An injury is preventing Michael Pettit from showing off the arm that has him going to Notre Dame, but the senior pitcher is still determined to contribute in a major way for Lincoln-Way West.
Pettit had surgery in October to repair a torn labrum in his left throwing shoulder. He won’t be able to pitch this spring for the Warriors, but he’s ready to make an impact with his bat and at first base.
“I’m excited to help all the pitchers at practice and be a vocal guy on the field,” Pettit said. “I’m also glad to be contributing hitting as well, being up in the order and trying to get on base every time.
“I’m just excited to be contributing to the team in any way that I can and hopefully we can make a deep playoff run.”
Pettit confirmed he felt discomfort in his shoulder during his last tournament of the summer. That led to some disappointing news.
“I got it checked out and found I had a torn labrum,” he said. “I obviously wasn’t too happy, but I just wanted to focus on my recovery and getting back to where I was before and even better than I was before so I can be ready for my freshman season at Notre Dame.”
Pettit was expected to be the ace for a Lincoln-Way West pitching staff that graduated several key seniors from last season.
Instead, he’s taking on the role of an extra pitching coach.
“I’m trying to help the pitchers with their mental game and telling them to take deep breaths on the mound,” Pettit said. “A lot of them, it’s their first time on varsity and they could be overwhelmed.
“I just try to calm them down and let them focus on their games.”
The results have been good so far. Six pitchers have combined to allow just one run over 14 innings for the Warriors (2-0). Senior Kellen Schulte threw three shutout innings in a 9-0 win over Riverside-Brookfield and junior Jackson Heinlen delivered four shutout innings in a 2-1 victory over Wheaton North.
Pettit, meanwhile, has started out strong with his bat, going 2-for-6 with a triple, three runs and two RBIs. And Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc believes Pettit is in for a big offensive season.
“He got a lot of at-bats last year,” Zajc said. “It’s good to have him in that mindset where he’s not worried about anything else but hitting and playing first base. He’s got good energy.
“We’re looking for him to lead us this year.”
Senior outfielder Carson Paulas has led off both games for the Warriors, with Pettit hitting behind him in the second spot of the batting order. Paulas likes that setup.
“It’s a big loss that Michael can’t pitch, but he has a great bat,” Paulas said. “A lot of people don’t know that. The ball jumps off his bat.”
Pettit experienced some ups and downs offensively last season, hitting .293 with a homer and 23 RBIs. He expects more this spring since he will be locking in more on his batting.
“I definitely think I can be way better than I was last year,” he said. “I definitely put more time into hitting this offseason than last offseason, so I’m expecting to make a jump.”
And a few months from now, Pettit will take the leap to Notre Dame.
“I decided to go there for a good athletic and academic balance,” he said. “I’m excited to get on campus and play. They’re doing pretty well right now so I can’t wait to be a part of that program.”
First, he has some unfinished business. Lincoln-Way West went 28-8 last season and was seeded second in its sectional, only to be stunned 4-1 by 12th-seeded Stagg in a regional final.
“We have a lot of motivation after that,” Pettit said. “I was really mad after it happened and I’ve been mad ever since, honestly.”
