Mount Carmel’s Anthony Chavez found himself struggling to overcome setbacks and move on to the next opportunity.
So this spring, the sophomore infielder and pitcher focused on fine-tuning his mind off the field while preparing for his first varsity season.
“It was a tough thing to consider this offseason,” Chavez said. “I was able to use things like meditation and reading in those important moments when I could block out all the noise and focus.”
He put that to good use Saturday morning.
In a Catholic League crossover game in Chicago, Chavez overcame a bad at-bat and rough pitching to hit the winning RBI in the eighth inning as the host Caravan defeated De La Salle 6-5.
Wisconsin Stout rookie Kevin Zanin had two RBIs and Illinois’ Joey Ireland had a 2-for-4 double for Mount Carmel (4-5, 1-0 Catholic Blue). Nico Mullen and Southeast Iowa rookie James Neidegger added RBIs.
For the Caravan, Ian Tosi pitched 6 1/3 innings with 2 earned runs and 7 strikeouts, while Jake Mathis pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief and had 3 strikeouts for the win.
Western Illinois rookie Kenny Perez went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for De La Salle (5-6, 1-2 Catholic White). Francisco Rodriguez had 2 hits and 1 RBI in 4 at bats, and Angelo Chavarria had an RBI.
The Meteors rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the seventh inning with five runs, and tied the score with Rodriguez’s RBI and error.
Chavez switched from first base to pitcher in the seventh inning, but was unable to record an out as he allowed two walks and a double. He was hoping for a chance to redeem himself at the plate.
“During the inning, I was thinking about getting up and doing something big for the team,” Chavez said. “Right now I just have to work on the pitching side, but it’s okay. We’ll figure it out.
“We have a good team family this year.”
In the bottom of the 8th inning, Chavez hit the winning hit to center field with two outs and bases loaded.
Until then, he was 0-for-3 and had struck out in the 6th inning with two outs and the bases loaded.
“I struggled the first few at-bats, but I knew I had it in me,” Chavez said. “We had to tone it down by 75% and bring it up to a mid-range level.
“The most important thing is not to let the past ruin your future or your present, you just have to stay in the present.”
Chavez said meditation helped him do that.
“I put on some meditation music, sit in the dark, and just relax and clear my mind,” he said. “That’s what you need to do when you step up to bat. You need to be really zen and focused.
“I think meditation is really good for your body. Anyone can use it. It’s good to clear your mind.”
Ireland was impressed with Chavez’s calmness.
“We found out that ‘Chubby’ was a dog,” Ireland said. “He showed he’s still mentally tough.
“He didn’t let it bother him that he didn’t have his best performance on the mound or that he had a bad at-bat in his last at-bat. He pushed through that and won the game for us. That’s huge. was.”
In his first season with the national team, Chavez is batting No. 3 in the batting order. His persistence Saturday gave Mount Carmel coach Brian Hari even more reason to trust Chavez at the spot.
“We always tell our players, ‘Don’t let a failure in one at-bat ruin your success in the next,'” Harry said. “However, this is easier said than done. This game is a mental game.
“I’m very proud of him for staying there and taking that at-bat.”
