By Mike Clark

At the start of the season, Simeon’s Christian Lott wrote down some goals.

One of them was to be named Pitcher of the Year in the Public League.

Cross that one off the list.

The junior right-hander then turned in another dominant performance in the Class 3A Crestwood Supersectional on June 9, holding Catholic League power — and eventual 3A state champ — St. Laurence to one run over four innings. He allowed two hits and two walks, hit two batters and struck out three. 

The Wolverines’ season ended with a 2-1 loss, but the future is bright for Simeon (20-13-1) and its ace.

“Beginning of the year, I set that goal (of being the Public League’s top pitcher) and I achieved it,” Lott said. “So I’m glad for myself and the team.”

One reason for his improvement: “I added a splitter.”

That joins the two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, slider and curve in the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder’s repertoire.

Second-year Simeon coach Brandon Williams wasn’t surprised by Lott’s Public League award.

“It’s amazing, man,” Williams said. “I can’t wait to see (when) the all-state voting comes out because I believe he truly deserves that. … Kid is the best guy in the state to me.”

Meanwhile, Simeon had its deepest playoff run since last winning a sectional in 2012. The Wolverines reached the Public League semifinals before falling 4-1 to Lane, but regrouped to win their own regional and the Brooks Sectional.

“Knowing we really had a chance to go this far in state (playoffs), that’s how we got refocused,” Lott said. “Even though we wanted city, we had a big goal ahead of us and that was state. …

“It took a lot of work, especially this year. A lot of people counted us out of this game. A lot of people thought it was gonna be a blowout. But we came, we gave all we had, didn’t go away.”

The Wolverines took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Junior leadoff hitter Cavion Danley walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on the front end of a double steal.

St. Laurence tied it with a run in the fourth and went ahead with one in the fifth off reliever Jeremiah Henry. Simeon was hitless through 6 2/3 innings against two Vikings pitchers before Henry and Aiden Poindexter hit consecutive singles.

But the Wolverines’ rally ended there and St. Laurence advanced.

“Pitchers came out and did what they had to do,” Williams said. “Gave us a chance in the end. To have no hits going into the last inning and only down 2-1, you couldn’t ask to be in a better situation. And so we tried to battle. It was a little too late.”

The Wolverines say goodbye to four senior starters: right fielder Daniel Jones Jr., catcher Antwan Jackson, DH Bryce Jones and center fielder Ben Johnson. But five junior starters will be back next season: Lott, third baseman Danley, shortstop Jaylen Ware, second baseman/pitcher Henry and left fielder Poindexter.

Going forward, Williams said, sectional titles will be the expectation.

“The standard is to be nowhere else but here (in the supersectional) with the possibility to get to that final four,” he said.

“We set the standard (by winning the sectional), getting to this one. And now the next goal is we’ve got to get beyond here.”

Photos by Ashley Harris/OSA