14U-Northbrook-Highwood Braves Baseball Team Kicks Off the 2012 Season

The Northbrook Highwood Braves baseball program has come to be synonymous with excellence and high caliber baseball in the northern Chicago suburbs.  The 2012 14U-Braves team is no exception to this tradition as well.  Practicing and working out of the Glenbrook Sports Academy in Northbrook, IL, the Braves 14U team has some of the best talent in the area.  Run by Mr. Rich Synek of Northbrook, IL, the Glenbrook Sports Academy provides high caliber baseball talent the opportunity to excel at the game and play the best competition the mid-west has to offer.    

This year the Braves feature a new line up of talent to fill the shoes of several key players who have moved on to high school baseball.  Joining the team this year are Sammy Milazzo, Charlie Rafferty, Robbie Schwert, Nathaniel Segura, Thomas Smart, Matt D'Ante and Jake Rabin.  Returning players include John Clark, Sam Gordan, Noah Gaffen, Brandon Labunski, Kyle Mitter, and Mitch Schermerhorn.

The Braves will play all of the their home games at the American Legion field and Glenbrook North Varsity fields in Northbrook for the Mid Suburban Baseball League season April through June. In addition they will travel throughout the Chicago area and mid-west for tournament ball beginning in May and concluding in August.   

On Monday, April 9 the Braves dropped their season opener to the Lake County Lightening 8-5.  However, the Braves were playing shorthanded and one of their key players was nursing a dislocated thumb suffered in a travel game over the weekend.  Nonetheless, Coach Kyle Mitter was pleased with many aspects of the game including the pitching of Thomas Smart and the general defensive execution.  There were some early season base running mistakes that Coach Mitter feels the team can work on and improve to maximize their run scoring effectiveness.  

The Braves Baseball program has been responsible for graduating several recent standout baseball prospects including Boomer Synek (OaktonCollege), Stephen Dinanno (Oberlin College), Adam Robinson (Michigan) and Junior Glenbrook North standout, Bradley Margolin.  In addition, recent graduates of the program who now play for the Glenbrook North baseball program include Sage Bruhl, Brandon Labunski, and Noah Gaffen.