No.7 Red Men begin NCAA regional today
BY PETER JACKEL
Journal Times | Posted: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 12:00 am
As perhaps the final chapter of John Lequia's sweet-and-sour baseball career is written, it turns out his real paradise was practically in his own backyard all along.
It was in the late summer of 2004 when the first baseman with the sweet left-handed swing took his talents to Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. What more could the 2004 Park High School graduate have asked than the opportunity to play at the NCAA Division I level plus receive a free college education?
Good health would be a start. But the bottom line is that his bulging medical file has finally been pushed aside, replaced by a one-year experience he will never forget at Carthage College in Kenosha.
Lequia boarded a charter bus around noon Tuesday for a trip to Moline, Ill., where the Red Men will play in the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championship today through Saturday at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field.
Top-seeded Carthage (32-6, 18-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked seventh in the most recent "D3baseball.com" poll, opens play in the six-team tournament today with a noon game against sixth-seeded Fontbonne (25-17) of St. Louis. Another local connection in the tournament is 1987 Case High School graduate John Vodenlich, coach of
UW-Whitewater (26-17).
Lequia, a second-team All-CCIW selection in what will likely be his only season with Carthage, has been as responsible as anyone else for the Red Men's success. Despite being plagued by the still northerly spring winds off Lake Michigan that coach Augie Schmidt said adversely impacted his numbers, Lequia hit .326, 12
doubles, three homers and 32 RBIs as the Red Men's No. 3 hitter.
"It just feels that it all fell into place," Lequia said. "It was a shaky ride and now it's all coming into place. It's great."
What a shaky ride it was during his four years at Peoria, Ill. First came a separated right shoulder during the winter of his freshman year in 2004-05. Then he played his red-shirt freshman season in 2006 with a torn meniscus in his right knee.
After being diagnosed with a form of sleep apnea that required four surgical procedures to improve his breathing, Lequia came down with mononucleosis that wiped out most of his 2007 season.
Then, shortly after transferring to Carthage for the 2007-08 school year, he underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder.
"It's definitely been a rough one," Lequia said. "I left Park with a lot of expectations and I felt real good, then ran into some rough patches. But I'm having my best times here at Carthage. I'm loving it."
With the assistance of his parents, Lequia was able to give up his scholarship at Bradley and make the move to Carthage, which cannot offer athletic scholarships because of its Division III status. After growing up playing for R.J. Fergus and the Racine Hitters, Lequia became acquainted with Schmidt, who is friends with Fergus.
"What John has brought to this team is obviously a very good hitter, but also his maturity and leadership," Schmidt said. "He's surrounded by a lot of kids and we wouldn't be the same team without him. We kind of get our identity from him.
"He's been with us for only a year, but all these young kids look up to him and watch him. Every coach wants a guy like him hitting in the middle of the lineup."
Lequia will join a number of other established players on the latest of a long list of elite teams coached by Schmidt.
First-team All-CCIW players for Carthage are catcher Mike Hughes (.353, 13 doubles, eight homers, 48 RBIs) and pitchers Tracie Ruffie (5-1, 2.73 ERA) and Jordan Jaehne-Llanas (6-2, 2.04 ERA). Joining Lequia on the second team were outfielder Will Hodges (.354, six doubles, three triples, five homers, 30 RBIs) and pitcher Mario Perez (5-0, 3.86 ERA).
"I've never had as much fun playing baseball," Lequia said. "I couldn't have picked a better group of teammates or coaches. Me and Augie talk baseball all the time. He's made the transition very easy."
Lequia, who turns 24 Nov. 2, plans to apply for another season of eligibility because of his medical history, but doesn't hold out much hope of it being approved. But he will be back at Carthage next year to complete his degree in education before pursuing a career in teaching and coaching.
And when he leaves Carthage, he'll be leaving with memories that will last a lifetime.
"When it's all said and done, it's not going to be getting second-team all-conference that I remember," he said. "It's going to be playing with this group of guys and just finally being able to play again."