Trez Rybarczyk now the leading actor for Hall

Trez Rybarczyk was a supporting actor on Hall’s 2018 state championship baseball team.

Seniors Brant Vanaman, Cam McDonald and his brother, Ty, and junior Jimmy DeAngelo were the leading actors, the stars of the team.

“I was there kind of, but like they were the main show,” Rybarczyk said. “It was amazing. It really motivated me to play better and do the best I could do since they left this program.

“After they left, it was more Jimmy, Chance (Resetich), and then me. I feel like I filled that role, being like the main stage and helping this team out any way I could.”

Make no mistake, Rybarczyk was the star attraction this year for Hall and around area diamonds.

He belted 12 homers, batting .500 with 44 RBIs this year. On the mound, Rybarczyk’s numbers were equally as stellar, sporting a minuscule 0.51 ERA with a 7-1 record.

He’s been named unanimous all-conference in the TRAC East as a pitcher. And now he makes his pitch as the 2021 BCR Player of the Year.

“I think just being around the ’18 team matured him beyond years. Whatever moment he was in didn’t seem to affect him. As the years went by so did his development of the ‘clutch gene,’’ Hall coach Tom Keegan said.

“I hate to say that we took his performance for granted but we kind of did. Be it on the mound, shortstop or in the batters box we wanted Trez to be involved in the moment. His ability to slow the heart beat and deliver is an intangible characteristic that will serve him well.”

Triple threat

Tresdon is Rybarczyk’s first name, but Trez suits him well when it comes to the season he had this year.

He won the BCR’s Triple Crown, leading the area in batting average, homers and RBIs, just the fifth player to achieve that feat in 30 years, including Vanaman, who did it twice (2017, 2018).

But he is the only one to be both the Triple Crown winner and ERA leader on the mound.

So, is he a pitcher than can hit really well and with power, or a hitter that always throws a pretty mean fastball?

“I consider myself a pitcher who can really hit,” he said. “Because that’s what I’ve focused on the past year in becoming a pitcher. That’s probably where I worked at it the most.”

Rybarczyk said he gets more satisfaction getting the big strikeout to get out of a game, than he does in hitting a big home run.

“It’s just so much energy coming through, so much adrenaline. It feels good,” he said.

He surprised himself a bit with his power surge this year, his 12 homers breaking Vanaman’s school record of 10 in 2018.

“This year, I didn’t know how I was going to hit, because I focused more on pitching than I did hitting,” he said. “And I didn’t know what I was going to do coming into the season, but I just got hot at the beginning and just never stopped.”

Out with a bang

The Red Devils saw their season end sooner than they would have liked, falling to Ottawa Marquette 13-8 in the regional championship.

“I’m OK with it because I played with most of those kids from Marquette when I was younger. I have respect for them and coach Hop (Todd Hopkins),” he said. “It wasn’t the way we wanted it, but we competed the whole game and it just didn’t end up in our favor.”

Oh, but Rybarczyk went out with a bang, slamming a home run on his very last swing at Kirby Park.

“It was a 3-2 count, I was sitting on a fastball and I got it and I hit it,” he said. “When I was running around the bases, I was just taking it all in. It was pretty sweet.”

‘Personally, one of the things that I’ll remember most is his last at-bat,” Keegan said. “Got 2 strikes on him, got deep in the count, fouled a few off and then went yard with authority. To say we will miss him along with his classmates is an understatement.”

After losing his junior year to the pandemic, Rybarczyk was just happy to have a season and he certainly made the most of it.

“We all had fun this year and competed,” he said.

He also put in the work to make his senior season one to never forget.

“I put the work in over the summer. This whole year I worked every day. I feel like it definitely all worked out in the end and I had a pretty good season.”

The next step

Looking out over Kirby Park, Rybarczyk said he’s a little sad to say he won’t play on that field for the Red Devils anymore, but he’s ready to move on and take on the next step in his life and baseball career.

Ultimately, Rybarczyk’s goal is to get drafted one day, and be joined by his brother Ty, who pitches at the University of Illinois.

Next year, he will play at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) in Belleville, coached by former PC/Parkland College coach Dave Garcia. He will be reunited with his former Red Devil teammate, DeAngelo, and a few other players from the Illinois Valley.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity he’s giving me and I can’t wait to get down there,” he said.