Andrew’s Danny Moss never saw it coming.
When the sophomore pitcher woke up Friday morning, he had no idea what was in store for him. But by sunset, he may have earned a spot in the starting rotation for the Thunderbolts.
It all started in the morning when he was walking in the hallway from his chemistry class to his microeconomics class, and Andrew coach Dave DeHaan stopped him and pulled him over.
“He said, ‘You’re starting,’” Moss pointed out. “I said, ‘Oh, sweet.’”
It got even better as Moss not only started but thrived in a crosstown rivalry game against Tinley Park. He fired six shutout innings in a 3-0 victory at Andrew to help the Thunderbolts keep the Zabrocki Cup, a trophy named after former longtime Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki.
The left-handed Moss added a new chapter to the storied rivalry, giving up two hits and striking out five for Andrew (17-8). Kevin Mundo pitched a scoreless seventh for the Thunderbolts, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Nolan Kendall and Logan Randle each had two hits. Jacob Miller and Ryan Cahill drove in runs.
Tinley Park (18-10), which allowed 34 runs in its previous two meetings against Andrew in 2022 and 2023, got strong pitching from Ryan Exline, Carlo Cinabro and Josh Wallenda. Defensive miscues, however, hurt the Titans.
Andrew’s Danny Moss (34) high-fives teammates after winning the Zabrocki Cup and beating Tinley Park in a nonconference game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)
At the same time, Moss took a giant leap forward with his progression after starting the season on the sophomore team and making a few relief appearances on the varsity before getting the surprise start.
“I was a little nervous,” Moss said. “I calmed myself down. They have a good hitting team. I was kind of impressed with myself. It was a great opportunity, and I thought I did well.
“My team really helped me.”
DeHaan also was impressed. After Thursday’s gut-wrenching 3-1 loss in 10 innings to unbeaten Lincoln-Way West, he was looking for a good couple of innings out of Moss but got more.
“We needed someone to go in and throw strikes, and that’s was he did,” DeHaan said of Moss. “We were expecting him to throw two or three innings and have other guys coming in.
“But getting six out of him was great in what is a big stretch of baseball for us.”
Andrew’s Danny Moss holds the Zabrocki Cup after beating Tinley Park in a nonconference game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)
Tinley Park entered the game hitting .373 and averaging 9.7 runs a game.
“He did a good job attacking us on the outer half of the plate,” Titans coach Josh O’Shea said of Moss. “They tried to get us to go the other way, and we were up there trying to pull balls.
“He’s a good pitcher. He threw the ball hard and he threw a lot of strikes. He had us reaching and off-balance.”
And Moss pitched quickly.
“He was in great rhythm,” DeHaan said. “He was out there for only four or five minutes in five of the six innings.”
It could have served as an audition to crack the rotation.
“We have a lot of confidence in what he can do,” DeHaan said. “He’s a crafty lefty and gets ahead of hitters. He can throw his change-up. He can throw his fastball, and it moves a lot.”
Moss, who also plays football for the Thunderbolts, said his father, Brad, got him involved in baseball. Brad played in Andrew’s program but gave up baseball before his senior season.
Thus, he missed out on the Thunderbolts winning their first and only state title in 1992.
“He always told me his biggest regret was quitting before they won the state championship,” Moss said. “He has been helping me a lot with my game over the years.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
