Illiana Christian sophomore shortstop Hudson Post has been taking notes.
He has grown up watching his older brother, Tanner Post, a senior pitcher and first baseman for the Vikings, and the results show.
“He’s really shaped me as a player,” Hudson Post said. “I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s amazing. He’s shown me what it means to never give up. When I’m down, he picks me up. It’s been awesome playing with him.”
Coming off a freshman season derailed by a hamstring injury, Hudson Post has broken out for the Greater South Shore Conference champion Vikings (16-10, 8-0), who will play Hanover Central, ranked No. 8 in Class 3A in the state coaches poll, in the Lowell Sectional semifinals on May 30. He’s batting .327 with a .962 OPS, trailing only his brother in both categories, and he leads the team with three home runs.
“I’m super excited for him,” Tanner Post said. “I’m happy he’s doing what he’s doing. It means a lot to see. He’s doing really well, and he fits into the lineup real good too.
“I’m going to miss this next year. It’s been nice to have him behind me at shortstop while I’m on the mound.”
A Toledo commit, Tanner Post has reemerged as the two-way force who helped Illiana Christian win its second straight Class 2A state title as a freshman. He’s batting .397 with a career-high 1.137 OPS, 10 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs, and he hit his first career home run earlier this season. On the mound, he’s 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings and has held opponents to a .114 average.
Balancing the two roles isn’t simple.
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“It’s a lot, to be honest with you,” Tanner Post said. “I was going to the gym and doing my pitching stuff there, doing some things at home and making sure I got all my work in. I’d stay after practice for throwing or whatever I needed to do.
“And then a lot of mental work with both of those because sometimes I can’t get all the reps I want. So it’s a lot of visualization to make sure I’m getting everything in.”
Tanner Post hopes that approach carries him through his years at Toledo and maybe beyond.
“I’m planning to play as long as I can, whatever that looks like,” he said.
Before that, the Post brothers have unfinished business in their final postseason together at Illiana Christian. Hudson Post believes this group has what it takes to make another run.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys,” Hudson Post said. “We’ve got a bunch of talent that could get us back there. We’ve had a couple rough games, but after beating Hanover Central in extras, we know we can do it again.
“We’re not suffering from any lack of confidence. We’re going full at it. We’re all going 100% and making plays, and that’s what’s going to get us there.”
Tanner Post agrees.
“We can’t take any reps off,” he said. “We have to make sure we all stay accountable, keep the dugout loud and stay locked in for every pitch one through 21. It takes everybody. It’s not one person. It’s not the pitcher. It’s not your three hitter. It takes everyone.
“We keep going back to my freshman year. The 2023 and 2024 teams, they were all in.”
Shane Colvin, who is in his first season as Illiana Christian’s coach, said the Post brothers set the tone.
“They’re competitors,” Colvin said. “They buy in. They want the team to win, and they put the team above themselves. You have the typical older brother/younger brother dynamic, where the older brother helps instruct the younger one. But they also pick each other up. You can really see they jell.”
That’s true on and off the field, according to Hudson Post.
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“Our brotherhood is really strong,” he said. “We stick together, and if anything happens between us, we can talk through it. I can go to him for anything, even outside of baseball, and I know he’ll be there for me at all times.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.