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June 5, 2023

Huntley seniors Ryan Bakes, left, and brother Brayden Bakes hold the Class 4A Hampshire Regional trophy won by the Red Raiders May 27. Ryan played catcher while Brayden played center field.
Steve Peterson
Huntley seniors Ryan Bakes, left, and brother Brayden Bakes hold the Class 4A Hampshire Regional trophy won by the Red Raiders May 27. Ryan played catcher while Brayden played center field.

Sports • June 5, 2023

Baseball Brothers Lead Huntley to 29-8 Season: Huntley falls to Jacobs in sectional semi-final

By

HUNTLEY — The Huntley Red Raiders Baseball team fell to Jacobs in the sectional semi-finals on Wednesday, May 31 by a score of 6-3. Huntley committed several errors during the contest that contributed to the loss and ultimately ended their season. Heading into the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Raiders were leading 2-1. However, Jacobs put up four unearned runs off of four walked batters and only two hits in the bottom of the 3rd inning to give the Golden Eagles a 5-2 lead. This put the Raiders in a hole they were not able to come out of. Huntley’s head coach Andy Jakubowski noted 13 free bases the Raiders granted with errors, walks, or hit by pitches.

“You can’t give that to a good team like that,” Jakubowski said. “They made us pay for it. They capitalized on their opportunities.”

Despite this end to the Raiders season, the team has a lot to be proud of after all they have accomplished this past year. From finishing with a 29-8 record, winning the Fox Valley Conference, securing a regional championship, and being ranked a top five team in the state, these seniors should be proud of their legacy they left behind.

Two of those senior leaders on the team are brothers, Brayden and Ryan Bakes who have spent all four years on varsity. Both brothers will be continuing their academic and baseball careers at Division 1 schools next year. Ryan is committed to the University of South Carolina and Brayden has recently committed to Indiana University after decommitting from Wichita State.

“I’ve been playing baseball for the past twelve years of my life so I grew a love for the game,” Brayden said. “One day I just decided I was going to start practicing and [me and my brother] would go out to a random field and stay there for hours at least four times a week.”

The brothers are always critiquing each other, which allows them to develop new skills and ultimately become better players.

“Brayden pushes me to become a better player because we compete all the time on and off the field,” Ryan said. “He tells me when I’m doing something wrong and I do the same so it helps us work on our weakness.”

Although their final season didn’t end the way they had hoped, they will never forget the last four years at Huntley and their impact on the Huntley program will continue for years to come.

“During my career at Huntley I have made memories that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Brayden said. “I had the ultimate goal of winning a state championship, but I will never forget the time I’ve had with this team.”