Gabe Lopez approaches baseball much like he navigates the other parts of his life.
Substance over style.
“Gabe’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached, and it’s because of his attitude and the positive way he approaches everything,” Waukegan coach Phil Maione said. “He’s a better person than he is a baseball player.”
But Lopez, a senior catcher and cleanup hitter for the Bulldogs, is pretty good at baseball too.
He has been a four-year stalwart in Waukegan’s program, transforming from wide-eyed freshman to team leader. Through six games this season, he led the Bulldogs in batting average (.310), slugging percentage (.388), on-base percentage (.400) and extra-base hits.
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He recently signed to play at Kishwaukee College outside DeKalb.
“I feel like junior college for a year or two is a good route to take,” Lopez said. “There have been so many people who have sacrificed to get me to this point — family, friends, coaches.”
Lopez, who has always been dangerous at the plate, has come full circle defensively. He has returned to catching after mostly playing the corner infield positions last season.
“The last couple of years, I really didn’t want to catch anymore, but now I’ve fallen back in love with it again,” Lopez said. “It was always in the back of my mind, and I feel really good back there.”
He said he can get better at blocking the ball, and he has also worked on getting quicker in his side-to-side movements.
“Since you see the whole field, there are a lot of little things you need to be on top of,” Lopez said. “I definitely feel I can become much better.”
The 5-foot-11 Lopez has lost about 20 pounds since late February to get down to 220. He used the MyFitnessPal app, but much of the work was self-motivated.
“My body just wasn’t feeling right,” he said. “Now I’m really strict about what goes into my body, and I feel great.”
Attention to detail also is important in Lopez’s leadership role, even in pregame warmups.
“We have the same routine every day: run, stretch and throw,” he said. “You can’t be messing around, and you’ve got to do everything right. It makes you sure to be focused once the game starts.”
That no-nonsense approach is something recognized by people like his business teacher, Dina Kessler. She has taught Lopez in both personal finance and cooperative education classes. The latter class complements students’ part-time jobs, and Lopez works at Home Depot.
“Gabe is such a hard worker and asks so many good questions,” Kessler said. “It’s not hard to see those qualities transfer into baseball and should follow him in the future.”
Lopez, who was named Waukegan’s male athlete of the year, has been nominated for the school’s Leo Singer Award, which recognizes sportsmanship.
“You have to play your hardest, no matter the score,” he said. “Baseball knows when you put in the work, and it reflects in your performance.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.