By: Kasey Salamie Southland Vikings Contributor. The Southland Viking’s have their home opener Tuesday night at 7 PM against the red-hot Will County Crackerjacks. The Will County Crackerjacks are off to a good start this season. The Crackerjacks carry a 6-1 record and are 5-1 in Midwest Collegiate play. A big part of their success thus far has been their pitching. Stephen Taylor (3-0) has yet to allow a run in 18 innings pitched. In those 18 innings he has allowed just three hits, while piling up 18 K’s. Pitchers Ryan Windt and Mike Nicks have also been good contributors for the Crackerjacks. So far infielder Conor Szczerba has led the offensive attack for Will County with a .458 batting average. Outfielder Scott Hull leads the team with 12 RBI’s and one homerun. The Southland Vikings are off to a 4-3 start this season and are 2-2 in Midwest Collegiate play. Lefty pitcher and Homewood native Aaron Hauge will start on the hill for the Vikings on Tuesday night. It will be his first start of the season. This season at Heartland Community College Hauge had a record of 10 wins and 1 loss. He racked up 106 strikeouts in only 74 innings pitched. Going into the Junior College World Series Heartland had the nations #1 ranking. Hauge looks to start off the Viking’s long home stand on a good note Tuesday night. Viking’s outfielder Mike Kane looks to continue his hot hitting after hitting a long homerun and having three hits in their last game. Recently drafted by the Chicago White Sox, Dontrell Rush, looks to make some big contributions for Vikings tomorrow night and for the rest of the season. Elliot Armstrong will try and continue reaching base early and often in the game to put pressure on the defense with his speed. Viking’s catcher Kuris Duggan looks to continue his solid hitting and great defense against the Crackerjacks. Duggan had this to say about catching Aaron Hauge tomorrow night, “I’m very excited to catch Hauge tomorrow. It’s always a good time as a catcher when you can catch a pitcher of his caliber because you can basically call whatever you want and you know he will execute the pitch, and make the hitter look bad. Plus he had a monster year down at Heartland CC so I’m sure he will come out pitching to prove that he is hands down the best pitcher in our League.” It should be a great game tomorrow night 7 PM at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
Southland Vikings face-off against the Will County Crackerjacks on Tuesday 7 PM at Homewood-Flossmoor High School
June 13, 2011 12:00 am