error.

McHale connected for two of the Bulldogs’ hits. Carter Johnson drove in both runs.

Mason Orton pitched the first 4 1/3 innings for M-S. He walked one batter and struck out five while yielding four runs.

“Orton did a fantastic job,” DiFilippo said. “They put the ball in play, but for their first four runs, they never really hit the ball hard.”

McHale, the third pitcher employed by DiFilippo, worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He walked no one and fanned three batters.

“He pitched well,” DiFilippo said.

While Rochester (20-15-1) pitched Swaney, M-S was unable to use major league draft prospect, Blake Wolters. His pitch count (of 111) in Saturday’s regional championship game precluded him from throwing again until Thursday (June 1).

Swaney had not pitched on Saturday.

“If there’s no pitch count and Blake goes tonight, it’s a different story,” DiFilippo said.

The Bulldogs finished the year with a 31-6 overall record and as the winningest baseball team in a single season.

Though M-S didn’t advance as far as other teams from the school in the postseason, DiFilippo puts this squad at the top of his best all-time list.

“Central Illinois baseball is better than it has ever been and we won 31 games,” he said. “We beat eight teams that won a regional.

“The level of baseball is so much better than it has been. We’re seeing multiple arms throwing in the 90s (mph) and it’s unheard of to see so many going Division I from Central Illinois.”

Johnson, McHale and Wolters are part of a strong senior class for the Bulldogs that also includes Mateo Casillas, Braden Houchin, Dallas Nelson, Carter Selk, Ben Wagner and Jake Waldinger along with manager Luke Severns.

As the junior high baseball coach, DiFilippo has seen this group in action for years.

“When they were in seventh grade, it was a solid group that I said would be special,” he said, “and they were, but the thing is, they are better human beings than baseball players.

“They’ll be fantastic dads and husbands some day.”

Seven squad members with at least 50 at-bats, compiled season batting averages above .300.

Wolters was the leader, hitting at a .433 clip.

Trailing him were Johnson (.414), Cade Starrick (.414), Tyson Finch (.410), Carter Selk (.398), McHale (.352) and Wagner (.304).

Selk (52) and Wolters (51) were the leaders in runs scored. Johnson (46) and Wolters (45) had the most hits. Driving in the most runs were Johnson (54) and Wolters (38).

Wolters (24) and Selk (19) had the most extra-base hits. Wolters was the leader with nine home runs and Johnson was tops with 14 doubles. Wolters registered 15 games with two, or more, hits. Johnson had 13.

Selk (26), Wolters (25) and Johnson (20) were the stolen base leaders.

The right-handed Wolters was the pitching mainstay. In his nine appearances on the mound – each with at least 20 major-league scouts in attendance – he struck out 108 batters in 48 2/3 innings. He allowed just three earned runs for the season, an ERA Of 0.43.

Wolters set the single-season strikeout record (116) as a junior. This year’s total places him in a tie for second on the all-time M-S list.

Wolters helped M-S tie an IHSA state record for the most no-hitters in a season, with five. Wolters fired three no-hitters. Throwing one apiece were Alec Bergman and Casillas.

Overall, nine pitchers won at least one game for the team.

Orton was 6-1, McHale was 5-1, Bergman was 4-1, Casillas was 3-1, Johnson was 2-1, Finn Randolph was 2-0, Houchin was 1-0 and Starrick was 1-0.

All nine of those pitchers also averaged more than a strikeout per inning. Trailing Wolters were Orton (69 strikeouts in 40 innings), Bergman (41 strikeouts in 24 innings), Casillas (33 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings), McHale (32 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings), Starrick (19 strikeouts in 16 innings), Randolph (18 strikeouts in 17 innings), Houchin (13 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings) and Johnson (11 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings).

Others among the Bulldogs with low ERAs were: Randolph (0.41), Starrick (0.88), McHale (1.37), Houchin (1.63), Orton (2.10) and Casillas (2.86).

Kody Ackman, who pitched just two innings while recovering from Tommy John surgery, had an ERA of 0.00.

Orton was the most frequently-used pitcher, appearing in 12 games. McHale and Wolters each threw in nine games while Bergman, Casillas and Starrick pitched in eight games each.