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newlenoxpatriot.com SPORTS
the New Lenox Patriot | June 7, 2018 | 43
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Brandon Bennitt
Brandon Bennitt was an
infielder and closer for the
Lincoln-Way Central baseball
team. He committed to
play baseball at the Illinois
Institute of Technology next
year.
What are your thoughts
of your high school
baseball career after
four years with the
program?
We were good. We kind of
turned around the program,
in my opinion. Before my
class came, the varsity team
was never very competitive
in the playoffs. I don’t think
they won a regional before
we did last year. I think our
class came together and
turned the direction of the
program. That was a big accomplishment.
What’s the biggest
lesson you’ve learned
from coach Mitch
Nowicki?
He’s a lot more relaxed
than the coaches I’ve had
in the past. He’s definitely
a player’s coach, but get in
there and get stuff done. He
doesn’t drag things out, so
that’s nice for us. He helped
us with the way we carried
ourselves, too. He wants us
to be confident and kind of
carry a chip on our shoulder.
I think that helped us win
quite a few games, actually.
If you could make a
dream lineup with some
of your favorite players,
who would be on that
team?
My favorite guy growing
up was always Albert Pujols.
My dad is a Cardinals
fan, so I’m a Cardinals fan.
I just liked the way he was
a great hitter. For pitchers, I
like Clayton Kershaw. He’s
a stud, his curveball is great.
My catcher would be Yadier
Molina, from the Cardinals,
too. I think he’s just a great
overall catcher, and what a
catcher should be in the major
leagues; not necessarily
just a hitter. My second
baseman would be Dustin
Pedroia. He’s a little guy,
like me. He’s not very tall,
but he’s always out there
and competes. He does everything
he can to win.
Who’s your favorite
22nd century media file photo
teammate?
Since freshman year, I’ve
always been close with Jake
Blount. I’ve always played
catch with him. We were
the middle infield when we
were sophomores – I was
the second baseman, he was
the shortstop. We were up
on varsity as sophomores
together.
If you could pull
any talent from a
professional player,
what would it be?
I actually think I’d take
Rickey Henderson’s ability
to steal bases. I think
that’s just huge [to help win
games]. I’m not slow, but
I’m not the fastest either, but
swiping all those bags would
be really fun.
What’s something most
people don’t know
about you?
A lot of my friends think
I’m quiet. I’m not always
the life of the party. I’m a
little more quiet, but around
the people I’m comfortable
with, I’m actually outgoing.
Over prom weekend, some
of my friends were like,
‘wow, I didn’t even know
you were this outgoing.’ And
I’m like, ‘I’m just being myself.’
What’s your goal after
you finish college?
I’m not sure on what type
of engineer I want to be yet,
but I’m leaning toward computer
engineer. I’d love to
work downtown somewhere.
I’m not sure what type of job
I want, but something with
computers, probably.
If you won the lottery,
what’s the first
purchase you’d make?
First thing I would buy is a
huge yacht. I love boats. My
mom always wanted a boat.
She told me if I ever get rich,
she would want me to buy
her a boat, so I’d go bigger
and get a huge yacht.
What’s a highlight reel
play you always dream
of making?
From a second baseman’s
perspective, I’d say a ground
ball up the middle, and you
have to go to your right and
make a sliding backhand
grab. Then you get right
back up and throw the guy
out at first. I’d love to take
away a hit like that.
What’s your favorite
memory in baseball?
When I was 13 years old,
I was asked to go to Italy to
play baseball. I went with a
travel team over there, and
we went over to Italy and
won the tournament. It was a
cool vacation. It was cool to
interact with kids from different
countries, as well, and
see the international competition.
Interview by Editor James
Sanchez.
Athlete of the Month
Titans softball pitcher earns May honor
Bill Jones, Managing Editor
Tinley Park High School’s Jules Gomez is
a multi-sport athlete, taking on basketball in
the winter and volleyball in the fall. But in
the spring, she shines on the diamond as a
pitcher for the Titans’ softball squad.
She is the type of athlete who got Division
I offers, even though she is only a sophomore,
and she plans to play softball for De-
Paul.
And she recently earned another accolade,
leading the way in votes to claim 22nd Century
Media’s Southwest Chicago Athlete of
the Month crown for May.
The Athlete of the Month competition pits
featured Athlete of the Week selections from
our south suburban newspapers against one
another in an online voting contest.
The next contest is to begin Sunday, June
10.
To vote, visit NewLenoxPatriot.com,
hover over the “Sports” menu tab and click
“Athlete of the Month.” Readers can vote
once per session per valid email address.
Voting ends at 5 p.m. June 25.
All athletes featured in the May Athlete of
the Week sports interviews are automatically
entered into the contest.
RIGHT: Jules Gomez — a sophomore on the
Titans’ softball, volleyball and basketball
teams — won the May Athlete of the Month
competition for publisher 22nd Century
Media’s Southwest Chicago branch.
Jeff Vorva/22nd Century Media