The road has been long and circuitous for Waukegan senior Leo Maione.
But as he nears the end of his four-year varsity baseball odyssey, Leo Maione can appreciate the experience.
“A journey, that’s one way of describing it,” he said.
Leo Maione has taken that journey with his father, Phil, who has been Waukegan’s coach throughout his varsity career. Phil Maione plans to retire from coaching at the end of the season.
“There’s a stigma attached to having your dad around, with the ‘daddy ball’ reputation, and I didn’t always welcome it,” Leo Maione said. “But he’s not that person. We debrief after every game, and we talk about baseball all the time. He’s taught me a lot.”
Phil Maione agreed Leo has come a long way since he made the varsity team as a freshman, which is not easy to do in the North Suburban Conference.
“I never had any delusions about how good my son is,” Phil Maione said. “But given what he had to deal with, being thrown into this conference so early, to where he is now, I’m really proud.”
Leo Maione has become the top hitter for the Bulldogs (0-9, 0-4). He’s batting .429 with a .520 on-base percentage and a 1.044 OPS. But he has been even better in conference games, posting a .444 average with a 1.212 OPS.
“I feel like it was the experiences I got to feel early in my career that really helped me at the plate,” Leo Maione said. “I go up there now with a plan and expecting to make something good happen.”
Less obvious to casual observers is Leo Maione’s defensive versatility. He started his career at second base and eventually put down roots at shortstop. But he also catches, and he was called upon to go back behind the plate this week due to a teammate’s injury. He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat and threw out a would-be base stealer during a conference game against Lake Zurich.
Leo Maione is also one of Waukegan’s top pitching options this season. He has struck out 14 over nine innings.
“I’m a baseball player at the end of the day and take pride in being able to play wherever my team needs me,” he said.
Leo Maione has taken on a leadership role among his teammates too.
“He’s a good person to model myself after,” Waukegan junior Jose Mendoza said. “He carries a lot on his shoulders, but he’s been through it all. So he’s got a lot of answers when I pick his brain.”
Leo Maione has an answer for questions about the next stage of his life too. He’s already training to become a firefighter. He recently completed a paid internship through the Lake County Tech Campus, which placed him at the Countryside Fire Protection District in Vernon Hills for several weeks.
“We went on actual calls, so it was a great experience,” Leo Maione said. “I learned a ton, and not only in that industry but also a lot of life skills.”
For the next month, Leo Maione will continue using his baseball skills, something he has been accustomed to doing for as long as he can remember.
“College will probably take up most of my time, but maybe I’ll find a league to join,” he said. “It’s going to be weird not having baseball in my schedule.
“Going down the stretch, as long as I do the best I can, I can go home feeling good.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
