1. Top-ranked St. Rita travels to No. 4 St. Laurence on Monday for a Chicago Catholic Blue showdown. There’s no love lost between the schools, plus both teams enter the game having just convincingly swept their two-game sets, with St. Rita hammering Providence and St. Laurence taking a pair from defending Class 4A champ Mount Carmel. On Wednesday, St. Laurence plays at St. Rita.
2. The North Suburban Lake championship will likely be decided this week when No. 5 Libertyville and No. 10 Mundelein square off on Tuesday and Wednesday. Libertyville, the 4A state runner-up, has yet to lose to an Illinois team, while Mundelein has only one loss. Tuesday’s game will be at Mundelein, and Wednesday at Libertyville. For good measure, Libertyville will play Grant (16-3) on Friday at home in what will undoubtedly be a packed crowd full of pro scouts. Both teams feature two of the top catching prospects in the Midwest – Libertyville’s Evan Skoug and Grant’s Simeon Lucas.
3.On Thursday, No. 9 Lincoln-Way West travels to No. 2 Lincoln-Way North. Both teams are unbeaten in the Southwest Suburban Red. Lincoln-Way West suffered its first loss of the season to No. 3 Lemont on Saturday, 3-0; Lincoln-Way North outlasted Lemont, 4-3, in 10 innings on April 19.