Sophomore shortstop Jose Gonzalez is always on the go for Reavis, but there’s just one problem.
He doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet.
Gonzalez started playing baseball at age 6 when his father, James, signed him up for T-ball. Any time Jose wants to get in extra practice, which is often, James is always there for his son.
“I always ask my dad to take me to the cages and to the field,” Jose said. “It’s hard for him sometimes, but that’s why I love him. And that’s why I love baseball.”
Rams fans have loved watching Gonzalez and the rest of the young team develop this spring.
Jose produced two hits Friday afternoon, including an RBI double in the first inning, to help host Reavis take a 5-4 South Suburban Red win over Evergreen Park at Czarnecki Field in Burbank.
Juan Avila and William Swierczynski combined for the pitching win, striking out nine for the Rams (11-3, 4-1). Isaac Velasco also drove in an insurance run in the sixth inning.
Loras commit Cadyn Kummer walked with the bases loaded for Evergreen Park (10-3, 2-3) in the sixth and finished with two hits. Caleb Keyser drove in a pair of runs.
Reavis’ Robert Soto picks up a discarded bat against Evergreen Park during a South Suburban Red game in Burbank on Friday, April 12, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
Gonzalez, meanwhile, is a part of a youth movement that is enjoying a huge season so far. Reavis’ roster features five seniors, seven juniors, seven sophomores and two freshmen.
After starting at shortstop on the varsity as a freshman, Gonzalez entered this season with experience and confidence.
“It was exciting, and it was nerve-wracking, too,” Gonzalez said of his debut last spring. “Our seniors were really there for us last year. They helped me learn and we needed that leadership.”
“I feel like I’m in the right spot. I feel like I go out there and do my best like last year. But I know I can get better every single day.”
Catcher Robert Soto, one of the freshmen on the team for the Rams, admires Gonzalez’s game.
“Jose is one of our main guys,” Soto said. “He’s able to make clutch plays at the plate, and he really makes nice plays in the field. He gets in the gaps and is able to make those plays.”
Reavis coach Don Erickson, who is retiring after the season, said he loves what Gonzalez brings to the table offensively and defensively and that he’s a part of a strong sophomore class.
Evergreen Park’s Michael Rodriguez throws a pitch against Reavis during a South Suburban Red game in Burbank on Friday, April 12, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
“We have a lot of good, young kids and they are really baseball dudes,” Erickson said. “Every morning all offseason, they just love being around baseball.
“That’s a culture you want to have, but you don’t always get that. It starts with the kids, and they just want to be around here.”
A number of players for the Rams — including Gonzalez and Soto — can stand on their home field, look to the west and see the lights from the youth fields they played on only a block away.
“When I was playing there, I dreamed of someday playing here,” Soto said of Czarnecki Field. “I’ve worked hard to be able to get here and play as a freshman.”
Gonzalez said that people such as his father and various in-house and travel coaches have helped prepare him for the chance to play varsity at such a young age.
Jose and his dad attend a couple of Chicago Cubs games every year. Gonzalez, who was originally a catcher but converted to shortstop before high school, always got a kick out of watching Javier Baez.
“One of the reasons I wanted to become a shortstop was because of Javy,” Gonzalez said. “I always liked how smooth and confident he was. That’s how I want to be.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
