As Mundelein’s leadoff hitter, Michael Farina takes great pride in setting the table for the meat of the order.
The junior shortstop astutely assumed a much different role in a Class 4A Stevenson Sectional semifinal against Barrington on Wednesday, however — that of run producer.
“I had a rough first two at-bats,” Farina said. “I just had to stay confident in myself. If you’re not confident, you’re not going to deliver something big like that.”
How big?
Farina drove in the game’s only run to give right-hander Ryan Geraghty all the support he needed in second-seeded Mundelein’s 1-0 win against third-seeded Barrington in Lincolnshire.
Farina has been delivering all season for the Mustangs (26-5), who will play for their first sectional title since 2017 when they meet Fremd (17-13) at 10 a.m. Saturday. Fremd beat Warren 2-0 in the other semifinal.
Farina entered the game hitting .422 with a .527 on-base percentage. He had scored a team-high 40 runs in 30 games and was perfect in 11 stolen base attempts.
Against Barrington (25-8-2), he drilled a double down the left field line with one out in the bottom of the sixth to score pinch runner Michael Carlson. Danny Connelly had singled in the previous at-bat, setting the stage for Farina’s heroics.
Geraghty, a Wichita State recruit who struck out 15 while walking none in a complete game, had a message for his teammates after coming to the dugout in the middle of the sixth.
“I told everyone that if we scored one, I was going to get the ‘W’ for the boys,” he said. “In the playoffs, that is what you’ve got to do.”
Farina was up to the challenge, which didn’t surprise Geraghty.
Farina attended Stevenson for his first two years of high school, but he and Geraghty have been playing travel ball together since they were 12.
“This kid’s come through every single time we’ve needed him this year,” Geraghty said. “He’s so clutch, and he’s an incredible baseball player.”
Farina is someone Mundelein coach Randy Lerner learned to trust early in the season.
“He’s the pulse of our lineup, and when he goes, we go,” Lerner said. “He’s an athletic kid with good hands, both out at shortstop and in the batter’s box. He has a lot of energy, and one thing I know is that he’s going to give you a good at-bat.”
Farina’s plate discipline is evident in his nine strikeouts over 115 plate appearances. He did muscle up on one previous occasion, hitting a home run on the first pitch of a game against Lake Forest.
But Farina typically shortens his swing so others can move him along the base paths.
“As a leadoff hitter, all I have to do is get on base,” he said. “I don’t need to hit a home run or get those big hits. Usually it’s our 2-3-4 hitters driving me in. But today it was the other way around.”
It was particularly satisfying for Farina given the high stakes and the standing-room-only crowd at his old school.
“It felt great being back here and coming through in that big situation,” he said. “Someone needed to seize the opportunity to get a big hit, and I’m glad I was able to do that for my team.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.