Sophomore Shane Torres takes control behind plate for Waubonsie Valley. But he can hit, too. ‘Irreplaceable for us.'
Shane Torres, who caught 25 games on the varsity as a freshman last spring, has been an anchor defensively for Waubonsie Valley throughout its surprising playoff run. And that's not a shock.
Pitching has been key for the Warriors, but what happens behind the plate is just as important.
'He's one of the best there is,' Waubonsie coach Bryan Acevedo said of Torres. 'I truly believe that. He's able to handle all of our different pitchers and block everything in the dirt.
'We can have confidence we can throw anything in any count. Even with a guy on third base, we know it's not getting by him. And this year, he's added the offense. He's irreplaceable for us.'
High praise, especially for a sophomore like Torres. And he was at it again Saturday.
Torres handled a gem thrown by senior right-hander Nick Lambert as the 10th-seeded Warriors upset Downers Grove North 5-0 in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional final at Ed Flink Field.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Torres, who bats left-handed, also led the offense for surging Waubonsie (23-12) with two singles, a walk and two RBIs.
'He does an amazing job,' said Lambert, who did likewise in pitching a five-hitter with three strikeouts and no walks on just 75 pitches. 'He's a good framer, good blocker.
'He keeps the run game down, which really helps.'
The Warriors also had just five hits, but took advantage of seven walks issued by three pitchers for the top-seeded Trojans (30-8), who didn't help their cause with three errors.
Waubonsie didn't make an error behind Lambert, who followed up the first-rate effort in the semifinals by ace Owen Roberts.
'Nick has been unbelievable for us on the mound this year,' Acevedo said. 'He's gotten better every single time out. He threw some last year, and we talked in the offseason. He asked what he had to do to be in the rotation.
'I said, 'You're stuff has to be a little sharper,' and, jeez, did he do that. Owen gets a lot of notoriety, but Nick has been equally good. We play good defense behind him and find ways to score runs. It's special.'
Last season, Waubonsie lost 3-2 to Downers Grove North in the sectional final on a walk-off homer in the seventh. Lambert, who last week pitched the Warriors to the regional title, didn't pitch that game in 2024 but still remembered.
'It gave me a little confidence,' Lambert said of winning the regional. 'But I did come in here pretty nervous. I try to work quick, throw strikes, let them put the ball in play and trust my defense.'
Lambert finished it in style for the Warriors — who play Monday at 6 p.m. in the Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional against Normal Community (35-4), a 10-8 winner over O'Fallon — by fielding a comeback grounder and running it to first base himself.
That clinched the program's first sectional title since Michael Bowden, who went on to play for the Chicago Cubs, led Waubonsie to the Class AA quarterfinals in 2005.
'We came in understanding we're playing with a little house money,' Acevedo said. 'We're not supposed to be here and that's helped us play loose. Having been here last year helped, too.'
Senior right fielder Josh Hung also drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and single. Roberts, playing second base, scored twice after reaching base three times.
Torres, an academic all-conference pick who uses a wide stance at the plate that he developed on his own, said Waubonsie's approach was to be patient and not chase. And it worked out well.
'For me, it's a case of more simple, less movement,' Torres said. 'There's less head movement which helps me see the ball better.'
Torres had a narrow stance with a huge leg kick in eighth grade.
'It didn't really work well, so I simplified it and came by it myself,' he said. 'With two strikes, I'd widen up a little bit and I'd hit better, so I thought, 'Why don't I just stay there?''
Little wonder his coach said of Torres, 'He's special.'
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