Bryce Nevils was a pretty good No. 3 hitter for Brother Rice.
So good, in fact, that the senior right fielder/catcher got moved up to the leadoff spot a few weeks ago. It’s one of coach Sean McBride’s favorite spots for a versatile hitter.
“He’s a power hitter and he’s really dynamic on the bases,” McBride said of Nevils. “A few years ago, I went to the strategy that I never wanted to end a game with my best guys waiting in the on-deck circle.
“I want to give him the most at-bats I possibly can just because he is so electric.”
There was electricity in Nevils’ bat and on the base paths in the fifth inning Friday.
The Western Kentucky recruit drilled a two-run single and used his speed to beat a fielder’s choice at the plate for the winning run in a 4-3 nonconference victory over Oak Lawn.
Trent Guzek and Aiden O’Hara combined for the win for Brother Rice (16-11). O’Hara escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh, inducing a fly out to end the game.
KJ Mallo paced Oak Lawn (11-11) with two hits. Senior right-hander Cristian Ruiz struck out five and held the Crusaders to four hits.
Nevils, meanwhile, leads Brother Rice with 11 doubles, four home runs and a .354 batting average. He also has 30 runs, 16 walks, 13 stolen bases and 26 RBIs.
“I set the tempo for everybody,” Nevils said. “It’s me, Amir (Gray) and Randall (Nauden) back-to-back-to-back, and that just sets us up for the big dogs to eat.”
The dogs weren’t eating as much Friday. Runs and hits weren’t easy to come by for the host Crusaders in Chicago.
It came a day after Brother Rice trailed St. Rita 9-6 before erupting for an 18-12 victory. The Crusaders had to scratch back Friday in erasing a 2-0 deficit to Oak Lawn.
“These two games were amazing, and that’s just setting us up for the playoffs,” Nevils said. “It’s our job to finish.”
Nevils said the season is going as planned — get ready for May and get on a roll to make a deep run in the playoffs.
It’s not the same type of season as Crusaders enjoyed last spring, when they finished with a 36-6 record and took third place in the state in Class 4A.
This season has been like a ride at Great America with impressive wins and some losses they would like to forget, according to Gavin Triezenberg.
“It’s been a roller coaster, but we’re looking to go up,” said Triezenberg, who drove in five runs Thursday against St. Rita.
The Spartans, who at one point had an 11-5 record, are struggling through a six-game losing streak. Four of the losses were by one or two runs.
“This is tough,” Oak Lawn coach William Gerny said. “This is one of the toughest streaks we’ve had since I’ve been here.
“We’ll get it turned around. We just have to keep believing in the process, even though that sounds cliche. We got here for a reason. We have to keep our heads up and keep working hard.”
The Crusaders were in the fourth day of a stretch with five games in five days, so Nevils moved from his spot in right field to behind the plate for a start to give Nauden a rest.
Nevils knows his future is in the outfield, but he gets a kick out of catching when he can.
“The responsibility is to keep the pitchers in check,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys and we want them to all feel the love.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.