An injury late in the regular season meant Oswego junior Chase Gerwig had to move from playing center field to taking over at the premium infield position of shortstop.
He just grabbed his glove and went to work, which pretty much sums up how the Panthers approached their deepest run in the state baseball playoffs since 2009.
“I hadn’t played there since I was really young,” Gerwig said. “Then about three or four games to play, all of a sudden we didn’t have a shortstop and they needed me there.”
Gerwig also filled another need Saturday at the plate by delivering RBI hits that generated go-ahead runs against Southwest Prairie Conference rival Plainfield North.
While Gerwig had all the makings of a late game hero in the Class 4A Romeoville Sectional final, the Tigers ended up pulling out a 7-6 victory in 11 innings.
In Thursday’s 3-2 victory over Downers Grove South, Gerwig also had the timely hit for Oswego (18-14), which was seeking only the second sectional title in program history.
The 10th-seeded Panthers matched York as the lowest seed to reach a sectional final.
“We never played individually and we just fought for each other,” Gerwig said. “We know we can beat anybody when we play well.”
Gerwig helped the Panthers recover from a 4-0 deficit in the second inning with his smooth and expert fielding.
Then, his RBI in the sixth inning put the Panthers up 5-4. His opposite-field single gave Oswego a 6-5 lead in the top of the 10th.
“I was just trying to put the ball in play in both cases,” Gerwig said. “There were two outs and I had two strikes against me. I didn’t want to strike out.”
After the season was canceled two years ago due to the pandemic, the Panthers regrouped last spring to win the Southwest Prairie.
The emergence of juniors in Gerwig and catcher Tyler Stack helped mitigate significant graduation losses, according to senior outfielder Joel Johnson.
“The juniors coming up had a lot to grow into for the seniors who graduated,” Johnson said. “From the start of the season, this team just fought the whole way.
“I think there was just one game where we didn’t play to the end. That created a great atmosphere.”
The Panthers won the conference series against Plainfield North, taking two out of three games, including an 8-7 comeback victory that featured seven runs in the seventh.
Saturday’s early deficit did not phase them.
“I think since the beginning of the year, the odds have been against us,” Stack said. “We always dig deep and we proved we could play with anybody.
“Even when we got down, we were telling each other the game is never over. We have been a battling group the whole season.”
Upending the status quo has been Oswego’s signature achievement since the start of the playoffs.
“We played a lot of these teams during the regular season, and it’s important to leave things in the past,” Stack said. “Every playoff game is a new one.”
Oswego opened with a 2-0 upset of host Waubonsie Valley in the regional semifinals. The Panthers also stunned second-seeded Naperville Central in the regional final.
Stack, Johnson and junior first baseman Cade Duffin added RBI singles in Saturday’s comeback.
“We just played our hearts out,” Stack said. “It shows the character of our team.
“Regardless of who we’re playing, we go out and battle, day in and day out. We always have the same mindset we can hang and play with these teams.”
Most impressively, the Panthers did not lament leaving eight runners on base in the final three innings or not protecting the lead in the 10th inning.
“It didn’t end our way, but this was a great group of guys who really bonded together,” Stack said. “We thrived off each other’s success.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.