Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jalen Webb took a quick pause but didn’t lose any faith in himself.
The junior right fielder dug down deep and stuck with his convictions Tuesday after struggling to create type of contact during his first two plate appearances.
“At first I got down on myself, but I just really stayed optimistic and I had trust in my training,” Webb said. “I knew those big hits were going to come through.”
He made sure of that in the top of the ninth.
Webb drilled a run-scoring single in that inning to spark the Vikings to a 7-6 nonconference victory over Catholic League Blue powerhouse Mount Carmel at Ozinga Field in Crestwood.
Webb finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs for H-F (3-0), while senior pitcher Cormac Saunders picked up the win with six strikeouts over three innings.
Senior infielder TJ McQuillan came through with two triples and scored three runs for Mount Carmel (2-1). Senior shortstop Joey Ireland also chipped in with three hits and scored a run.
Webb, meanwhile, wore the hero hat twice for the Vikings, with his two-run single in the top of the seventh forcing a 6-6 tie. It came in stark contrast to striking out in his first two at-bats.
“We talk all the time about grit and toughness and about how do you respond when you get punched in the face,” H-F coach Marcus Rodgers said. “You either retreat or you fight back.
“It’s a testament to his hard work and confidence because a lot of times you’re done for the day after a start like that. He has a lot of confidence in his swing.”
Senior outfielder Evan Bradford also came up with a two-run double for H-F in the top of the first.
“I just told him that he’s the guy for us and it’s not how he started the game but how he finished it,” Bradford said of Webb. “He has an alter ego. He’s very quiet and shy off the field, always has his headphones on during workouts. He’s always looking to help others.”
Webb, who’s in his first week of varsity competition, has learned how to adapt quickly.
“I think those first couple of at-bats when I struck out I was just too anxious and nervous,” he said. ”We were playing a big team, and I just had to trust myself that I could hit anybody I wanted.”
Webb has been waiting patiently for this moment. His father was an amateur bodybuilder growing up, and Jalen shares the same fondness for training and working out.
“I come from a really athletic family of mostly football players,” Webb said. “My father was a fitness guy who got me into strength training. When I was younger, he saw me throw a football around and could tell I had an arm.
”After that, he decided to give me a baseball.”
Webb played football and basketball during his formative ages, but around the crucial age of 13, his play on the travel circuit convinced him that baseball provided a passion and purpose.
“That’s the age when everything clicked and I got really good at the sport,” he said. “I knew I had to really dedicate myself and get bigger, stronger and faster.”
Webb has a knack for the dramatic, and he validated the faith of Rodgers to bat him at cleanup.
“I mean, when you hit, you don’t sit,” Rodgers said. “He’s already done it since the beginning of the season. He works relentlessly. I’m just happy he’s able to see the fruits of his labor.”
Webb has already picked up the unpredictable styles of elite pitching.
“Hitting in the big spots just gives me the confidence to know I can hit anybody,” he said. “I’m a quiet guy, but when it’s time to lock in, I’m ready to express myself.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
