Not even the people who know Owen Roberts the best foresaw this.
The Waubonsie Valley junior was good as a hitter this season, but his performance on the mound was nothing short of mind-blowing.
“He played shortstop every inning of every game we played last year,” Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo said. “We didn’t really have another shortstop, so he didn’t pitch last year.
“We knew he threw a little bit and was pretty good, but we just hadn’t really seen it. We thought he was going to be our closer early on.”
Acevedo recalled using Roberts in that role in a game against Naperville Central.
“He threw two pitches to get a save,” Acevedo said. “So we’re like, ‘We need to give him the ball.’
“We gave him a start against Metea Valley, and he’s done nothing but give it back to us at the end of the game.”
Indeed, Roberts, the 2024 Baseball Player of the Year for The Beacon-News, The Courier-News and the Naperville Sun, was literally unbeatable, and in one instance he was even unhittable. He went 10-0 with a 1.10 ERA and two saves, allowing nine earned runs, 29 hits and 13 walks while striking out 73 in 57 1/3 innings.
Roberts was great at the plate, too, batting .464 with four home runs, 31 RBIs, 26 runs, 10 doubles and two triples. He was the DuPage Valley Conference’s player of the year and pitcher of the year.
“We had some really good arms my first couple years here, but I don’t know if anyone got to 10-0,” Acevedo said after his 10th season coaching the Warriors. “He wants to compete. He’s a football kid who plays safety for us. He wants the ball in his hand, and he’s special.”
That was never more evident than in Roberts’ final outing of the season. He threw his first no-hitter to beat host Plainfield North 3-0 in the Class 4A sectional semifinals on May 29, sending the Warriors to their first sectional championship game since 2005.
Roberts allowed just three balls to leave the infield that day, which Waubonsie Valley senior Ben Ford, an Illinois Wesleyan commit, said was a recurring theme.
“I’ve been playing outfield, so not many balls have been getting hit to me,” Ford said. “Obviously, it’s not fun in that sense. But it’s awesome to see everything that he has done.
“He was near perfect the whole year. He just keeps getting better. I don’t know how he does it.”
Waubonsie Valley sophomore shortstop Ryan Lucas might have some insight.
“I think it’s his control,” Lucas said. “He throws hard, got good control and really good off-speed pitches that helps throw off hitters and gets lots of ground balls.”
Another unusual aspect of Roberts’ success is that, unlike most pitchers, he gets better the deeper he goes into the game.
“The first inning has been his worst inning all year,” Acevedo said. “If you look at when he gives up hits or he gives up an earned run in the first inning, he settles in and he’s pretty special.”
That was true even during Roberts’ no-hitter. He walked two and hit a batter in the first inning but then retired 13 straight.
“I feel like that’s who I am,” he said. “I’m not the best pitcher in the first inning, but I think I get better as the game goes on.”
It was no coincidence that the Warriors (25-10), who won the DVC title as well as their first regional championship since 2014, also got better as the season progressed. After starting 5-7, they went 20-2 before losing to Downers Grove North 3-2 in the sectional final.
Roberts played several positions over the course of the season when he wasn’t pitching.
“Some of my teammates gave me the Tomahawk Award, which basically goes to the most versatile player,” Roberts said. “If I have to play outfield, I’ll play outfield. I’m just like a Swiss Army knife, I guess.”
One who proved to be a trusty blade for the Warriors.
“We wouldn’t have been able to go this far without him,” Ford said. “He’s a huge part of this team, and he’s going to have a lot of success in the future.”
Might that include pitching in college?
“Whatever colleges want to take a shot on me,” Roberts said. “I’ll just play wherever they want me to play.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
