Everyone would have understood if Benet senior Luke Wildes had decided to skip this baseball season.
The second-leading receiver on the football team, Wildes suffered a torn ACL in the regular-season finale and had surgery on Nov. 12, meaning it was highly unlikely he could recover in time.
But there was a catch, as there often is with Wildes. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“That’s all I wanted to do, focus on my knee and nothing else,” he said. “That became my life, just trying to get back on the field and help this team out.”
But why rush back instead of taking some time to prepare for his baseball career at St. Johns River State College in Florida?
“It was more than just a team,” Wildes said of the Redwings. “It was a family, and I wanted to put them in the best spot possible by getting myself as healthy as I can before the season started.”
Wildes missed the first 13 games this season before making his debut as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of a game against Marist on April 21, less than 5 ½ months after his surgery. His return stunned teammates like sophomore first baseman Quinn Rooney.
“It’s just amazing he was able to come back,” Rooney said. “We didn’t even think he was going to play, but he just kept going and actually got a starting spot and probably was one of the biggest contributors we have.”
Indeed, Wildes batted .338 with a home run, 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 25 games. He also pitched in four games, recording a 1.75 ERA with nine strikeouts over four innings.
Wildes capped his high school career by going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored during Benet’s 8-5 loss to St. Laurence in the Class 3A state championship game in Joliet on Saturday. He also made three excellent catches in right field, including a sliding effort in foul territory, during a four-batter span bridging the fifth and sixth innings.
“The fact that he was out here is a miracle and just kind of shows his dedication, his work ethic, his love for his teammates, our coaches and our program,” Benet co-coach Jorge Acosta said. “He had no business being out here this season and just worked his tail off all winter long and got back.”
Wildes was limited at first. He wasn’t allowed to run the bases, wear cleats or play when the grass was wet.
By the end of the season, Wildes was doing all those things. Then he tweaked his shoulder while throwing a runner out at the plate during Benet’s 6-3 victory over Washington in the Geneseo Supersectional.
“He hasn’t really been able to throw since,” Acosta said. “So we just kind of told him, ‘Hey, man, take it easy and don’t throw unless you actually need to.’
“Then he uncorked a couple of really good throws today, and it was massive. He battled for us.”
The Redwings (27-13) battled the favored Vikings (37-5) by rallying from deficits of 2-0 and 5-2. Rooney’s home run highlighted a two-run fourth inning, and senior center fielder Josh Gugora’s RBI double scored senior third baseman Merrick Sullivan to tie it at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth.
But after Wildes made a basket catch to record the first out of the sixth, St. Laurence took the lead on an RBI double by Daniel Coyle, who pitched the final three innings to get the victory, and then added two more runs in the seventh.
Wildes singled sharply to right with two out and nobody on base in the seventh to keep the Redwings alive.
“Next man up,” he said. “That’s what was going through my head.”
Coyle retired Gugora on a grounder to short to clinch St. Laurence’s first state title. But the Redwings walked away with their first state trophy.
“It’s a dream come true,” Wildes said. “Every little kid from the moment they start playing baseball, they want to go to the state championship and win a trophy. That’s what we did today.”
What will Wildes do next? After watching his inspiring return from injury, Acosta won’t put limits on him.
“He’s got a huge future ahead of him,” Acosta said. “Luke is just a physical specimen and … it’s going to be really, really fun to watch him wherever he ends up in terms of after junior college.”
Wildes has big dreams.
“I want to play in the show,” he said. “It’s always been a goal for me.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
