Take-charge approach suits Libertyville's Govern

No one calls Jimmy Govern "the Governor."

But it wouldn't be a half-bad nickname for Libertyville's senior shortstop.

He can be as convincing as a slick politician when he wants to be.

Based on his talent, Govern earned the starting spot at shortstop as a sophomore, but he also kind of talked his way into it.

"I went into Coach (Jim) Schurr's office during my free period one day when I was a sophomore and I told him that I wanted to be his shortstop," Govern said. "I told him that I knew I could make a huge difference.

"I was so nervous and I probably stuttered a few times. But I had the guts to do it and I think it made a big difference."

Schurr was certainly impressed.

"He said that no one had ever said something like that to him," Govern said of Schurr. "He said it went a long way with him."

Since then, Schurr has seen Govern go the extra mile for him and the program, over and over again. He says that Govern, one of the best shortstops in Lake County this season and the shortstop who helped the Wildcats to the Class 4A state championship game two years ago, is one of the hardest workers he's ever had in his program.

"He's a coach's dream as a worker," Schurr said of Govern, who has committed only 2 errors this season and 24 over his three-year varsity career. "He's always asking me to leave the field open, even after a two-and-a-half hour practice. He'll go to Slammers at night after practice. He just has this internal motor to get better and he'll work on his own to do it."

Govern did the interview for this column from Slammers from about 9 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Wednesday night. When I told him that I hoped he wasn't holding anyone up, he said that the people at Slammers are used to his late hours there.

In fact, they've even started letting him lock up the place.

"I'll be there by myself sometimes and I love it," Govern said. "I just love working on things there. There's this catching net at Slammers where you can throw the ball into it and it will bounce it back to you and you can practice fielding grounders and turning double plays on it.

"Everyone calls it the 'Jimmy Govern 3000' now, because I'm there all the time using that thing, day and night."

Govern is also a habitual late-night gym rat. It would seem that "Anytime Fitness" in Libertyville, a gym that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, was created for someone just like him.

"I love going there, because I can work out any time I want. I go there before school, after school, late at night," Govern said. "I've put on about 20 pounds (of muscle) since my sophomore year and it's because I've been lifting a lot. It's really paid off."

Govern also runs sprints at the youth football fields near his house.

Like some politicians, he just won't stop.

"It's a work ethic that my Mom (Carla) and Dad (Tim) instilled in me," Govern said. "Ever since I was a little kid, my Dad would tell me, 'By the sweat of your brow, you earn your bread.' It's a Bible verse and it's really stayed with me.

"To get to where you want, you've got to put a lot into it."

Not that Govern minds the work, though. To him, staying late after practice, keeping long hours at Slammers, waking early to go to his 24-hour gym or sprinting the football fields feels like anything but work.

"Some of my friends will be like, 'How do you do that? How do you practice and work out so much? It's fun to be honest," Govern said. "I just enjoy it. I think that's what separates me. I will go the extra mile and I like doing it."

Govern admits, however, that sometimes his thoroughness isn't always healthy.

When he was a sophomore, he missed on a play in the state championship game and had a hard time letting go.

"It was tied in the sixth and there was a ground ball hit to my right side and I thought I got it, but at the last second it took this hop over my glove and a guy scored from second," Govern said of the 2-1 game that Libertyville lost to Mt. Carmel. "I was so upset. I wanted that play back so bad. I probably watched it more than a hundred times.

"Then I went to Slammers and worked on it a hundred times."

I asked Govern if it is possible to work on changing a bad hop. (Of course, it's not.) He laughed.

"Well, I wish I could have bodied it up or gotten in front of it more or something," Govern said. "Mostly, I just wish I had another shot at making that play."

Govern says it's his dream to get another shot at the state championship game.

So far, he's been pretty good at turning dreams into reality. He says he dreamed of making varsity as a sophomore when he was a kid. It's also been a lifelong dream of his to play baseball in college.

Govern committed last year to Eastern Illinois. He says that one of the most alluring parts of the program there was the potential for him to play right away.

"I intend on earning that spot next year," Govern said.

Will Govern turn to previous tactics?

"If the situation calls for it, I'll definitely go in and talk to the coach about it," Govern said with a laugh.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

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