The impressive success of the Nazareth Academy baseball program reached an entirely new level these past three seasons.
The Roadrunners’ first two state championships, both in Class 3A, and a 37-1 record this past season in 4A was fueled by a special group of six recent graduates all headed to NCAA Division I programs – David Cox and Luca Fiore (Illinois Chicago), Nick Drtina (Louisville), John Hughes (North Carolina), Cooper Malamazian (Indiana) and Cole Reifsteck (Belmont).
“They all played as freshmen on varsity, all ended up being Division I commits, but no matter what their individual accomplishments were, high school baseball always remained as important or more important than everything else,” Nazareth coach Lee Milano said.
“They always continued to work to get better and wanted to separate their legacy in the history of not only Nazareth Academy but in the history of the state of Illinois.”
Over those four varsity seasons, the Roadrunners won 132 games, two sectionals, four regionals and achieved two of the longest winning streaks – 46 from 2023-24 (No. 3 all-time) and 35 from 2022-23 (No. 8 all-time).
They were undefeated this past season until losing to Mt. Carmel in the 4A Reavis Sectional final. They also captured a second straight East Suburban Catholic Conference title with a perfect 12-0 mark.
Cox (.432, 8 HR, 49 RBI), Malamazian (.395, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 49 runs, 19 stolen bases), Drtina (.411, 2 HR, 32 RBI), Fiore (.321, 3 HR, 27 RBI), Reifsteck (.364, 15 RBI, 21 stolen bases) and Hughes (.324, 16 RBI) were among the Roadrunners’ leading hitters. Cox (6-0, 0.96 earned-run average, 50 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched), Fiore (9-0, 2.49 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 39.1 IP) and Hughes (2-0, 3.13 ERA, 21 strikeouts in 15.2 IP) were the leading pitchers.
For Milano, who has been head coach since 2000, the group added to the Roadrunners’ high standards on and off the field as well as their first four trophies (1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fourth) from 2011-18.
“They were never cocky or arrogant about their accomplishments. They were fine young men on and off the field which is a credit to their parents,” Milano said.
“They continued the tradition that many former players paved the way for prior to them. They always played for the former players, the future players and each other. They set the par extremely high for all future Roadrunners. Their legacy will live on forever.”
Cox and Malamazian were named to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State Team along with rising senior Jaden Fauske, a Louisville recruit. Malamazian and Fauske were 3A All-Staters in 2023 and Drtina was 3A All-State in 2022.
Drtina and Malamazian also were named All-ESCC for the third straight year, Cox, Fauske and Fiore for the second and Cox and Hughes and rising junior Landon Thome for the first time.