Morton College's baseball team has won five of its past seven conference games as the Panthers are gearing for a gauntlet of a stretch in late April and throughout May. 

Despite a few hiccups in their non-conference slate, the Panthers have risen to the occasion against Skyway competition. We have seen their offense produce at least six runs in all but one of their past seven conference matchups (5-2 record).

During their recent split against Oakton Community College, their offensive ability proved pivotal once again.

"It was great to see a full-team offensive day (vs. Oakton). It takes a lot of pressure off of everyone when they know they don't have to do too much because the guy behind them is capable of picking them up. We put ourselves in a great position so far (7-3 in the Skyway with 4 games coming up) and we have a chance to make some noise here in the home stretch,'' said Morton College head baseball coach Chris Wido.

Making noise on the national stage has been impressive to witness. They were ranked No. 24 in last week's PBR Poll, which was the first time in program history that the squad has ever cracked the Top 25. While losing a few non-conference games, they remain in the receiving votes section of the Top 25 poll. 

We saw them earlier this season knock off Kankakee Community College, which is currently fourth in the latest poll. While the Panthers dropped a few non-conference tilts this past week, they are currently 7-3 in the latest Skyway Conference standings. That is good enough for second place and there are two scheduled games against Skyway-leading McHenry this weekend. 

The constant difference with this squad has been their offense, but they have been handing the ball to a bevy of pitchers with several games on the docket. Getting quality innings from multiple performers will lead to success. 

"Felix (Cruz) didn't have his best stuff today but he did exactly what we needed. He got ahead early and threw strikes. Our defense got back on track and made some really nice plays behind him. After a long week of games the bullpen was taxed so having him go six was much needed and with the off-day here we will be fresh coming up,'' said Wido.

We also saw role players on the offensive end make an impact during their doubleheader split. Oakton is currently in the top three of the Skyway and the Panthers were able to salvage a split against a formidable opponent.

"The unsung hero of the day was really Brian Donlea. He did a tremendous job behind the dish and had some great ABs,'' said Wido.

The middle of the lineup continues to rake, but catcher Alex Brodie has been driving runners in at an elite clip. The ability to be an RBI machine has been impressive for the slugger that often decides whether an inning is a good one or a potentially great one.

Brodie has a team-high 34 runs batted in entering the week. The past five games have seen him drive in seven runners across the plate. 

"Brodie has done an outstanding job anchoring the offense. Our hitters have a lot of confidence right now and that leads to quality at-bats,'' said Wido.

It has never been a one-man show and the entire lineup has shown the ability to put together professional at-bats and every game has shown to have different hitters come through in the clutch. 

The underrated skills from the outfield have been apparent, thanks to the opportunity to having runners often in scoring position.

Diego Da Rin, Julio Trevino, Brodie, and Logan Romasanta has been hitting the cover off the baseball when it comes to situational hitting. The middle infield of Tommy Schroeder and David Burch atop the lineup have also made their mark. Their ability to wreak havoc on the opposition, early and often in games has decided ball games.

"Schroeder and Burch are both threats on the bases and anytime you can get plus runners on base it makes the pitcher and opposing defense have to work that much harder,'' said Wido.

Next up for the Panthers is a Tuesday road doubleheader against Prairie State College. They have another road matchup against Rockford University's JV squad on Thursday before a pivotal doubleheader against McHenry County College on Saturday.

As always, stay tuned to our social media pages @McAthletics1924 and @MCPBaseball for all the latest thrilling news, notes, interviews, and updates on Panther baseball.