Being a catcher, senior Viviana Chavez spends a great deal of time at practice standing near St. Laurence coach Teagan Walsh.
It isn’t idle time, to be sure.
“What we see on the field, we imagine it happening during a game and what we can fix about it,” Chavez said. “We talk about different adjustments on the field we can make in game situations.”
It gets pretty deep.
“Yeah,” Chavez said, breaking into a smile. “We do a lot of talking and we do a lot of reps, too.”
Chavez made all the right moves Thursday for the host Vikings in a 7-5 GCAC Red victory over Mother McAuley in Burbank.
Vanessa Kates had a huge day with a single, double and home run for St. Laurence (7-2, 1-0). Cloe Villa also hit a home run, while Hannah Marusarz added two hits and senior right-hander Maddie Misch struck out eight.
Chloe Jacklin hit a home run for Mother McAuley (4-5, 2-2). Kayla Syring, Molly Racz and Makenna Juarez each contributed two hits.
It was a productive day, however, for Chavez. She had two singles, a walk and a sacrifice bunt for the Vikings. She’s hitting .375 this season with six walks and eight RBIs.
Her impact on the team goes beyond numbers.
“I’m glad to have her next to me on the field,” Walsh said. “It’s always a different connection at practice when you’re standing next to the catcher and running infield.
“She becomes your eyes and ears because she is seeing the same things you are. Viviana has a really good read on her teammates and what their capabilities are. She has a great softball IQ. She also has a really good sense of the strike zone and what works with pitchers.”
Misch and Chavez have another bond besides being the Vikings’ No. 1 pitcher and catcher. Both take International Baccalaureate classes at St. Laurence.
Smart kids definitely think alike.
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Chavez said all the right words to Misch when McAuley applied some heat in the top of the sixth inning. The Mighty Macs had already scored twice and had two runners on with one out when Misch got two straight batters on called third strikes.
In the top of the seventh, McAuley had the bases loaded with two outs when Misch came up huge again with a game-ending strikeout.
The focus was there.
“Viviana is great at keeping me in the game and locked in,” Misch said. “Behind the plate she’s great. I don’t think one ball went past her this entire game and I was throwing drop balls.
“I trust her with everything I throw. I know if I’m throwing a rise, she’s going to have it. I have full trust in her.”
Chavez started last season sharing the catching duties with senior Angelina Elias. It wasn’t until late April that Chavez became an everyday starter.
It was quite a surprise one day to find out she was to start in right field.
“The outfield is my secondary position, so going into it wasn’t the biggest deal,” Chavez said. “But I had been switching off catching every other game with Angelina and I thought it wouldn’t be my turn to play.”
After that, it was always her turn to play.
From May through the end of the season, Chavez hit .312 with a .406 on-base percentage as the Vikings finished fourth in the state in Class 3A.
“Her bat got so hot I couldn’t take her out of the lineup,” Walsh said. “She found her way onto the field because she was so valuable as a hitter. And she is such a versatile player.
“She goes anywhere you ask her to and she gives all of her effort.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.