Life changed at 90 for Libertyville’s Colin Fields.
The senior right-hander saw his future altered with another year of maturity, but more importantly, due to the addition of another 5 mph on his fastball. Fields said he can now hit 90 mph on the radar gun, thus opening up a new world of possibilities for his future.
“Ninety is the magical number, and you do get a lot more looks (from colleges) and attention,” Field said. “I’m definitely throwing a lot harder this summer. I’ve always felt confident, and practice and repetition is the key. It’s been hard work, lifting and long toss that really helped increase my velocity.”
Fields put his newly charged fastball on display against Glenbard West in Tuesday’s Phil Lawler Summer Classic elimination bracket. He struck out eight and scattered four hits in a complete-game 2-0 loss at Naperville Central.
The Wildcats’ season ended after they managed four hits off two Glenbard West pitchers, with Micah Holzworth’s double the lone extra-base hit.
Fields put together a strong performance, throwing 75 pitches and walking only two to keep Libertyville (9-3) in the game. Fields’ only mistake came when he allowed a two-run double to left-center by Glenbard West senior Kyle Engstrom in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“I felt good, but that one inning where they scored their runs, I just missed my spot on the pitch and they took advantage of it with a double,” Fields said. “I felt like my stuff was pretty good other than that (inning). I felt pretty confident.”
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After ace Riley Gowens picked up the loss in Monday’s 10-3 defeat to St. Charles North, the Wildcats needed a strong showing from Fields to avoid elimination.
Fields relied mostly on his fastball and slider to give his team a chance late in the game. The Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning, but Ben Arnold grounded out to first. In the sixth, the Wildcats stranded a runner on third when Tim Jean struck out and Luke Plunkett popped out.
“They had a couple of nice hits in the inning, but otherwise Colin threw well,” Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. “Colin stayed consistent. When he throws strikes and changes speeds like that, plus with his velocity keep climbing up, that’s where we are mostly excited.”
Fields has yet to pick up an offer, but indicated he has interest from numerous colleges. Fields tossed a one-hit complete game against McHenry on Thursday.
Gowens and Fields are the headliners for a Libertyville team set to bring back the majority of its players from last season’s 30-7 team.
“I think it’s going to be a really exciting next season, and I think we have a chance to be really good next year,” Fields said. “We were good last year, and we have so many guys returning that we have a shot at making something special happen.”
Bob Narang is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.