‘Sky is the limit' for Waubonsie Valley's Owen Roberts, the 2025 Naperville Sun Baseball Player of the Year

Chicago Tribune

6 hours ago

Waubonsie Valley's Owen Roberts proved he's a big-game pitcher once again during his senior season.
The Indiana State commit did it by treating each pitch the same way.
'I think it's just going out there and just being competitive every pitch, just taking it one pitch at a time, having the mentality that nobody is going to beat me,' Roberts said.
Hardly anyone did. Roberts, the 2025 Naperville Sun Baseball Player of the Year, was as close to a sure thing as there is in high school baseball, and everyone knew it.
The player of the year for the second straight season, Roberts went 8-2 with a 0.49 ERA for the Warriors (23-13), who won their first sectional title since 2005. He struck out 92 and walked just 16 in 72 innings.
'What he did on the mound last year was special,' Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo said. 'I was like, 'I don't know if he can do it again,' and he was even better this year on the mound.'
Waubonsie Valley sophomore catcher Shane Torres, a rising star known for his handling of pitchers, said it was fun to work with Roberts, who increased the velocity of his fastball by several miles per hour and throws in the high 80s to low 90s.
'When I'm catching him, I kind of have to focus a little bit more, obviously, because the higher velo sometimes gets you,' Torres said. 'But other than that, it's like catching any other guy — except he'll shut the other team down pretty much every single time.
'He had an amazing year last year, so it was kind of just get the momentum going from last year to this season, and he did a pretty good job doing that. He had a spectacular year.'
Roberts, who was also the DuPage Valley Conference's co-pitcher of the year, said Indiana State intends to use him as a two-way player. It's easy to understand why considering what he did at the plate and at shortstop for Waubonsie Valley. Batting second in the lineup, he hit .367 with two home runs, 19 RBIs and 32 runs scored.
'He's probably the most competitive kid I've been around,' Acevedo said. 'He just competes, and that's his edge.'
Roberts actually had to make more adjustments as a hitter than as a pitcher.
'At the plate, I was definitely seeing a lot more off-speed,' Roberts said. 'They were attacking me off-speed early, so it was definitely a challenge because I had to think more in the box a little bit. But I think I was up for the task.'
On the mound, Roberts had been a relative unknown before his junior season. But hitters weren't able to adjust to him this season.
'I just focused on gaining velo and just kept throwing strikes because that's all you basically need, and trusting your defense,' Roberts said. 'The velo happened with just putting on weight, training in the offseason, and I just kept pumping the gas.'
Indeed, Roberts did it without losing any accuracy.
'Most guys, they'll have the velocity but don't have the command,' Torres said. 'But every single day we can count on Owen to throw strikes.'
That's something other pitchers try to emulate. Among them is Seth Gilliland, who will play at NCAA Division III national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater after finishing his high school career with a strong performance in Waubonsie Valley's 2-0 loss to Normal Community in the Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional.
'In the beginning of the year, I was in a little bit of a protect mode and nervous about pitching,' Gilliland said. 'But I've learned from him that it's just about attacking the zone and getting your stuff in. Just let the guys hit it. They need to earn it, and that's what I've learned from him.'
Gilliland also praised the leadership of Roberts, whose example helped the entire pitching staff.
'He's definitely a nonverbal leader,' Gilliland said. 'Whether it's a bad day or a good day, he's gonna go out there and he's gonna try his best. So I definitely think he's a big role model.'
Acevedo said Roberts will be missed.
'He's a big piece of why we've had the success in the last two years, for sure,' Acevedo said. 'If he keeps progressing the way he has here over the last couple years, the sky is the limit for him. I'm excited to see what he does.'
Whatever it is, Roberts won't forget his time at Waubonsie Valley.
'I owe so much to the school,' he said. 'I'm so thankful for all the coaches, all the teammates, just everyone. I couldn't thank them enough and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.'