a day ago
Libertyville sophomore Brady Buenik already throws 95 mph. He has ‘moxie.' But he's tested in sectional final.
Libertyville's Brady Buenik is in that select company of high school pitchers who can throw a 95 mph fastball.
Almost as important for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore right-hander are the lessons he's learning as he reaches deeper to navigate high-pressure situations, like the one he faced in the Class 4A Stevenson Sectional championship game on Saturday.
'The adrenaline was going pretty quickly, but I think I did a pretty good job of calming down and trying to think that it's any other game,' Buenik said. 'I wasn't 100% me today, but it was a good learning experience.'
But Buenik was good enough to earn the win. He pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief in the second-seeded Wildcats' 5-4 victory against eighth-seeded Lake Zurich in Lincolnshire.
An effective bridge between junior starter Chase Lockwood and senior closer Zach Seiler, Buenik (5-0) allowed two hits, walked five, hit one and struck out three as Libertyville (33-4) won its first sectional title since 2013 to advance to the Schaumburg Supersectional against Maine South (23-16) at Wintrust Field at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Libertyville senior catcher Quinn Schambow, an Oklahoma State recruit, looks at Buenik's refusal to back down as a key factor in his success. Buenik struck out senior slugger Owen Strahl to end the sixth inning.
'He was throwing balls past guys, and it was pretty cool to see him get fired up on the strikeout,' Schambow said. 'That shows how competitive he is, and that's what you need to be a ballplayer — that confidence and moxie and swagger. If you don't have that, good luck. That's one of the things that makes him special.'
Buenik started four games this season, his first at the varsity level. Among those, he pitched five strong innings during the Wildcats' 2-1 win against Valley Christian, a team from Chandler, Arizona, that didn't lose the rest of the season en route to a state title.
'Having that under his belt really built his confidence,' Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. 'Going into the seventh (against Lake Zurich), he said, 'Coach, I'm finishing this game.' I agreed with him and said, 'Let's start with the first batter and go from there.''
Buenik entered the game against the Bears (26-12) with a 2-1 lead — which Schambow gave the Wildcats with a two-run double in the third inning — after Lockwood pitched the first three frames.
A three-run fifth gave the Wildcats insurance runs they needed. Schambow's sacrifice fly made it 3-1, and senior first baseman Joshua Holst, an Air Force commit, followed with a two-run homer.
The first batter to face Buenik in the top of the seventh grounded to third. But a four-batter stretch with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, an infield error and another walk ended his day.
Lake Zurich sophomore third baseman Alex Toth coaxed a walk from Seiler to make it 5-3. But Seiler struck out sophomore leadoff hitter Carson Hamblin and Strahl with the bases loaded sandwiched around plunking senior outfielder Cash Kaczmarek.
'I've been there before, and I feel comfortable getting the call to be in those situations,' Seiler said. 'I understand it's a big moment for me, but it's a big moment for them, too, and when I follow Brady, it's different for the hitter. It's nice to know that they're already off balance before I throw my first pitch.'
Seiler was referring to Buenik's fastball, which has helped him produce a 1.24 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 34 strikeouts against 11 walks in 28 1/3 innings. Strikeouts have always loomed large for Buenik, but this is the first season in which his fastball hasn't been able to do all the heavy lifting by itself.
'A little bit earlier in the year, there were signs of guys catching up to it, especially in the later innings because velocity might drop a bit,' he said. 'No one was absolutely crushing it, but I've learned that you've got to mix a lot more. Anyone can catch up to a fastball, but if you execute your pitches, things will go your way.'
Not everything went Buenik's way on Saturday, but that will be good for him in the long run, according to Schambow.
'He needed that for himself because not every time you step on the mound are you going to have a perfect outing where you don't walk anyone or give up any hits,' Schambow said. 'He's matured a lot as the season has gone on, and as you can see today, the pressure didn't get to him.'
