As a sophomore, Desmond Gill has already made a major impact in three varsity sports for Lincoln-Way Central.
Gill plays football and basketball in addition to starting at third base for the Knights in baseball. And he’s got a new family for every season.
“It’s awesome just to experience it because it’s almost like having a million older brothers,” Gill said. “I’m just playing for my guys. Especially when we get into the playoffs, I’m just trying to get it done for my seniors.
“It’s their last year, and that class has just been through the roof, in all three sports. They’ve been phenomenal and they’ve helped me so much.”
Gill came through with his bat and on defense to help one of his mentors have a special night Wednesday. Gill tallied three RBIs and senior right-hander Alex Panos pitched a no-hitter to lead the host Knights to a 7-0 win over Richards in a Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central Regional semifinal.
Gill delivered a huge two-out, three-run double in the first inning to spark the Knights (16-18). John Gutierrez went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Luke Tingley doubled and scored twice.
Panos struck out 11 and did not issue a walk. He allowed just one baserunner on an infield liner that was dropped, which was ruled an error by Lincoln-Way Central’s home scorekeepers.
“It’s one of the last games I’ll pitch here, in front of my friends and my family, there’s not a better feeling than to do this,” said Panos, who got an ice bath from his teammates after the final out. “It was awesome. It’s something I’ve dreamed of. I can’t write it better.”
The eighth-seeded Knights will take on top-seeded Lincoln-Way East (30-5) — a 6-0 winner over 16th-seeded Bloom — at 10 a.m. Saturday in the regional final.
Luis De Avila threw four solid innings for 10th-seeded Richards (20-14), striking out six and allowing three earned runs.
De Avila nearly wiggled out of a huge jam in the first inning, producing two strikeouts after the Knights loaded the bases with no outs.
But Gill came up with two outs and ripped his bases-clearing double to left-center.
“I tried to simplify the approach as much as possible and just try to drive the ball,” Gill said. “I caught a curveball out in front, and it was just awesome screaming back at my dugout and getting my guys fired up.”
Lincoln-Way Central coach Ryan Kutt knew how clutch it was.
“That’s a sophomore who comes up in that situation in the first round of the playoffs and sends us in the right direction,” Kutt said. “He’s a competitor, and it’s going to be awesome to coach him for another two years. He’s soaking it all in and learning a lot.”
Gill is hitting .290 and is tied for second on the team with 18 RBIs. After a late-season slump brought his average down, he feels locked in again.
“I kind of got in my head a little bit there,” Gill said. “That’s the beauty of baseball. There are ups and downs. It’s a game of failure. It’s just about the next play.
“Every time, no matter what happened in the last at-bat, I try to flush it and go into the next one fresh.”
Gill also helped preserve Panos’ gem with a nifty barehanded pickup on a bouncer in the seventh.
“That kid ‘AP’ is just nails,” Gill said. “He’s so good. He’s got ice in his veins. Anything I can do to help him out on the mound, I’m going to try to do it.”
And any sport Gill can compete in, he’s going to try to do it.
“I love always having something to do,” Gill said. “I’m not a guy who’s going to sit around.”
