Charlie Dumo knew his bat would come around.
Faced with an unwanted cold streak to open his senior season, the Deerfield first baseman didn’t succumb to the hard-to-ignore temptation to incorporate major changes.
Instead, Dumo relied on his work ethic and a stay-the-course demeanor to round into shape when the stakes for the Warriors were the highest.
“I didn’t change anything I was doing,” he said. “I knew that I was hitting the ball right at people and that things would turn around if I trusted the process and kept doing what had worked for me in the past.”
Dumo’s trust in himself has paid dividends for both him and the 10th-seeded Warriors, who won 7-1 against seventh-seeded Carmel in the Class 3A Vernon Hills Regional semifinals on Thursday.
Dumo’s two-run triple into a stiff wind in deep center loomed large in Deerfield’s four-run fourth inning, and it probably wasn’t a coincidence that he relied on a short memory to come to the plate in that situation with a healthy approach.
“My first at-bat, I struck out on a ball that I didn’t think was over the plate,” he said. “But you have to move on. I got a good swing on the ball, and it felt great to drive it like I did.”
Deerfield (17-16), which will play second-seeded Grayslake Central in the regional championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday, entered the fourth with a 3-0 lead, and a passed ball at the start of Dumo’s at-bat plated another run. Three batters later, Dumo scored from third on Tyler Bernstein’s single.
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Deerfield starting pitcher Mac Jones had more than enough runs at that point. A sophomore, Jones threw six scoreless innings, scattering three hits and four walks, while striking out seven.
Jones said he was eager to be on the mound for the playoff opener and knew from the time he was warming up that his best stuff was there to face Carmel (16-17-2).
“I love to be out there in big games,” Jones said. “Everything was working. I felt really comfortable, and Charlie’s hit made a big difference in how I was able to approach the last few innings.”
But there were tough moments for Dumo this season. He recalled feeling particularly stressed during the Warriors’ trip to Indiana for spring break.
“I was in an 0-for-10 stretch and just ripped one right at the shortstop,” he said. “I remember going back to the hotel and was pretty down. But I woke up the next day with a fresh approach, and I got a couple hits in our first game back. That was a good turning point.”
Deerfield coach Mark Januszewski came away impressed with Dumo.
“He just kept working and grinding through,” Januszewski said. “He’s played enough baseball and is mature enough to know that things would turn around. Having him hitting like he has been over the past few weeks has been a big boost.”
For instance, Dumo came through with a clutch home run in a late-season win against rival Highland Park that helped the Warriors earn a share of the Central Suburban North title.
Also overlooked somewhat in Dumo’s season, he was in a new position. He primarily played in the outfield coming up the ranks, but his future college program, Davenport, needed help at the corner infield positions.
So Dumo approached Januszewski before the season to see whether the defensive transition could occur a year early.
“Even when I wasn’t hitting great early, focusing on playing a solid first base was important,” Dumo said. “It was another reason not to bring my hitting out into the field.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.