Lincoln-Way West senior Reese Forsythe has worked hard to earn her status as one of the state’s best catchers.
It wasn’t easy. She was an outfielder entering high school. Going behind the plate brought challenges.
“I really struggled with blocking,” Forsythe said. “And I was afraid of the ball.”
More Top Picks Best Laptops For Online Classes
Afraid of the ball?
“I was just so little,” Forsythe said.
She was a true Warrior during Monday’s 5-4 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory over visiting Homewood-Flossmoor in eight innings in New Lenox.
Forsythe finished 2-for-3 and hit a home run for Lincoln-Way West (10-3, 1-0). Molly Finn added a pair of doubles, while Kasey Cusack bunted home the winning run. St. Xavier-bound pitcher Abby Brueggmann, a senior right-hander, struck out 10.
Izzy Thurman doubled and homered for H-F (4-3, 0-1). Taylor Purchas contributed a double, while Thurman also pitched and struck out seven.
Forsythe, meanwhile, conquered her blocking problems by spending myriad hours in the driveway with her brother Lucas. As for being so little …
“I hit the gym pretty often,” Forsythe said. “I like to work on back and biceps.”
Brueggmann has noticed the difference.
“Yeah, she works out a lot — and talks about it a lot,” Brueggmann said, laughing. “She’s always saying I need to hit the gym.”
Forsythe, a St. Ambrose recruit, brings the power — and more — batting for Lincoln-Way West coach Heather Novak out of the leadoff spot.
For the season, Forsythe is hitting .413 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and 17 RBIs. She has scored 17 runs to go with eight stolen bases.
“it’s very different from hitting second,” Forsythe said. “I just need to do my job and get on base. I’m just trying to get ahead in everything. I need to step up and be a senior leader.”
On April 2, Forsythe hit for the cycle in an 11-1 win over Lockport in the championship game of the WJOL Tournament. On Monday, her two-run homer in the second inning against H-F erased a 3-2 deficit.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever had anyone hit for the cycle,” Novak said. “That’s just kind of a neat, fun fact. But most important is her going out there and having those good at-bats.
“Even on some of her outs, she’s hitting the ball hard and seeing the ball well. She adjusts well to the different type of pitching we’ve seen.”
Forsythe’s catcher-pitcher partnership with Brueggmann is already in its third season.
“It’s been great,” Brueggmann said. “We have a really good bond. We work together a lot. She catches my bullpens in the offseason, so we’re very close.”
Forsythe does more than just pull in errant pitches and provide run support for Brueggmann, though.
More Top Picks Best Label Makers For Classrooms
Monday’s game started out rocky for the Warriors as H-F struck for three runs in the top of the first. When the inning ended, Forsythe was one of the first to approach Brueggmann.
A cure came with a simple pat on the back.
“She just said, ‘Hey, you’ve got this,'” Brueggman said. “It made me realize that I just needed to forget about it, move on and know that my teammates still care about me.”
Brueggmann went on to throw two-hit ball the rest of the way. Another clear-cut case of critical catcher comfort.
“Reese just makes me calm,” Brueggmann said. “Just her presence out there makes me feel supported on every pitch. She always has my back and never gets mad when I make a mistake.
“I’m just comfortable pitching with her. In college, I’m going to have to meet a new catcher. I’m looking forward to it, but I’ll also be sad.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.