Loyola senior Jack Yalowitz stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded against Stevenson and began his regular batting routine. Despite the fact the bases were loaded with zero outs and the game was tied, Yalowitz looked down to get in his zone.
When Yalowitz lifted his head, he looked over at Loyola coach Nick Bridich in the third-base coaching box and caught his eye contact. Yalowitz knew.
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“There’s a look I’ve always got from him that I knew what to do and just to do it,” Yalowitz said. “My mind-set was just put the ball in play … Ideally I wanted to hit a fly ball, but I just wanted to put the ball in play.”
Yalowitz, who was 3-for-3 to that point, did just that. He smacked a single near the second baseman to bring home the winning run. With it came a 9-8 win over Stevenson on Tuesday, April 14, and the realization that Yalowitz and his teammates were a different team than last year.
Not only did the Ramblers trail 8-6 before the start of the inning, they rallied without recording an out.
At 11-7 this season, Loyola’s baseball team is finding its confidence.
A large part of that confidence stems from the improved play of Yalowitz, a pivotal two-way player who is committed to play at Illinois next season.
“This year has been a huge improvement,” Yalowitz said. “We’re a lot more competitive of a team. I think that we come out to play a lot more, and we have a lot more aggressive at-bats. I love how our pitching staff is this year — we’re throwing a lot of strikes and aren’t afraid of hitters.
“And I think we just love to be out there and playing. It’s just a much more competitive team, and it’s so much more fun this year.”
A pitcher and an outfielder, Yalowitz gets the opportunity to play every game. In five appearances as Loyola’s No.1 pitcher this season he is 4-1 with a 0.25 ERA as of Monday, April 27. He also bats third, recording 26 hits for a .426 batting average. He’s also tacked on two home runs.
Bridich, who is in his third year as Loyola’s coach, has been with Yalowitz since his first year on varsity as a sophomore. He said Yalowitz has improved a lot as a pitcher this year.
He has noticed that Yalowitz is getting the ball down and throwing strikes on a more consistent basis.
“It’s about being able to repeat the delivery to put yourself in a position for the ball to be down in the strike zone,” Bridich said. “It takes a lot of focus and commitment to be able to do it consistently.”
As a team, Loyola’s improvement started after ending its 2014 season on a high note. While they finished just 12-26-1, the Ramblers won the Class 4A Elk Grove Regional before losing in the sectional semifinals.
The end of the year motivated the Ramblers to push even further, pitcher Mike Rivera said. Three times per week from September to January, Rivera, Yalowitz and fellow senior captains Alex Thomas and Jacob Frank organized weight lifting sessions with the intent of becoming better athletes.
Yalowitz spent time focusing on his deadlifts, shoulders, abs and squats, his personal favorite. The 5-foot-11 Yalowitz improved mentally and physically, Bridich said.
Rivera said he has also noticed an improvement in Yalowitz’s ability to lead. Loyola has just six seniors, relying on many juniors.
“He’s pretty vocal during games,” Rivera said. “If there’s a defensive play to be made or an opposing pitcher he feels we can take advantage of, he points things out. I think a lot of juniors look up to him, just the way he goes about himself. They admire the way he goes about it and they can learn from that.”
Yalowitz said he is trying to enjoy his last run with Loyola before playing Illinois. He’ll join the Illini, Baseball America’s eighth-ranked program in the country, as a two-way player.
Asked if he had a preference between pitching or being an outfielder, Yalowitz said he didn’t and that playing both positions gives him a “full experience” and a lot more enjoyment.
For now, Yalowitz is focusing on playing for Loyola.
“I have a lot of high hopes and expectations for the team this year, especially being my senior year,” Yalowitz said. “I just really want the best for this team, and I feel like we have a good chance to do well.
“I’m just trying to stay in the present, and I think I’ve done a really good job of enjoying what’s going on now.”
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Paras is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @Matthew_Paras