Libertyville senior Mason Strader approached this baseball season like an athlete with something to prove.
Although Strader had already committed to play football at Butler, he didn’t rest on his laurels.
“I’ve totally bought in to what the coaches have been telling me,” he said. “I didn’t come into the season knowing I had a definite position, so I made a goal for myself to become a contributing member of the team with a defined role.
“Once I earned it, I pledged to hold on to it.”
Strader has fulfilled that pledge. He is the starting center fielder for the Wildcats (34-4), who will play Normal (36-4) in the Class 4A state semifinals at the Joliet Slammers’ Duly Health and Care Field at 4 p.m. Friday.
Strader managed to prepare for this opportunity while training for two sports.
“I think I did a good job this offseason of keeping both sports separate but at the same time benefiting both,” he said. “I knew I had to dial it up baseball-wise and tighten up some of my skills, but I was making sure I was addressing football too.”
Libertyville baseball coach Matt Thompson thinks Strader, who plays safety in football, is better for it.
“He was more of a pull hitter in 2024, but he’s hitting to all fields now, and doing all of his strength work for football has given his bat a little more juice,” Thompson said.
Batting ninth, Strader has been productive as a second leadoff hitter for the Wildcats. He’s batting .284 with 16 RBIs and 25 runs scored in a lineup where the first five hitters’ averages range from .359 to .459. Senior catcher Quinn Schambow and senior pitcher/first baseman Joshua Holst have combined for 45 extra-base hits and 86 RBIs.
“I know if I get on base, I’m no doubt going to score with those guys coming up behind me,” Strader said. “I try to have a good two-strike approach and get on any way I can — hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, error.”
Strader took two of those avenues during Libertyville’s 5-4 win over Lake Zurich in the Stevenson Sectional championship game on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with two singles and reached on a hard-hit ball to shortstop in his other at-bat.
Leading off the third and fifth innings, Strader got on base ahead of senior shortstop Cole Lockwood and scored, first on a double by Schambow and then on a home run by Holst.
“That was a game where it showed how important that spot in the order can be,” Strader said. “I’m fortunate to have great people around me and to be surrounded by a bunch of extraordinary athletes.”
Strader also excels in center field, helping make Libertyville’s defense up the middle — which includes Schambow, Lockwood and junior second baseman Trevor Wallace — a strength.
Strader manned the corner outfield spots almost exclusively in the previous two seasons. But he has thrived in center with his speed and has become the leader of a tight-knit group that includes sophomore Ryan Wilberding in left and juniors Carson Holmes and Jack Cenar in right.
“I love the pressure when the ball is hit to me,” Strader said. “That’s my favorite part of playing baseball. Those guys are my brothers. They help me read balls, and I’m so appreciative of them. We do a lot of the same communicating as in football.”
Wilberding is a catcher by trade, but his offensive skills forced the coaching staff to get him in the lineup. His transition to the outfield has been made easier by Strader. They’re throwing partners and have extended their connection to off-field activities, including fishing trips with Holmes.
“Mason has taken me under his wing a little bit and has been a good mentor,” Wilberding said. “Our bond as an outfield has grown super strong as the season has gone on. I’ll have to be more of a leader next year, and his leadership has helped me realize the kinds of things I’ll want to do.”
In the meantime, the Wildcats want to win the first state title in program history.
“I was a believer in this team from day one,” Strader said. “Team-wise, we have such great chemistry, and I knew we had a team that could win it all. Now it’s time to go prove it.”
Like Strader has already done.
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
