With less than a month left in his high school athletic career, Vernon Hills senior shortstop Connor McNamara is looking to finish on a high note.
Exactly what that high note might be remains to be seen. Vernon Hills finished 24-14 last year and returned the majority of its key players.
The trouble is, Vernon Hills needed a 7-5 road victory against Deerfield on Friday, May 6, just to get back to .500. The Cougars (12-13 through Saturday, May 7) lost to Buffalo Grove the next day to renew their status as a talented team with a losing record.
The IHSA was scheduled to release its postseason seeds on Tuesday, May 10, and Vernon Hills players know their slow start won’t do them any favors in that department.
“Once things go bad, it can be hard to stay positive,” McNamara said. “So one of the things I’ve been doing is trying to help keep a positive morale in the dugout. Going into this year, we felt really confident and good about what we had coming in. We still do, but we just have to turn it around. We’ve been fighting back and playing a little better lately.”
When the Cougars lost to North Suburban Prairie rival Wauconda in a Class 3A sectional title game last season, the team’s returning players knew they’d get a couple chances at payback this season, since the two teams play in the same division.
But Vernon Hills lost to Wauconda in back-to-back games on Tuesday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 20, allowing 10 runs both times. The only way the two teams would cross paths again would be if they met in the postseason.
Cougars coach Jay Czarnecki said it was McNamara who made sure his teammates didn’t let the pair of losses get to their heads, especially knowing Wauconda also likely dashed Vernon Hills’ division title hopes in the process.
“When we lost the two Wauconda games, we did a little soul searching as a team,” Czarnecki said. “We needed some leadership to push us through that tough time. Connor was a big part of that. He refused to let those losses get him or his teammates down.
“Even when he doesn’t have the best at-bat, or something happens in the field, he doesn’t take that with him back into the dugout,” Czarnecki said. “He’s always the first guy up on the fence in the dugout cheering guys on. It stands out. It’s something I’ve noticed.”
McNamara bats leadoff, a position that requires the same tough, in-the-spotlight kind of pressure that helped him become a Class 5A all-state selection last fall as quarterback for the varsity football team. He passed for 2,383 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to a playoff berth.
Senior utility player Tom Earhart, who is recovering from a lower back injury, said McNamara has “left his mark” on the baseball program, too, calling him a “great human being” who always gets along with others on and off the field.
“People respect him as a player and an individual,” Earhart said. “He brings team chemistry up. He’s smart. He doesn’t let pressure situations get to him. Connor just works hard and excels at almost everything he does. He’s a great teammate.”
Tim Froehlig is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @TFroehlig