Current, Future Aces Combine For 1-Hitter In Opener

Frank Consiglio might give in to a bit of hyperbole now and then when it comes to describing the top pitching prospects for the Evanston baseball team.

But the veteran coach has never called someone who hasn’t yet pitched a single inning on the varsity level as a “future No. 1”.

Evanston’s current No. 1 --- junior Elliot Paul --- combined with “future No. 1” Calvin Hayes and Matt Gilroy for a 1-hitter Thursday as the Wildkits opened their 2026 season with a 10-1 triumph over Hersey at Northwestern University’s Rocky Miller Park.

The contest was halted by darkness after six innings, and the Huskies probably couldn’t wait to get on the bus after facing Evanston’s trio on the mound. The losers only hit two balls out of the infield, their only hit was of the infield variety, and the all-underclass mound choices to open the season for ETHS teamed up for eight strikeouts.

On offense, the Wildkits scored in every inning but the fourth, executed their “small ball” attack with three successful bunts and a double steal, ran the bases flawlessly, and rode a 3-for-3 performance with five runs-batted-in by Aaron Shalin to the easy win.

Paul surrendered just one unearned run (due to a wild pitch) in his three inning stint. Hayes, a sophomore, tossed two and one-third scoreless innings --- he did walk two --- and Gilroy retired the only two batters he faced.

The evidence of a turnaround on the mound from a year ago, when the entire staff was untested at the varsity level, was already obvious even to the casual Wildkit fan.

Consiglio said he was most impressed by the way the Kits ran the bases --- more on that later. But he also knows that there’s no such thing as too much mound talent at any level of the game.

“I didn’t think Elliot had his ‘A’ stuff today, but he competes well every time he’s out there,” Consiglio said. “I just told Hayes that he’s going to be an infielder’s dream (as far as ground ball opportunities to get outs) for us. Everything he throws sinks, moves down. Hitters can only pick the ball up late against him.

“When he’s in the (strike) zone, he doesn’t get beat. He doesn’t even have to mix up his pitches because he has so much movement on the ball. He doesn’t need to get hitters to chase. He can compete in the zone and get most hitters out. He can miss in the white part (middle) of the zone and still compete. And it’s rare to see that in a sophomore.”

Evanston totaled nine hits against five different Hersey hurlers Thursday. The Kits struck for two runs in the first, on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Rappoport and an RBI single by Shalin, and broke the game open with two outs in the second inning.

Tate Schroeder (2-for-3, three runs scored) dropped a fly ball double down the right field line and Nate Willman and Rappoport coaxed walks from Hersey’s Tucker Hemminger to fill the bases.

Shalin delivered the big blow next, launching a bases-clearing double over the left fielder’s head to push the lead to 5-1. A squeeze bunt by Dion Lane Jr. in the third tacked on an unearned run, and the hosts sent 10 hitters to the plate in a 4-run fourth, scoring three of those runs on bases-loaded walks.

“It feels so good for us to get back to dominating a game on the bases,” Consiglio confessed. “We got good leads, good reads, things we haven’t even worked on in practice because we haven’t been outside yet. That shows me they’ve got good instincts. We take a lot of pride in good baserunning.”

Evanston will host Payton Prep on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., also at NU.