Willman Chases Cycle In 18-10 Win Over GBN

It may have happened more than once, but the only time an Evanston baseball player has hit for the cycle --- single, double, triple, home run --- that can be verified in program history came when Sean Witt accomplished that feat in a 13-5 win over Waukegan back in 2009.

Nate Willman almost did it again, and on a day where the Wildkits needed every one of his hits to win.

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Evanston exploded for 7 runs in the first inning Monday, then kept adding on behind Willman when the suspended game was continued on Wednesday in an 18-10 rout of Glenbrook North. Willman went 4-for-5, drove in three runs and scored twice as the Kits evened the series after being on the wrong end of a 20-5 blowout loss to the Spartans at home on Tuesday.

The series finale is set for Thursday in Northbrook after Evanston improved to 9-17 overall and 3-7 in Central Suburban League South division play.

The visitors banged out 18 hits, rolling to victory after the contest was suspended in the second inning Monday due to lightning --- and eventually rain. Willman singled and tripled on Monday, and for an encore on Wednesday (in order) contributed a walk, his second home run in as many days, a single and a groundout to second base in his final trip.

The junior outfielder is setting the tone for the ETHS attack in his role as the team’s leadoff hitter, after a slow start this spring. A left-handed contact hitter, he didn’t hit a single homer as a freshman or sophomore playing with the lower level teams, and Tuesday’s homer didn’t make much of a difference in a game in which the Wildkits yielded 14 unearned runs.

He definitely made a difference on Wednesday.

“I did have the cycle on my mind (late in the game), but just getting a hit is always the first priority for me,” Willman said. “I had a few hits down in Florida (during Evanston’s spring break trip) but I did have a slow start. I feel like now I’ve made some adjustments. Before, I had the mindset of just protecting the plate and I wasn’t really hunting pitches (to hit). Now I’m doing more hunting.”

As the regular season winds down, Willman’s all-around play and the fact that he’s still got another year to play is a reason for Wildkit fans and for head coach Frank Consiglio to be optimistic going forward to 2027.

“He goes and gets the ball in the outfield, and he’s a plus runner with great speed from first to third,” Consiglio pointed out. “And Nate doesn’t try to do too much at the plate. He understands what his strengths are. He’s a foul line to foul line hitter who uses the whole field. We were counting on him to help us as a pitcher, too, until he had arm trouble at the start of the year.”

Ryan Rappoport (3-for-5, four runs scored), Aaron Shalin (2-for-2, two doubles, two runs-batted-in, three runs scored), Caleb Prendergast (2-for-5, two runs scored, RBI), Garrett Hagerty (2-for-3, three RBI) and Calvin Hayes (2-for-5, three RBI) all recorded multiple hits for the Kits.

The visitors did most of their damage against GBN starting pitcher Dean Miller back on Monday, chasing the right-hander after they sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning and totaling 7 runs on 5 hits. Bunt singles by Rappoport and Dion Lane Jr. were part of that outburst, and Willman collected both a single and a two-run triple before the rally finally ended.

ETHS built the advantage to 10-2 and carried that momentum over to Wednesday, scoring once in the third, three in the fourth and four more in the seventh to pull even in the series.

Winning pitcher Elliot Paul was touched for six runs by the Spartans in the fifth, but might have deserved better. Two of those hits were bunt singles and a two-run double by Nehemiah Torres was actually a wind-blown popup that fell safely among three ETHS defenders with two outs in the frame.

Glenbrook North finished with 10 hits before reliever Matt Gilroy tossed scoreless relief innings in the sixth and seventh, striking out three, to nail down the win.

Evanston’s outburst on offense didn’t surprise Consiglio, whose main worry lately is preventing runs, not scoring runs.

“I came into the season hoping we’d be a really good offensive team by May, and that has come to fruition for us,” said Consiglio. “Our offense has been really good at times and today we went to the gap (right center for right-handed hitters) a lot. I think our offense has taken a huge step.”