First, Timmy Harrigan had to break into Mount Carmel’s lineup. Then, he had to move his way up.
Now, the senior right fielder is batting second and loving every minute of it.
“I love bringing energy,” Harrigan said. “I’m up in the lineup now, which I wasn’t earlier. I love jumping up on an opponent right out of the gate and getting my team fired up.
“When it comes to running the bases, I love playing with my speed.”
Harrigan also keeps speeding up his progress as the season wears on.
He tallied two hits Thursday, including a huge two-run single in the second, to lead the Caravan to a 10-0 victory in five innings over Oak Lawn in a Class 4A Reavis Regional semifinal in Burbank.
Pancho Vazquez also drove in a pair of runs for Mount Carmel (17-14), while Kolin Adams, TJ McQuillan, Mario Medina and Joey Ireland each contributed doubles.
Ivan Gonzalez, Charlie Cizek and Ethan Collins all had hits for Oak Lawn (14-18).
Sophomore left-hander Ian Tosi worked five shutout innings and threw only 54 pitches, which means he could be used again soon on the mound if needed for the seventh-seeded Caravan, who will play third-seeded Reavis (30-4) at 10 a.m. Saturday for the regional championship.
Harrigan, an Augustana recruit, is one of just two seniors in the lineup for the Caravan. He had to work hard to get to where he’s at right now.
“We were rotating guys out,” Mount Carmel coach Brian Hurry said. “We were trying to figure out what our championship team is. The coaching staff was clear. We communicated to the four or five outfielders that were going for the spots we were going to give them opportunities.
“Timmy earned it, and we’re proud and happy for him.”
Hurry confirmed that Harrigan showed a lot during games and in practice.
“He’s always been a kid who is focused and has good practices,” Hurry said of Harrigan. “He leads by example. You can win playing time in practice, not just games. For Timmy, it was both.
“His effort in practice led to some success in games.”
Tosi could pitch with comfort after Harrigan helped fuel a six-run second inning.
“He is a really gritty player,” Tosi said of Harrigan. “He plays his hardest to win. It’s nice to have him out there. He’s really fast. He has sneaky power. He always finds the barrel.
“It’s huge to have him.”
A positive to come out of the game against Oak Lawn is how Harrigan was able to have some success over the left-handed offerings from the Spartans.
“Facing lefties has been my biggest struggle,” Harrigan said. “I’m trying to see the ball coming out of lefties’ hands better.”
With a sophomore-heavy lineup, Mount Carmel has experienced some up-and-down moments this spring, especially against a few of the elite teams in the Catholic League Blue.
But the Caravan entered the postseason with a 6-1 record in their final seven games.
“We’re real hot and we’re coming together well,” Harrigan said. “Even though we have a lot of young guys, that doesn’t mean anything. They can all rise to the occasion.
“But it’s a newer team and as the season went on, we got a little closer.”
Harrigan got his start playing baseball through his father, Tim, a Brother Rice graduate.
“My dad has coached me and I feel like I’ve been playing forever,” Timmy said.
But the two don’t talk trash when the Crusaders face Mount Carmel.
“He supports me,” Timmy said after the game. “He has his Carmel hat on right now.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
