If this is Conner Stack’s last baseball season, he wants it to be one to remember.
The Brother Rice senior helped celebrate the debut of the Crusaders’ gorgeous new field on March 21, going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in a 4-1 win over Reavis.
Braydon McKendrick pitched four shutout innings for the win, allowing two hits and two walks with one hit batter while striking out four. Danny Sheehan worked three innings for the save, allowing a run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Stack is wrapping up a memorable high-school sports career in baseball and football. He was the CCL/ESCC Blue Co-Defensive Player of the Year last fall and also the Crusaders’ team MVP as a safety with 57 tackles, three interceptions and three total touchdowns.
Now he’s the starting left fielder for a baseball team with big goals.
“Every year, it’s state, make it down to Joliet,” Stack said. “Last year we had an off year, long offseason. We’re a new team and we’re going to make it down to state in June.”
That might be it for Stack’s competitive sports career.
“I’m actually going to Notre Dame for academics,” he said. “If a door opens (for baseball), maybe. But right now I’m set on Notre Dame.”
That gives this season more meaning than most.
“It definitely does,” Stack said. “I started playing baseball when I was 3 years old. It’s been a long journey, but I’m just trying to take in all of it. And if it is (the end), I’m glad where I am today.”
Against Reavis, he was in the No. 9 spot in the batting order, which was just fine.
“I don’t really care where I hit,” Stack said. “I just want to play every day with heart and passion. And I got out in the ninth spot today and just did the best I could.”
“It’s opening day, and as a coach, you always say the lineup on day one is never going to be the same as it is when you start the playoffs,” Crusaders coach Sean McBride said. “And (Stack is) a tough senior, two-sport (athlete), top-10 student. Brings a lot of edge and came through. .. Ran the bases with his hair on fire, made every play in the outfield. He was definitely the difference maker for us on offense.”
Another difference maker is Rice’s new stadium, with artificial turf, a press box above the home dugout and ample bleachers.
“It’s beautiful … and I’m thankful to our administration because there’s not a lot of fields in this area or anywhere else (this good) that high-school kids get to play on.”
“It’s amazing,” Stack said. “Just so thankful for all the (donors) giving us a great field to play on.”
For Reavis, it was another game against a powerhouse program. The Rams opened with a 4-2 loss to Nazareth and had a game against neighborhood rival St. Laurence called because of storms after.a few innings. Pinch hitter Juan Avila had a run-scoring single in the seventh inning and center fielder Isaac Velasco robbed Rice’s Trey Webster of an extra-base hit with a diving catch to end the sixth.
“Very tough week, but it’s a week we prepare for all the offseason,” Rams coach Kyle McKinley said. “We have a great group of kids coming off a 30-5 season. … We need something like this to get into our conference season and get us into regional play. We need to see these (kind of) teams more.”
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