Giants can’t find the right stuff, end 26-win camaign — the second best in program history

Tough days are part of the game, and they don’t mind showing up at the worst times.

Highland Park baseball, winners of nine of their previous 11 games, had a rare tough day in the regional championship on Saturday, May 30, falling 11-0 to red-hot Buffalo Grove, the sectional’s No. 13 seed, on the Bison’s home turf.

“It was one of those baseball days where I don’t think we were our sharpest, really, in any phase of the game,” Giants coach Jason Newburger said. “At this point in the season, when you’re playing for a regional title and good baseball teams, those little details and margins can end up with a game slipping away.”

Though they did not strike out once on the day, Highland Park managed just five hits and none of them came with a runner in scoring position.

The Giants, the sectional’s No. 6 seed, also committed several errors in the field and issued seven walks, helping the Bison stack up the runs late — though, only five of them were earned.

Buffalo Grove pushed an early 2-0 lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning, taking advantage of three Highland Park errors. Then they blew thing open in the top of the seventh thanks to five hits, including a bases-clearing double from Rocco Perricone, who knocked in five on the day.

While most of the scoring action happened late, Newburger said his team had its chances early. Highland Park left six runners on base through the first four innings.

“The traffic we had on the basepaths the first four innings — we just couldn’t get that hit to spark us,” the coach said.

What makes it harder to swallow, Newburger said, is the Giants have largely succeeded in run-scoring opportunities for much of the season.

“This lineup has been super trustworthy in those spots and has come through in some really big situations,” he said. “We feel like we’ve been playing playoff baseball for four weeks. … We’ve been battle tested and come through in a lot of those situations and unfortunately didn’t today.”

Josh Midanek led the Giants with a pair of hits, including a double. Ben Hilgart, Luke Giese and Jesse Barnes chipped in a hit apiece.

All four are part of a 12-person senior class for Highland Park baseball that led the Giants to one of the best seasons in program history.

Highland Park finished with 26 wins to 9 losses. The win total is tied (2008, 2001) for the second most for the program (1994: 27 wins). It was also the Giants third straight 20-win season following 24 wins in 2025 and 21 in 2024.

Highland Park also repeated as champions of the Central Suburban League North, thanks to a 14-1 league record.

Newburger said it’s the most successful three-year stretch the program has seen.

“These guys have won 71 games in three years. That’s the most in a three-year stretch in the records that we have,” he said of the senior class, many of whom were on varsity as sophomores. “On top of all the on-field success, this group was a really enjoyable group to be around. We’re going to miss them.

“They made it really fun to come to the ballpark every day. They made the grind and work of a spring season for a coaching staff certainly worthwhile. That’s probably putting it lightly. We wanted to grind with them. It felt like more of a collective group … pulling in the same direction.”

The Giants senior outfielder Paxton Feder was the CSL North’s Player of the Year and senior Cooper Kasdin was the league’s Pitcher of the Year. Fellow seniors Shamar Wilson (Loras College commit), Hilgart (Coe College) and Midanek were also All-Conference picks, as was junior shortstop/pitcher Simon Rose. Trent Harradine (St. Norbert College) won the league’s Sportsmanship Award.

Rose, a standout already committed to Lafeyette College, will lead a small group of returners next season, but Newburger said many in the junior class were held on junior varsity because of the talent of the senior class.

Newburger believes the senior’s leadership on and off the field left an impact.

“Hopefully, they have shown our future groups the lay of the land here for Highland Park baseball,” he said. “I think it’s going to pay off for us for a long time to come.”

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