By Mark Gregory
Editorial Director
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com
For a Plainfield Central team that finished one game away from advancing to the state finals, it was senior first baseman Jac Lindish that led the way all season.
Plainfield Central’s Jac Lindish is the 2019 Voyager Media Charlie Donovan Baseball Player of the Year. (Photo by Mark Gregory)
Lindish led the team in hits (38), RBI (32) and home runs (5) and tied for team-high with seven doubles, while posting a .392 batting average and an OPS of 1.097.
“He can flat out hit,” Central coach John Rosner. “He has such an ability to drive the baseball and hit for average and power at the same time, its like nobody I have coached before. He is special and he deserves everything he gets.”
What he earned this season was the honor of being named the 2019 Voyager Media Charlie Donovan Baseball Player of the Year.
The award is named for the former Westmont standout who was a three-time Voyager Media Player of the Year and died in November of 2015.
Lindish led the Wildcats on a run that saw them beat Oswego 8-7 and Naperville Central 10-7 in the regional round.
In the sectional, Central defeated rival Plainfield South 6-3 and Neuqua Valley 11-4 in the sectional.
“These are all my brothers and coming out every day, it was fun. We were just feeding off each other. We played for each other all year and we were closer than any group you will ever see on a baseball field,” Lindish said. “It is all the behind the scenes work that no one sees every winter and every fall. Putting in the work in the weight room, getting faster, getting stronger — no one out works me and I am glad it paid off this season.
“Baseball evens out short term and long term and you just have to stay consistent through the adversity. Coming to the park every day wanting to play and enjoying being around everyone, stuff just starts to fall your way and I just fed off everyone in the dugout.”
Lindish will be one of the seniors leaving the Central roster that has worked the program to a supersectional contender.
“He has been No. 3 or No. 4 in our lineup all year for a reason,” Rosner said. “He is such a great kid. He has been fantastic for two years. I couldn’t ask for anything more and we are going to miss him.”
Lindish will attend St. Louis University in the fall and major in physical therapy, but has no plans to play baseball for the Billikens.
Charlie Bischoff, Plainfield Central
Hit .353 with 23 RBI and 18 runs scored on the year. Had 36 overall hits, second only to Lindish.