Miller, Prospect able to savor their moment in the sun

JOLIET — This was Kevin Miller’s moment in the sun Saturday afternoon.

The Prospect senior was rewarded for his hard work with a start in right field in a 2-1 Class 4A third-place game victory over Mt. Carmel.

And moments after Jack Landwehr threw his first pitch, the ball off Chris Sujka’s bat was headed toward Miller. A nice way to get rid of any jitters or nerves.

Until the ball headed right into the midday sun that briefly appeared at Silver Cross Field at absolutely the worst time for Miller.

“I looked up and waited until it came down but I couldn’t locate it in time,” Miller said.

By the time Miller tracked down the ball near the fence and got it back to the infield the speedy Sujka was on third base with a triple.

“With the next batter, if he hit the ball to me, I was going to do my best to fire it home and chuck him out,” Miller said.

Jerry Houston obliged with a medium-depth flyball as the Indiana-bound Sujka tagged up at third base. Even though Miller hadn’t played right field in three weeks, he did everything fundamentally right by getting forward momentum as he caught the ball near his throwing hand, as he’d been taught by sophomore coach Tim Miller.

Kevin Miller’s one-hop throw to Kurt Donner was perfect. The play wasn’t even that close.

And it was pretty big considering it helped the Knights to their fourth 1-run win since they beat Palatine for the Mid-Suburban League title.

“That’s something he definitely deserved,” said Prospect senior Brian Bauer, a teammate of Miller, Matt Molini and Ben Menich since they were 10 years old. “It was really tough for him to sit back and obviously he wanted to play.

“For him to get out in this type of environment and make a huge play that really contributed to the game, it was great to see it.”

Miller saw a lot of playing time early and Prospect coach Ross Giusti called him “an integral part of our team all year.” But late in the year, junior Shane Joyce got on a roll at the plate and stayed in the lineup.

“It was hard but he got hot and I knew going in he was going to start,” Miller said. “I supported him and did everything I could to help him.”

Miller could have pouted and become a problem. But he had other ideas, along with senior reserves Dan Panicko and Brad Coffman.

“We still supported everyone and picked everyone up,” Miller said. “We did everything we could to win the game.”

Some teams have the talent to win despite their issues or problems. Prospect won its first state baseball trophy and matched the school record of 27 victories because of its ability to avoid such drama.

“They complemented each other all year,” said Giusti, who thanked the school and fans for their support all year. “There were no egos and no selfish individuals concerned about their stats. There were no complications whatsoever on or off the field.

“The kids acted professionally and played their hearts out all year long. They took it upon themselves to get the job done.”

It was leadoff man Luke Bergman hitting a big homer or Matt Molini getting hit by a pitch and both making big plays up the middle. It was Peter Bonahoom getting a big hit or Landwehr almost always doing something big.

It was Bauer coming through in the clutch or Donner providing rock-solid play behind the plate. It was junior Brad Gerdes suddenly turning on the power in the postseason and senior Steve Dazzo playing solid defense in left field and coming through with a crucial sectional-final relief effort.

It was Joyce solidifying the bottom of the order and senior Ben Menich stepping up on the mound.

“Everyone bonded and everyone came together and formed a really unique team,” said Bauer, who is planning to study biochemistry at Wisconsin but is still considering possible baseball options. “One I’m sure there are very few of in the state. Nothing could bring us apart.”

Miller helped make sure they were winners together one more time.

“It felt great,” said Miller, who is going to play at Harper. “To just get an actual chance to get out there in my last game with all the seniors, it felt good playing with them one last time.”

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com