NT_062118

northbrooktower.com SPORTS
the northbrook tower | June 21, 2018 | 43
going places
All-around athlete Heywood to continue baseball career at Oakton
Martin Carlino, Editor
Whether on the football
field or the baseball diamond,
Chris Heywood is a
jack-of-all-trades.
Heywood, a graduate of
Glenbrook North in 2018,
showcased his wide range
of athletic talents throughout
the 2017-18 school
year.
As part of GBN’s football
team, Heywood demonstrated
his rare ability
to impact all facets of the
game. In the team’s first
game, Heywood accounted
for all 13 of GBN’s points
with a 27-yard touchdown
reception and two field
goals.
Throughout the season,
Heywood spent time
at quarterback, running
back and wide receiver,
while also taking a significant
number of snaps
on defense. Although his
10-touchdown season
earned him regards as one
of the conference’s most
valuable football players,
the Northbrook native
opted to continue his baseball
career next spring as
a member of the Oakton
Owls, the defending NJ-
CAA Division III World
Series champions.
“I’ve always enjoyed
baseball a little bit more
than everything else,” Heywood
said. “Since I really
started playing baseball,
it’s always really been the
dream.”
With Heywood as one
of the team’s most valuable
players, GBN baseball
dominated the Central Suburban
League North with a
14-2 record.
Similar to his contributions
to the football team,
Heywood helped lead the
Spartans to 23 regularseason
wins by delivering
quality production in multiple
aspects of the game.
Offensively, Heywood
proved to be the team’s
most feared middle-of-theorder
hitter. He finished
the year leading the team
in home runs, RBI, batting
average, on-base percentage
and slugging percentage.
With a small mid-season
adjustment to his approach
at the plate, Heywood increased
his ability to produce
extra-base power.
“As the season went
along, I just got more comfortable
and more confident
with where I was in
the lineup and who I was
facing,” Heywood said.
“My preparation for games
became a little bit different
and a little more focused.”
As the team’s right
fielder, Heywood routinely
turned difficult plays into
outs and frequently showcased
his strong arm by
throwing out runners who
dared to try and take an extra
base on him.
Heywood contributed on
the mound as well, finishing
the year with more than
30 innings pitched. His
2.22 ERA and 45 strikeouts
were both second among
the highly talented group of
GBN pitchers.
Heywood attributes
much of his success this
season to his work with
GBN head coach Dom Savino.
“I think [coach Savino]
really just turned me into
a complete player,” Heywood
said. “He kind of
kept getting on me to get
better everyday and he
never really let me fall off
course or get off track.”
Throughout the season’s
entirety, Savino remained
impressed with the play of
Heywood.
“He played outstanding
for us in all three facets of
the game,” Savino said.
“I don’t think we would
have had the season we did
without him. ... We’re very
proud of everything he was
able to do for us this year.”
Savino believes Oakton
is receiving a refined athlete,
who will contribute to
its future success.
“He’s a very versatile
player, who’s an outstanding
athlete on the mound, at
the plate and in the field,”
Savino said. “He has a very
sound skill set and he’s a
very coachable player.”
Heading into his first
season at the collegiate
level, Heywood anticipates
that he will spend time as
both a pitcher and an outfielder
with Oakton next
season. But, regardless of
his position and role with
the team, he couldn’t be
more excited to take on his
latest challenge.
“I think the challenge
[for next year] will be rising
up to the occasion and
Chris Heywood, a graduate of Glenbrook North in 2018, crosses home plate with a
smile after belting a solo home run against Lake Forest in a regional playoff game.
22nd Century Media File Photo
trying to go back [to the
NJCAA World Series] and
do it again and that will
make the season even more
fun and even more exciting,”
Heywood said.
The now former Spartan
standout hopes to continue
to improve his velocity as a
pitcher and his overall arm
strength, while also adding
more running speed to his
game.
Even though the outlook
on his baseball career
is bright, Heywood,
who transferred from Wilmette’s
Loyola Academy
for his senior year, knows
his time at GBN was crucial
to his improvement as
player.
“I felt like I found my
place when I came back
to GBN,” Heywood said.
“Coming back to Northbrook
with so much confidence,
knowing everyone
and being able to come back
and play in front of people
who ... never really got to
see me play sports ... I think
that was a really meaningful
aspect of everything. Coming
back to GBN was just
a very good thing for me. It
changed me as a person and
as an athlete and kind of set
me straight.”
REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!!!
GLENBROOK NORTH JUNIOR SPARTANS
TACKLE & FLAG TRAVEL FOOTBALL
WWW.GBNJRSPARTAN.COM
Grades 3rd through 8th