Mundelein senior Braden Carman could be the poster boy for something.
Perseverance? Self-confidence? Hard work? Overachieving?
A 5-foot-8, 135-pound infielder who made three plate appearances last season, Carman has become an indispensable player for the North Suburban Conference leader.
“Hitting never has been my strength, but I sort of knew it was in me,” he said. “But this has been a little bit of a shock that I’ve performed this well. This year is definitely my strongest.”
That’s an understatement. Carman is hitting a robust .490 with a .593 on-base percentage through 18 games. He has 24 hits, 16 RBIs, 18 runs scored and six stolen bases, leading the Mustangs (14-4, 7-1) in all of those categories, and has struck out just twice in 60 plate appearances.
Carman began the season at the bottom of Mundelein’s batting order, but his production forced a move into the No. 2 hole, where the hits have kept coming.
“Most of my approach is about seeing the pitch and getting a barrel on it,” he said. “You’ve heard the term about when you’re going well, you see the ball like it’s a beach ball. That definitely applies. Your eyes light up, and your mouth starts to water.”
It’s quite a turnaround from last season, when he appeared in 17 games, mostly as a courtesy runner.
“He’s the epitome of a gritty, hard-nosed kid who plays hard all the time,” Mundelein coach Randy Lerner said. “He’s either on or not playing. He handles the bat well, he puts the ball in play, he can bunt, he can pull the ball. This is his first big shot, and he’s taking advantage of it.”
It would have been easy for Carman to let his underwhelming junior season define his future. But his inner belief didn’t waver, and the work he consistently puts into the sport began paying dividends toward the end of the travel season last summer.
“The success I’m having can be attributed to confidence,” Carman said. “I saw a couple of pitches really well one game, and it just kept carrying over. I developed the mindset that I was better than whoever their guy was trying to get me out.”
Carman entered the new year without the burden of expectations and was focused on what he could control.
“He stopped caring about people’s opinion and just played his own game,” Mundelein senior center fielder Finn O’Malley said. “He’s always been an underdog, but he’s definitely a preparation guy. It’s been great to see his growth.”
Rapid physical growth hasn’t been in the cards for Carman. But he has come to grips with being smaller than many other players.
“I understand my size is a disadvantage, but I’ve embraced it at this point,” he said. “I’ve figured out I’m not going to be a home run hitter, so I’m not going to be swinging out of my shoes. Most of my hits are singles, and I’ll use my speed to take extra bases.”
Indeed, those attributes have made Carman one of the primary reasons for Mundelein’s success. He’d have it no other way.
“I want to have a big imprint on how the season ends up,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in being one of the guys the team depends on to do damage and the coaches have trust in.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
