Sophomore outfielder Aiden Barrera also plays soccer for Sandburg. In the fall, he made a vow.
Judging by what he had gone through at 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds, Barrera realized that he wanted to — rather, he had to — get a little stronger for the baseball season in the spring.
“As soon as that soccer season was over, I knew that I had to work harder and I had to get in the weight room,” Barrera said. “That’s not surprising for a small guy like me.
“But I had to grind and I had to get ready for the season.”
Barrera came into Thursday’s game as a defensive replacement in left field. He struck out looking in his first at-bat. But in his second trip to the plate, he ignited what turned out to be a winning rally.
After delivering a two-out single, Barrera took second on a ball in the dirt and then slid and scored on a single by Michael Stapleton in the top of the eighth inning to give the Eagles a thrilling 4-3 win over Lincoln-Way Central in SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover in New Lenox.
“I battled my way to a 3-2 count, it ended up not going in my favor and I went down looking,” Barrera said of the first at-bat. “I knew that I couldn’t let that happen again.”
Nick Bestrick entered the game in the sixth and picked up the win for Sandburg (10-2, 3-1). He needed just five pitches to retire the side in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Ulleweit and Ethan Highfill each had two hits.
Collin Mowry chipped in with two hits and scored the tying run on a single by Michael Gurgone in the sixth for Lincoln-Way Central (8-5, 1-2). Braden Mayer drove in two runs.
Barrera’s single, meanwhile, helped keep the Eagles rolling.
“I was able to get that ball to the outfield,” Barrera said. “Not by much, but I got it to the outfield.”
Sandburg’s Michael Stapleton, left, and Aiden Barrera gather in the dugout after playing Lincoln-Way Central in a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover game in New Lenox on Thursday, April 11, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
Sandburg coach Jim Morsovillo said the team continues to discover Barrera’s many talents.
“He can play good defense,” Morsovillo said of Barrera. “He’s a lefty on the mound and has a couple of wins for us. We put him in late in the game for defense.
“His first at-bat wasn’t wonderful, but the second time, he got the hit with two outs. That was a great momentum switch.”
Stapleton, who bats ninth, got the chance to play hero thanks to Barrera’s work on the bases.
“He had a clutch hit, a clutch dirt-ball read, and I drive him in to win the game,” Stapleton said. “It’s tough really coming up here to the varsity when you are young like he is.
“I just think he has a good mindset. He just gets stuff done — no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
Stapleton, a senior second baseman, also checks in at 5-5 and 155. Morsovillo said Stapleton has contributed big hits and has double digits in RBIs but doesn’t want to move him up in the order.
He’s too valuable where he is.
Lincoln-Way Central’s Collin Mowry follows through on the first of his two hits against Sandburg during a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover game in New Lenox on Thursday, April 11, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
Stapleton, who’s heading to Ohio State and plans on majoring in business, is giving up baseball after this season. He confirmed that batting ninth is fine with him.
“Earlier in the season, I got put into nine and you gotta do what you gotta do,” Stapleton said. “I got comfortable there, and I’m on a roll now.
“I just picture myself as another leadoff hitter, and I just try to get on base as much as I can and help the team out.”
At the same time, when Barrera is on the bench, he related how he studies the opposition.
“You have to watch the pitcher the whole game,” he said. “That’s very fundamental. You have to see if the pitcher has good stuff — if he has a good fastball or a good slider.
“You have to watch the game.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
