Baseball: Mundelein's Murphy captains Lake County all-area team

The Arizona State baseball cap that Brendan Murphy has cherished for years barely fits anymore.

He got it in a youth size when he was about 10 years old.

"I have a lot of baseball hats and this one is the only one that I keep sitting out (in his bedroom)," Murphy said. "It kind of still fits. But it's very, very small."

Not that Murphy is overly concerned. He's about to get way more Arizona State baseball caps than he knows what to do with.

The Mundelein pitcher, who has been his team's ace the last two seasons, will be playing there soon. He committed to Arizona State ahead of his junior season, which is currently still in full swing. Murphy, one of the best left-handed pitchers in the state and the captain of the Daily Herald's all-area baseball team for Lake County, has guided the Mustangs to the Class 4A state finals in Joliet this weekend.

Getting to state has been a big goal of his, just like pitching at Arizona State was.

Murphy got that idea when his dad Kevin bought that youth-sized Arizona State baseball cap for him about seven years ago. The two had made a road trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series and happened to stumble upon an open practice for Arizona State, which was one of the participants.

"We met the players, they showed us all of their cool gear," Murphy said. "I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to play baseball at Arizona State someday.

"I think it's so ironic that I'm actually going to do that."

Murphy, who happens to have relatives in Arizona and has been there many times for family visits, put some feelers out to Arizona State a year ago. The coaches there showed up to watch him pitch in Mundelein's 2015 sectional championship game last spring.

"I guess they liked what they saw," Murphy said.

What's not to like?

Murphy is 6-foot-4 with a size 16 shoe and is still growing.

He's a lefty who can consistently throw fastballs 93 mph.

After going 8-1 last year as a sophomore with a 0.54 ERA and 94 strikeouts to 17 walks, Murphy followed with a 10-2 record this season. One of his proudest moments was guiding Mundelein to the Stevenson sectional championship last week. In that game against Warren, he had to get out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam.

In 63 innings pitched this season, Murphy, known for his poise and calm, has 102 strikeouts.

"He just steps up in tough situations," Mundelein coach Todd Parola said of Murphy. "Clearly, he's got the tools. But he also has great mound presence."

Maybe it's because the mound is like a second home to Murphy. He's been playing baseball since he was 4 years old, and he's almost always been a pitcher.

"Baseball is such a big part of my life," Murphy said. "It's just in my heart. I really love it."

Murphy and his dad have not only road-tripped to the College World Series, they have also made the rounds to major league cities. Massive Cubs fans, Murphy and his dad have traveled to Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Miami, St. Louis, Texas and Arizona to follow the Cubs.

"We have tons of Cubs stuff all over our basement, signed baseballs and hats and all that," Murphy said. "We are big Cub fans. We love the Cubs.

"I just grew up around that, and around baseball. It became a part of me, and who I am."

Having followed the big leagues as closely as he has over the years, Murphy has dreamed of playing at that level someday, too. He's hoping that dream will work out the way the Arizona State dream did.

It's likely he'll at least get an opportunity. It's expected that Murphy will be pitching in front of multiple pro scouts at all of his Mundelein games next spring.

"A lot of it depends on how I do this summer and fall," Murphy said. "I could have 15 or 20 scouts coming to each game next season, or there could be maybe five or just a couple.

"I keep telling my Mom (Amy) that I'm not going to go to college if I get drafted, just to get her mad. Actually, I plan on going to Arizona State unless I get the kind of money that would make me set for a while. It's just kind of cool to know that I could have that opportunity because of all the hard work I've put in."

• Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw