Infielder Tristan Wilson is a fixture for Boone Grove baseball.
So much so that Wilson seems older than his age.
“Tristan’s like our honorary senior that’s a junior,” Boone Grove coach Sean Riley said. “Any time if I call: ‘Hey, I need to talk to the seniors — and Tristan.’ He’s been a part of this since his freshman year, so that’s his group.”
That group has led the Wolves (26-5) to the Class 2A state championship game, where they will play Evansville Mater Dei (23-7) at Victory Field in Indianapolis at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and Wilson has been “a huge piece to this puzzle,” according to Riley.
“He’s kind of the guy that gets overlooked because we have all of the seniors,” Riley said. “But he’s our dude. He’s the guy in the two-hole that sets the table and keeps things moving along.”
Wilson is batting .433 with 30 RBIs, 49 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. He’s second on the team in runs and stolen bases behind pitcher/shortstop Seth Pitcock, who has 50 runs and 33 steals.
Pitcock, twin brothers Davian and Xavier Carrera, Ben Truby and Andrew Batesole are among the Wolves’ seniors.
“I know the monsters behind me, and I just try to set the table for them,” Wilson said. “I know my job’s not to go out there and hit home runs, but I just have to get on base.”
Wilson projects both an air of confidence and a sense of humility.
“I still look up to these guys every day,” he said. “There’s always something to learn from them. We have great leadership, a lot of guys to look up to because of the level of baseball they play.
“It’s a brotherhood. We don’t have any issues on the team. Everybody loves each other. And we’re never satisfied. Even the guys who have the talent are working, working with the freshmen, the younger guys, to prepare us for the future. Nobody’s selfish. Team at-bats. It’s a huge thing.”
Pitcock appreciates Wilson’s contributions on and off the field.
“I love Tristan,” Pitcock said. “I really like him and his family and just having him around. He’s one of the guys who likes to bring smiles to everyone’s faces. Even when we’re losing, he likes to keep everyone up. He’s one of the biggest vocal guys on the team. Just having him in the middle infield with me, next to me, makes me feel so good. We talk all the time and talk game plans.
“Tristan’s one of the guys I hang out with the most outside of the baseball team. One of the reasons we’re winning is just what he brings to the team. He’s one of the best two-hole bats I’ve seen. He’s one of the best leaders. One of the best teammates. Just an awesome guy and player.”
Wilson has been an infielder throughout his Boone Grove career. But he grew up as an outfielder and still plays there during travel ball.
“I’ve played outfield my whole life,” he said. “Always played center field. When I got here, we had Zach Norwine, who was one of the best outfielders I’ve ever watched play. I just had to adapt and learn a new position. It ended up working out.
“I’m always open to whatever. I just want to win. I hate losing, which luckily with this club the last three years, losing doesn’t come very often.”
Wilson, who also plays basketball for Boone Grove, started at third base as a freshman. He shifted to second last season.
“I was hitting well until about the last 12 games,” Wilson said. “I took a skid and dropped about 80 points in my average. That really taught me a lot as a player, to deal with adversity. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows.
“So that really set me up for this year, when I had a rough start, just knowing to keep working at it and I’d come through it eventually. Hard work prevails.”
Hard work has helped the Wolves, who are back in 2A after two seasons in 3A, return to the state championship game for the first time since winning the title in 2018.
“We’re excited,” Wilson said. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for all year, what we’ve been working toward all year. Everyone’s a little nervous, but if we play our game, I like our odds. I like us.
“It’s almost like we expected to be here. There’s more to accomplish, and we all know that. Anything short of where we are now would’ve been a disappointment. We obviously have a lot of talent with this group, and being in 2A, it was ours to lose.”
Boone Grove ended the regular season ranked No. 6 in the state coaches poll. Mater Dei, which won a state title in 1999 and has been a runner-up four times, was No. 3.
“I really feel like it’s one versus two in the state championship game, and that’s how it should be,” Wilson said. “It should be a great game.”
