On March 23, 2023, the Libertyville boys baseball team geared up for their first home game against the Glenbrook South Titans. Coming off a solid start to their season, the team had secured an 11-9 win over the Palatine Pirates, a 2-2 tie with the Barrington Broncos and a 7-5 over the Oak Park-River Forest Huskies. With two wins under their belt and a desire to prove themselves for their first home game of the season, the Cats stepped up to the plate, ultimately ending the game tied with the Titans with a final score of 3-3.
The Titans were first up to bat, and the home team made it clear early on that they wouldn’t go easy on their opponents. In fact, with Libertyville senior Graham Goodman (5) pitching, junior and infielder Jamie Rasmussen (7) was the only batter for Glenbrook South who successfully made it to first base. The Wildcats, on the other hand, stepped up in the bottom of the first, with their first batter, sophomore Cole Lockwood (1), successfully making it to first, before stealing second as well. Lockwood, a shortstop for the team, said that the dynamic of the team is overall a good one.
“We just roll off of each other,” said Lockwood. “I mean, we pick up the older guys, the older guys pick up us. We kind of bond off that. We look up to the older guys, and they know that.”
Lockwood was not the only sophomore who played during the game. In fact, the hit that enabled three runs for the Wildcats in the bottom of the first inning was struck by another sophomore, Josh Holst (15). The Wildcats ended the first inning up 3-0, though the Titans would tie it up again during the second. From that point on, the game remained free of scoring, and as the number of innings grew, so too did the number of zeros on the board.
Inning after inning passed without a run scored, despite fantastic play including outs secured by senior Theo Schmidt (32) and pitching from junior Sam Calsin (21) and seniors Jackson Goldberg (25) and Casey Wells (11). Ultimately, without the efforts of Holst and other batters, the home team may have faced defeat. Holst, a pitcher and first baseman, said that the team ultimately played well.
“I think we had a lot of good energy early on,” said Holst. “It’s kind of easy to just roll through the game, but I think we stayed locked in and we had some good at-bats, but the ball just didn’t fall our way at the end.”
Another person pleased with the team’s grit and energy was the head coach, Mr. Matt Thompson. Thompson, in his seventh year serving in this position for LHS, noted that the pitching in particular was a strength.
“The positive takeaways are that our pitchers kept us in it,” said Mr. Thompson, referencing the work of Goodman, Calsin, Goldberg and Wells. “They threw really well. They threw strikes and we played good defense.”
Sophomore Quinn Schambow (23), who also plays football for Libertyville, echoed his coach’s sentiment.
“I like how we competed all the way to the end,” said Schambow, who regularly plays as a catcher for the team. “I think we pitched great. We had some timely plays and great hitting, and that is also needed to swing the bats more.”
Overall, the team’s energy and skill on the mound kept their record 2-0-2, following an extra two innings that were added to the game, ensuring that they still have yet to suffer a single loss. The team looks forward to their upcoming series of games in Arizona, while their next home game, against the Warren Township Blue Devils, will be played on Monday, April 3, 2023.