All it sometimes takes is a single second, a moment for one’s circumstances, one’s destiny to shift course.
Jason Neville would likely tell you, if asked, that Brandon Petersen and himself would have combined to pick up where they left off in 2015 this spring if he had his way.
Petersen and Neville did some heavy lifting for Waubonsie Valley while helping establish the second-most victories – 28 – in program history in 2015.
The Petersen-Neville duo combined to go 13-3 to go with a 1.21 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 115 2/3 innings during Bryan Acevedo’s debut season last spring.
“Me and Brandon have played together on the same travel team for years,” Neville said in late March. “I mean, obviously, I’ve seen him pitch and it’s good to see him grow. Obviously, me too. It’s good that we’re both pitching now for Waubonsie and doing well.”
News in late April of the Western Michigan-bound Petersen being lost for the year because of a finger injury could have sent Waubonsie Valley in one of two directions.
Courtesy of a steady hand born out of sheer consistency, it stayed the course thanks to a 6-foot-4, 175-pound right-hander.
A victory shy of becoming the fourth pitcher in program history to win at least 10 games, Neville was nothing short of stellar this spring.
His 7-0 record and 1.00 ERA in eight conference starts may have earned him 2016 DuPage Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades.
But it’s a collective 9-0 record and 1.32 ERA in 63 2/3 innings that bestows upon him the distinction of being named the 2016 Positively Naperville Prep Baseball Player of the Year.
“He’s been special for us all year,” Acevedo said of Neville.
That’s putting it mildly.
Of the 11 starts Neville made in 2016, nine of them saw him allow one earned run or less – including offering up four complete games.
“Jason’s been unbelievable on the mound,” Quinton Zielke said. “Can’t say enough about him. Just all the trust he has in his defenders and he knows that whenever he needs a big strikeout, he can get it because he has not just three good pitches. He has five good pitches and he’s a special kid.”
Only once – against Naperville Central on April 23 – did Neville strike out 10 in a game, which he did over the course of firing off six scoreless innings.
In his view, that was all just part of the plan – with plenty of assists from Nick Santoro, Luke Gregorio and company inside the infield.
“Kids put the ball in play a lot against me,” Neville said. “I get a lot of groundballs and obviously I wouldn’t be 9-0 if it weren’t for my defense making all the plays because there’s a lot of groundballs. If we make a couple errors a game, that could be runs that would make me lose sometimes.”
Under the radar no longer with Petersen done after making just six starts, Neville was suddenly thrust into the role of staff ace.
And it was a role he readily accepted.
Neville became the 14th player – the 11th pitcher – to throw a no-hitter in the program’s history when he turned the trick during a 4-0 victory at Metea Valley on April 28.
Six days after Petersen had thrown the last pitch of his high school career, Neville struck out five while only throwing 76 pitches and coming an error shy of a perfect game.
“Pitching-wise, during the game, I’d say no (difference). But my mentality going out – I know I have to be perfect because we can’t afford to lose many games now,” Neville said after picking up his final victory of the season. “Especially when we were down a couple in conference and now that we’re going into playoffs, I know I have to be good every time I go out.”
As the program transitioned into the DVC after consecutive Upstate Eight titles, expectations were high this spring.
A third straight conference title – a DVC title shared with Naperville Central – would come for the Warriors amidst picking up 23 victories, in large part to pitching and defense.
Nine pitchers combined to help collectively post a team ERA of 2.22 as six Warrior hurlers won at least two games while five threw at least 31 1/3 innings.
But – when the team needed it most – no one shone as brightest as Neville, who’s moving on to Iowa State to study engineering and computer science.
“I really look up to them,” junior Alex Schram said of Petersen and Neville. “Especially, Jason throwing a no-hitter. I mean, he’s taught me a lot. Just go out there, just don’t let anything get in your way.”
