North baseball looks to improve during fall ball in order to win the Northern Lake County Conference.

After a 17-19 season last year and a loss to Glenbrook South in the first round of the playoffs, the Knights are hungry for a brand new season to capitalize on.

“We have a good group of dedicated guys that are motivated to get better. We just need to go out there with the mentality to win every pitch, and the other things (keys to winning) will take care of themselves,” said head baseball coach Brett Hill.

Within the team, over the years, there are many guys that have created strong friendships with one another. This sometimes overlooked aspect has proved big for underdog teams.

“Overall, we have a pretty strong bond that has been formed over the past couple of years,” said starting pitcher Jack “The Bird” Van Reck.

This fall season the baseball team has had some key wins and has learned some valuable lessons that they look to take into the spring regular season.

“I think the fall season is a great time to have fun and keep playing ball before it gets cold. I like the atmosphere because it’s stress free and everyone’s just out there having fun, enjoying the game we all love,” said pitcher/1st baseman Johnny Rennolds.

With a clutch early season win over rivals Grayslake Central, the team has used that momentum to land key wins over teams like McHenry and Wilmot.

Going into playoffs, North stood confident and ready to face whatever competition they had to face.

Game one saw the Knights playing the Wilmot Panthers in an early morning 14-2 win. Feeling good, but keeping the single elimination format in mind, North stood focused against Cary Grove.

Cary Grove is always a tough team and proved to be the better team that day in a heartbreaking 5-4 win over the Knights.

The baseball team saw much improvement this fall and looks to continue to build upon their successes, team chemistry, and get better and stronger in order to try and win the NLCC in the spring.