Every day on their way to St. Laurence, Evan and Cory Les drive by Les Brothers, the longtime popular family restaurant in Oak Lawn that is owned by members of their extended family.
Evan, a senior outfielder, and Cory, a sophomore outfielder, are now out to make their last name known for something more than food.
The Vikings’ Les Brothers are both providing big bats for a team that has scored 36 runs in the first two games.
“It’s surreal to play in the same batting order as my brother, and it’s really cool to see him get the opportunity that I think he deserves,” Evan said. “It’s really exciting to get to play with him.”
Cory was up and down between varsity and junior varsity last season as a freshman, taking plenty of lessons away from his time at the higher level.
“It definitely showed me what I needed to prepare for during the offseason,” Cory said. “I was able to take my experiences from then and turn it into success now. I took what I learned, what I failed it and what I did right and built it all into the process to prepare for this season.”
Now, Cory is hitting in the middle of the varsity batting order and starting in center field for St. Laurence (2-0).
“Even though it was limited, I think those varsity experiences last year were huge for Cory,” St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus said. “He looks like a more confident player. You can see it just in the way he walks up to the plate.”
Evan, meanwhile, is thrilled to finally be a starter from day one as a senior. Last season, he had to stay patient before carving out a big role as the spring went on.
Sitting on the bench for an extended time was tough for a player who was the starting quarterback on St. Laurence’s Class 4A runner-up football team last fall.
“In the first 15 games last season, I had maybe two at-bats,” Evan Les said. “I’m a competitor, so that was naturally really hard for me to deal with.
“But I had faith in coach Pete and all the people around me. I put my head down, kept working and eventually started getting more at-bats, and I never really looked back.”
Lotus is proud of Evan for sticking with it.
“Evan’s been sort of that model of persistence and hard work,” Lotus said. “And when you can lead a team to the state championship game in football at the quarterback position, that says a lot.
“We know no moment is too big for Evan.”
Evan recently committed to Illinois Wesleyan, where he intends to play both baseball and football.
“It’s definitely a big commitment,” he said. “I know it’s going to be challenging. We’ll see if I do both all four years or just one year. who knows? But I might as well throw my hat in there and see where it goes.”
First, there’s one more season for Evan and Cory to play together.
“It’s going to be my last time, probably, ever being on the same field with my brother,” Cory said. “I definitely want to take it all in and hopefully end it all with a state championship.”
Cory was also part of the Vikings’ football team as a running back. The brothers created plenty of special memories in the fall, and they’re looking to make more on the baseball field.
“The football season was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Evan said. “Not only going to the state championship game but getting to do it with my brother was really awesome.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to end my senior year than to do it again with the baseball team and take another journey with my brother.”
