Higgins, EP make history with conference title

Helping host Evergreen Park (EP) to a 3-1 nonconference victory on May 17 over Lindblom, Higgins knocked in the go-ahead run with a hard-hit single to right field in the fifth inning.

“It feels really good to help the team, especially because I’d been low-key slumping, so that felt great,” Higgins said. “It’s been about a week. It doesn’t matter to me as long as we keep winning. I want to provide for the team in order for us to get a win. I’ve been doing that, so it’s been all right.”

For the Mustangs, the Lindblom win was another victory for the program during a history-making week.

On May 16, host EP defeated Shepard 4-2 to clinch the South Suburban Red Conference title. It was the program’s first conference championship since 1986. The Mustangs also won conference in 1956 and 1965.

According to junior third baseman Jack Hughes, the Mustangs were aware of the lengthy drought between conference championships, and they worked hard to bring the title home.

“We knew it had been a long time, 30-some years. I can’t even imagine,” Hughes said. “I knew it meant a lot to everyone in the building, too. We went into the year setting our goals of ideally winning a regional, but winning conference was just as important. Those were the two big ones.”

EP Coach Mark Smyth has been the team’s head coach since the 2000-01 season. He’s helped turn EP into a consistent winner, but the elusive conference title proved difficult to achieve.

“It’s pretty crazy. We’ve had some really good teams,” Smyth said. “Winning conference, it’s the best. It really is an awesome group of kids. They’re very talented.”

Smyth credited the strong season to his players’ work ethic through the offseason of the last two-plus seasons after EP installed a turf field for the baseball team and also purchased the Evergreen Park Tennis and Racquet Club and converted it into the EP Sports Complex.

Now, regardless of the weather, student-athletes can train throughout the fall and winter months.

“This isn’t by accident. These guys have worked their tails off,” Smyth said. “Kudos to our administration and our school board for giving us this great facility. It allows us to do so much more than we were in the past. Fall baseball, coming out and working out, working in the complex over the winter. It was there for the kids. This was two years in the making.”

Following the Shepard win, EP trailed 1-0 to Lindblom but rallied with a run in the fourth on a RBI single from junior catcher Tyler Kummer and then a 2-run fifth featuring Higgins’ RBI single and a RBI groundout from senior shortstop Alejandro Munoz.

Junior Luke Medina (2 hits) and sophomores Caleb Keyser (run, hit) and Billy Duffner (run) also chipped in offensively for the Mustangs.

Higgins also made a big play in right field, charging a Lindblom single to field it and fire a strike to second base to get the force out on the Eagles runner.

“This season, it’s been huge,” Higgins said. “It’s a testament to all the hard work we’ve put in over the last two years through fall and winter. We knew before the season that we had something special here.”

Hughes finished with 2 hits, a run scored and a stolen base. However, his biggest contribution came via his glove as he helped turn two timely double plays.

EP starter Crispin Soto pitched in and out of jams, and he allowed the lone run on 8 hits and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts to get the win. In 6 innings of work, Soto stranded 6.

Hughes knew the team’s defense would back up Soto, a senior southpaw who typically pitches to contact.

“Crispin has been on the varsity for three years now. [His formula] is nothing new,” Hughes said. “He pitches to contact and gets ground balls. He does his job, and we have to do ours. That’s what we did today.”

Soto earned the save in relief the day before against Shepard, and he also nailed a huge 2-run double in the conference-clinching win.

“I was really happy for my team bringing it home,” Soto said. “For me, I was really excited and just wanted to play my best. This group, we just knew we were going to do better than last year. Today, I let my defense work.”

Pitching in and around runners on base, Soto trusted his stuff and tried to work low in the zone.

“I was just throwing fastballs low and away. They couldn’t hit it as far,” Soto said. “My arm was hurting, just felt heavy, but I pushed away the pain and just focused on throwing strikes.”

Sophomore Michael Rodriguez allowed a single in the seventh but induced back-to-back groundouts to Munoz at shortstop to end the game.