Sizzling finale for Vernon Hills' Marras

To liven up his hamburgers, Vernon Hills senior Chris Marras mixes some taco seasoning into the ground beef before he throws them onto the grill.

Then, he'll top the burgers with cheese and salsa.

Taco burgers!

“I love working the grill,” Marras said. “I make burgers, brats, hot dogs. I love cooking. My mom used to make homemade meals all the time when I was younger and I've picked up a lot of tips from her. I like to cook whenever I have time.”

Cooking is a pastime for Marras, whose primary passion in life happens to be America's pastime.

Marras has been playing baseball for as long as he can remember, behind the dish (cooking pun intended), no less.

He became enamored with being a catcher when he was 9 years old and a black and orange catcher's mitt caught his eye.

“It just intrigued me,” Marras said. “It really sparked an interest.”

Marras has been a catcher ever since, and a good one, too.

He made the varsity at Vernon Hills as a freshman and earned the right to start his very first game. Since then, he's earned three all-North Suburban Conference selections and a spot on the prestigious Illinois High School Coaches Association all-area team this spring.

Marras, who has led Vernon Hills to 100 wins in his four years and will be playing at Butler next year, has also been named the honorary captain of the Daily Herald's 2012 Lake County All-Area Baseball Team.

“I don't know how many wins we would have gotten over the last four years without Chris,” said Vernon Hills coach Jay Czarnecki, whose team went 30-9 and advanced to the Class 3A sectional final at Grayslake Central last week. “He's just a very special player. Let's put it this way, if I were starting a new program at a college, I can't think of another player I have coached or coached against that I would want to build that program around. Chris would be that guy. He's one of the best players to ever come through our program.”

Marras was a leader at the plate as well as behind it.

His .451 batting average, 41 hits and 32 RBI led the team. And his home run last year against Grayslake Central in the regional finals will go down as one of the most exhilarating moments in team history.

“We were down 7-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning and there were two guys on with two outs. I came up against one of my best buddies from my travel team (Grayslake Central pitcher Mark Ash) and I hit a 3-run homer to put us up 8-7. We ended up winning the game,” Marras said. “That felt so great. I was jumping up and down like a school kid.

“I'll always remember that.”

Likewise, opposing base runners won't soon forget how tough it was to run on Marras. Over the last two years, he perfected the art of throwing from the knees, which gave him more time to fire throws to his infielders for pick-offs.

Marras picked off more than a dozen base runners this season.

“You need a lot of arm strength and the proper mechanics,” Marras said. “I worked really hard at getting the technique down and I probably picked off more than twice as many guys as I did last year. It was a big improvement.”

Marras has steadily improved since his freshman year. And he wasn't too shabby then.

“I was pretty good at receiving the ball and blocking the ball, even as a freshman,” Marras said. “I didn't really call pitches then, but I've learned how to do that. I also didn't hit the ball as well when I was a freshman, but I got better at that and have kept improving.”

It hasn't been by accident. Marras says he's spent a lot of time in the weight room and in the cages during the off-season.

“I think getting to play varsity as a freshman was so key for me,” Marras said. “It kind of really set my career because it (set the bar high) and it made me want to get better and better. I just kept working and working.”

Sounds like the perfect recipe for success.