Junior right-hander Chase Lockwood’s pitching has been instrumental in Libertyville winning a program-record 34 games this season.
Not always as effective in the batter’s box, Lockwood rose to the occasion during the Class 4A Schaumburg Supersectional at Wintrust Field on Monday night.
“I haven’t had my strongest year at the plate, but being able to come up in that big spot for my guys is all that matters,” he said. “All year, I feel like I’ve been trying to do a little too much, which has hurt me, and in that moment I was able to stay within myself and come through.
“It was an awesome feeling, and it helped with the momentum shift in the game.”
Indeed, Lockwood’s two-run double was part of a five-run third inning that erased Maine South’s early lead. He went 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs as Libertyville rolled to a 13-4 victory.
With the win, the Wildcats (34-4) earned their first berth in the state semifinals since they finished second in 4A in 2013, which caused a wild celebration on the field. It was around that time when Lockwood realized he will get the start against Normal Community (36-4) at Slammers Stadium in Joliet at 4 p.m. Friday.
“It came into my mind right after the dogpile,” Lockwood said. “I’ll focus on just doing my thing. I know that if I do me on the mound and keep doing what I’ve been doing all year, we’ll be in a good spot to win.”
That has been the case for the Wildcats all season. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Lockwood is 8-0 with a 0.95 in 51 2/3 innings.
At the plate, he’s batting .264 with nine doubles, a triple, a home run and 23 RBIs. His double against Maine South came only hours after he requested an extra round of batting practice.
“Having him go helped a lot and inspired everybody else to hit too,” Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. “He maybe hasn’t hit as well as he planned or we thought he might, but we keep emphasizing with him, ‘You’ve got a great swing, and you’re a good hitter.’ That’s all I keep telling him, to trust himself, and obviously he did that tonight because that was a big hit.”
As Lockwood’s big hit awoke the Wildcats’ bats, Air Force commit Joshua Holst found his rhythm on the mound. The senior left-hander didn’t retire any of the first five batters, who reached base on three walks and two infield singles as Maine South (23-17) took a 2-0 lead. But Holst cruised through the next three innings and didn’t issue another walk in a complete game.
“I definitely felt the nerves because I’ve never pitched in a game like this in front of this many people,” he said. “I knew I just needed to take some deep breaths. I knew I could outmatch them with my stuff and that if I got out of that inning with less than three runs that we were going to come back and win it.”
Holst helped himself at the plate with three hits and two RBIs. After the supersectional, perhaps Lockwood can do the same thing Friday. There’s no doubt he’ll be ready to pitch.
“I like to attack, get that first-pitch strike,” he said. “I have confidence in every pitch I throw and can throw any pitch at any count. I’ve got a great catcher and a great defense backing me up. I just want to keep finding weak contact.”
Lockwood is aware of the stakes. Libertyville has played in two state championship games but hasn’t won one.
“The job’s not finished,” he said. “We have to go out and win this thing. It’s special to be a part of it, and I can’t wait to go out there and compete.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
