Benet pitcher Bryan Roberts brings the heat
Bryan Roberts learned from the best.
Now he's one of them.
The top-rated sophomore baseball player in Illinois two years ago, the Benet senior grew up before the curious eyes of a statewide audience. Along the way he endured triumph and tragedy, dominance and disappointment.
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Through it all -- and under the guidance of high-caliber elder teammates -- he remained an elite talent at two different positions. He developed into a team leader with impeccable character.
With little experience around him this season, Roberts carried the Redwings through another successful campaign with a season-long pitching performance rivaled by few other area players in the past many years.
The hard-throwing right-hander went unbeaten in one of the state's toughest conferences, the East Suburban Catholic. A consistent upper-80 mph fastball and knee-buckling curve helped Roberts to a blistering 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Capping a stunning season on the mound and a solid year at the plate, Roberts is the 2008 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area baseball captain.
"You can talk about the numbers all you want," said Benet coach Jeff Bonebrake, "but there isn't a better quality kid out there."
Roberts won eight straight decisions this season while compiling a 9-2 record. In 70¿ innings he struck out 133 batters, walked only 16, scattered 37 hits and posted a 0.79 ERA. Seven times he notched double-digit strikeouts, including a season-high 17 against Notre Dame.
Not bad for a guy who began his high school career as a catcher.
"I like to attack hitters," he said. "Just give them my best stuff. I've always been a competitor like that."
A learning experience
In many of this year's 37 games Roberts was the lone senior on the field for Benet.
A born leader, he leaned on his past to help the Redwings develop into a cohesive unit.
"I didn't really know anyone last year and he really helped me out," said Redwings junior first baseman Pat Gelwicks, a varsity player as a sophomore. "And that's what he's doing this year with all the younger players. He's taking care of all of us."
This season's experience stood in contrast from two years ago when he was the lone sophomore on a Benet team loaded with senior leaders like Connor Powers, the 2006 All-Area Captain who now plays at Mississippi State, and Chris Pack, who's playing at Villanova.
Instead of lingering in awe of the talent around him, Roberts quietly soaked in the nuances of his surroundings. The seniors accepted the youngster as one of his own, something he cherishes to this day.
"My sophomore year the seniors were awesome," Roberts said. "They really took me under their wing. Pack, Powers, (Pat) New #8230; all those guys helped me with my pitching, hitting and everything. I just followed in their footsteps."
Still, the pressure of the expectations couldn't be ignored.
A freshman transfer from Lisle High School, eligibility rules prohibited Roberts from playing that spring. With abundant bottled-up ability he sat on the varsity bench and began acclimating himself to a new school, a new program and new teammates.
Before long the legend of Bryan Roberts grew. The Prep Baseball Report named Roberts the state's best sophomore two years ago, a label that stayed with him.
"It was a lot of pressure," he said. "I was ranked before I ever played a high school game."
Roberts' personal pressures also grew.
In the fall of his sophomore year, his father died of pancreatic cancer. At the same time his brother was serving an Army tour of duty in Iraq.
Blocking out as much as he could and leaning on the support of friends and family, Roberts persevered and helped the Redwings to a 30-8 record and a regional title. Catching one of the area's top pitching staffs, he made a seamless and successful transition to varsity baseball.
"That was a tough, tough year for him," Bonebrake said. "It matured him and it helped him put baseball in perspective a little bit."
In the next year his baseball perspective would drift into much sharper focus.
The transition
In his junior season Roberts' responsibilities multiplied as he continued to learn from senior mentors like Mick Doyle, now at Notre Dame, and Dillon O'Neill, who plays at Harvard.
When ace Bryce Hrovat went down with an injury, Roberts stepped into that role while continuing to catch the games he didn't pitch.
The grind of playing both positions wasn't easy, and it took a toll. Although he remained one of the state's top defensive catchers, a decision was made to shift Roberts into pitcher-only mode.
By the end of the season, Roberts dominated. He led the team with 7 wins and finished among area leaders with 88 strikeouts.
Roberts already understood pitching from a catcher's standpoint. Bringing that point of view to the mound expanded his knowledge and allowed him to start calling his own pitches.
Colleges recognized his talent -- as a pitcher and catcher -- thanks to an off-season that included hitting 92 mph at a Georgia showcase. After narrowing his scholarship offers, he signed with the University of Illinois.
"He's one of the most mature kids I've been around," said Benet pitching coach Jim Fornaciari, an area high school coach for the last 20 years. "He's like another coach."
It all came together this senior season as Roberts went toe-to-toe with the state's best teams.
He threw a 4-hitter with 15 strikeouts against New Trier, a 2-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts against Joliet Catholic, a 3-hitter against Carmel, pitched 4 strong innings against Brother Rice and saved his best for a 14-strikeout regional title game performance against Wheaton Warrenville South.
A commanding, businesslike presence powers Roberts on the mound. The key word is command -- in seven games he walked no one.
"There have been some great pitchers around here, but this is a whole different deal," Fornaciari said. "We've seen guys throw hard, but not with the amount of strikes that he does."
As much as opponents dreaded facing Roberts, they loved watching him work. That included at the plate, where Roberts anchored the lineup from the No. 3 spot by batting .404 with 4 home runs, 20 extra-base hits and 27 RBI.
"He improved more from his junior year to his senior year than just about any player I've seen in high school, and you don't mind losing to a pitcher like that," said Carmel coach Chuck Gandolfi. "Benet's a very successful program, and he exemplifies that. When he's on the mound they can beat anyone."
Unfortunately for Benet, Roberts finally did lose to Lockport in last week's Class 4A Neuqua Valley sectional semifinals.
After the loss the bulk of the young Redwings players recognized the bright future lying ahead, but they also realized what they'd be losing from this graduating class. They'd lose Roberts, one of the best players to ever come through the program.
"He's the best pitcher I've ever seen," Gelwicks said. "Just his presence on the mound, you can feel it before a game. Everyone's ready to play."
From the moment he first walked into the dugout as a shy freshman brimming with potential, Roberts was ready to play ball for the Redwings.
With his high school career now complete he leaves behind a lasting legacy that more than lived up to the hype of the last three years.
"I feel like I've had to grow a lot in the last few years," Roberts said. "But I'm pretty pleased with how everything turned out."
Daily Herald DuPage All-Area Baseball Captains
bull; 1989 -- Erin Dwyer, Glenbard North
bull; 1990 -- Clint Jensen, Naperville Central
bull; 1991 -- Mark Odzga, Waubonsie Valley
bull; 1992 -- Brett Lauvrick, Naperville Central
bull; 1993 -- Justin Pierro, Benet
bull; 1994 -- Jerry Hairston, Naperville North
bull; 1995 -- Jody Gerut, Willowbrook
bull; 1996 -- Scott Schmid, York
bull; 1997 -- Russ Bayer, Naperville North
bull; 1998 -- Russ Bayer, Naperville North
bull; 1999 -- Craig Lechowicz, Downers South
bull; 2000 -- Mike Kelly, Waubonsie Valley
bull; 2001 -- Dan Walsh, Neuqua Valley
bull; 2002 -- Sam Shorts, Glenbard East
bull; 2003 -- Kyle O'Brien, Glenbard East
bull; 2004 -- Mike Bowden, Waubonsie Valley
bull; 2005 -- Mike Bowden, Waubonsie Valley
bull; 2006 -- Connor Powers, Benet
bull; 2007 -- Pete Cappetta, Montini