Growing up together, cousins Joey Harris and Zach Hesse always pushed each other to get better on the baseball and football fields.
Now, the Tinley Park seniors are both future college athletes who have been further bonded by a shared inspiration.
“What brings us together the most is definitely our grandpa, Tom Terry,” Hesse said. “We were super close with him. He passed away. He was our biggest inspiration.
“Everything we do is for him, and we celebrate him on the field together all the time.”
Harris and Hesse are both three-year varsity starters in baseball who also played football for the Titans.
Hesse, an outfielder/pitcher who is committed to Trinity Christian, hit .318 with 27 runs and 24 RBIs last season. He’s off to a fast start for Tinley Park (2-0), going 3-for-3 with three RBIs in a March 21 win over Thornwood.
Harris, a catcher/first baseman who is committed to play football at St. Ambrose, hit .375 last season while scoring 29 runs and driving in 21.
“They’re both everything I’d want in a high school athlete as far as the way they handle themselves,” Tinley Park coach Josh O’Shea said. “They’re multisport kids. They get good grades. They did high school right.”
And they’ve done it together. The pair has been close their entire lives, and sports have always been at the forefront of their relationship.
“We’re always trying to have better stats than the other person,” Hesse said. “I feel like you need to have that competition to get better. He makes me better every day.”
That shared competitiveness has resulted in more than a couple fights over the years, with Harris recalling one particular funny moment.
“We were playing tag one time and he stubbed his toe against the wall and thought he broke his toe,” Harris said of Hesse. “We had a game the same day. The man got a double and he gets to second base and he’s pointing at his toe, looking at me. I’m like, ‘It wasn’t my fault.’”
Harris and Hesse have always been teammates … well, almost always.
“There were two years where he went to a different travel team,” Harris said of Hesse. “We played each other twice, we both won one and lost one, and we wouldn’t even talk to each other after those games.
“I made him come back to our team.”
Harris, who plans to try out for the baseball team in addition to playing football at St. Ambrose, is excited about the future.
“It was definitely our dream since we were little kids to play at a college level,” Harris said. “And now that we’re both able to do it, I’m still kind of amazed by it.”
Mighty Mustangs: Looking to build off an 18-18 record in 2022, Evergreen Park coach Mark Smyth knows he can count on the left side of his infield to produce on offense and defense.
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Senior shortstop Alejandro Munoz, a Concordia recruit, and junior third baseman Jack Hughes are both coming off impressive seasons.
“We have two of the better players in the area in Jack Hughes and Alex Munoz,” Smyth said. “Both are exceptional talents and will play a big role in our success.
“Our guys have put in hours and hours of extra time and are ready for a breakout season.”
Munoz is hitting .333 with five RBIs so far for the Mustangs (4-1), while Hughes is batting .500 with three RBIs.
Porter power: Lockport couldn’t have imagined a better season opener than its 10-0 blowout against defending Class 4A state champion Edwardsville on March 16, part of a 3-0 performance at the Prep Baseball Report Kickoff Classic in downstate Sauget.
Jake Moerman (. 429, 6 RBIs) and Niko Mastoras (. 375, 4 RBIs) are off to fast starts for the Porters (5-0).
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
