Libertyville junior Ryan Wilberding has returned home.
In a way, Wilberding never really left, given his production at the plate over the past two years. But he played in the outfield as he waited for all-state catcher Quinn Schambow to graduate.
“I can’t wait to get back there,” Wilberding said. “Playing outfield was pretty new to me, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and it felt natural by sophomore year. It will help me overall because I can now play multiple positions. But I really love catching.”
Behind the plate is where Wilberding has remained on his travel team, and it’s where he expects to play at Marshall. But fans of the defending Class 4A state champion Wildcats (36-4) will get their first glimpse of him there.
Wilberding doesn’t feel any pressure succeeding the highly decorated Schambow, a freshman at Oklahoma State, largely because he’s confident in his skill set. He learned from Schambow too.
“He was such a leader on the field, and being able to watch how he behaved, his actions and his determination to get better was so helpful,” Wilberding said. “He showed me some catching mechanics pointers too — little things, like how to limit your movements in receiving pitches that help make sure you get to everything.”
Wilberding’s focus on seemingly minor details is one of many reasons his ceiling is so high.
“I’d say that I do have a really good arm, so my catch-and-throw ability has always been pretty solid,” he said. “But I’ve become a better defender than I used to be. That’s where I’ve put a lot of emphasis.”
Another important part of catching is handling a pitching staff, and Wilberding is working with serious talent this season. He has caught hard-throwing junior right-hander Brady Buenik, a Tennessee recruit, for years as they grew up, and working more closely with senior right-hander Chase Lockwood, an Illinois State recruit, also will benefit Wilberding.
Wilberding and Lockwood made a concerted effort to work out together as much as possible during the offseason, knowing their successful pairing would be one of the keys for the Wildcats this season. Lockwood has already seen enough to know they’ll have good chemistry, even to the extent that Wilberding will be trusted to call pitches.
“I’m one of those pitchers who would rather not think about calling the game, and him being so comfortable back there and able to do that is huge,” Lockwood said. “He’s uber-talented and has a super strong arm and can receive really well. We’ve really built our relationship, and I’m super lucky to have him.”
The Wildcats already felt that way about Wilberding, who was batting .395 with three home runs, 17 RBIs and 26 runs scored last season before he went hitless at state.
“Hitting has been a plus side of my game for a while,” he said. “I can hit for average and contact, but I’m more of a hit-it-in-the-gaps or over-the-fence type of guy. If you can hit, there will always be a spot in the lineup for you.”
Libertyville coach Matt Thompson actually had an inkling that Wilberding could hit before he had even attended a high school class.
“I remember after he had graduated eighth grade, I was throwing him batting practice, and he was putting them across the street from our varsity field,” Thompson said. “We invited him out to Arizona as a freshman and pulled him up for our third game, and he hit two home runs for us that week.
“At the time, he had never really lifted weights. Now he’s gotten a lot bigger.”
Wilberding has become a state champion too. He’s constantly reminded of that by a custom-made ring that sits on his nightstand and the first-place medal that hangs from a hook separate from other medals he has received.
“It’s a little more important of a medal, and I wore the ring to our end-of-season event, but otherwise I just look at it every day,” he said. “The whole experience is pretty sweet. The feeling that we had after winning is never going to go away.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
