The Benet Academy Redwings baseball team hoped to capture their sixth East Suburban Catholic Conference championship but fell short. They have had a storied past, but this year threw a lot of challenges their way.
The season got off to a great start at the St. Louis Tournament in late March. Benet displayed very good chemistry early in the year, with the team playing as one and working together efficiently. Their confidence built when the boys beat the 16th team in the state, Oak Park River Forest, 13-6. With this win under their belts, prospects for the season were positive. Coming back from St. Louis, the boys beat rival Naperville Central, 12-2. They also added to this winning streak with victories against Downers Grove North and Wheaton North. With a team of 44 boys, they were deep in talent. The players and coaches were excited about the season.
This season was filled with many ups and downs. The weather was one of the Redwings’ toughest opponents, as 13 out of the 44 scheduled season games were cancelled. Practices had to be constantly relocated to either indoor facilities or the weight room due to excessive amounts of water on the field. Since it is such a quick season and there was no time to wait for improved weather, the team had to adapt and train in various environments.
There were several close games for the Redwings. The games against Moline (4-3), Marist (8-7), Hinsdale Central (8-7), and Oswego East (10-9) all ended in loses by just one run: an unfortunate way to end such tough games. This motivated the team to work harder, and they had victories against Marmion, winning 8-1, and against St. Patrick, winning 12-11. The variation of games this season was intense but only shows how talented Benet’s players are and that they worked hard all season for what they achieved.

Off the field, they created genuine and lasting friendships. They are just a fun group of guys and are always looking out for each other.
“I really enjoyed being around the guys this season,” junior Colin Gorz says. “This team feels like family to me. It’s great to know that 43 other guys have my back no matter what, and I wouldn’t trade the experiences we made this season for anything else.”

Going into the playoffs, the Redwing locker room was filled excitement and confidence. The season has been an uphill battle, but they have shown the resiliency and determination to keep fighting.
Junior Jackson Buckley describes, “The energy in the dugout has been great the last few games. So hopefully we can keep that same mentality into the playoffs.”
The Redwings (9-19) lost to Bolingbrook High School in the Class 4A Hinsdale Central regional quarterfinals 3-0.

Editor’s Note: Benet lost in the Regionals to Wheaton-Warrenville South.