Oak Park-River Forest pitcher Hank Christie went on an outstanding postseason run last year, helping the Huskies to a third-place state finish in Class 4A.
There was the nine-inning, two-hit shutout Christie threw in a 4-0 sectional final win over Evanston, and then a scoreless inning and two-thirds in a relief appearance during a 7-5 supersectional win over Glenbard North.
Christie followed that with another brilliant, two-hit pitching performance in a 1-0 state semifinal loss to eventual state champion Providence.
“He was unhittable at the end of the year,” Huskies coach Chris Ledbetter said. “He started throwing his fastball in and his slider away, and it became almost comical how easy the game became for him.”
The Northwestern-bound senior had a rocky start to his junior year but gained command of his slider as the season progressed.
Once the state playoffs began, Christie found his groove. Athletes talk about being in “the zone,” and that’s where Christie found himself in last year’s sectional game against Evanston.
“I threw 10 innings and after the fifth, I felt totally in command,” Christie said. “I was extremely confident, all my nerves went away, and I was completely locked in. I truly felt like I was unhittable. I was excited to get back on the mound after our three outs when we were hitting. I just knew I wasn’t going to let up a run.”
Christie shared the team lead in wins (seven) and heading into the state semifinals last year, he had an ERA of 2.90, with 63 strikeouts in 67 innings.
With a fastball that reached the upper 80s last year and a slider that became all but unhittable, Christie returns to a Huskies team coming off a 30-8 season.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had playing a sport in my life,” Christie said. “We were as close of a team as you could be and had so much fun playing together.”
The Huskies graduated some key players from that team, but a senior-heavy club with high expectations returns for Ledbetter.
Memphis-bound outfielder Evan Bell batted .324 last year with 10 doubles, and second baseman Jeremy Gaines hit .349. Third baseman Dali Durazo returns after knocking in 20 runs last year, shortstop Andrew Hennings batted .314 with 17 RBIs, and first baseman Connor Nelson and outfielder/DH William Johnson were also prominent pieces in 2015.
Christie knows that opponents will be gunning for last year’s West Suburban Silver champs and state trophy winners, but the senior believes the Huskies are ready to take on all comers.
“There is definitely the weight of expectation. We’re expected to have a good season,” Christie said. “But we all bask in it. We love the idea that this year, we’re going to be even better than we were last year.”
And Christie will be in the thick of things.
“Hank wears his emotion on his sleeve. He’ll do that less and less as he gets older, but you can tell how competitive he is out there,” Ledbetter said. “He’s got an edge to him, and he’ll carry a big load for us.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
