McGuire does it all for ’Canes

Marian Central shortstop Eli McGuire, fielding a ground ball during a game last month, has batted .380 this season. (Travis Haughton – thaughton@nwherald.com)

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There isn’t much that Marian Central’s Eli McGuire can’t do on a baseball field.

This season, the Hurricanes senior has played shortstop, but he believes his best position when he reaches NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater will be center field.

The third-year starter hits No. 3 in the lineup, is batting .380 with 11 extra-base hits and recently has added another role, that of closer, to his impressive résumé.

In one late-season game, Marian coach Gregg Wikierak watched as McGuire got into some trouble, but Wikierak left McGuire out there to see what he had. McGuire confirmed what Wikierak thought when he worked his way out the jam.

“He’s a competitor, and when the game’s on the line, he wants the ball, he wants to be at the plate or on base,” said Wikierak, who summoned McGuire to finish the Hurricanes’ last two victories, in the IHSA Class 3A Johnsburg Sectional championship and the North Central Supersectional.

McGuire will be at shortstop, hitting third, when the Hurricanes (27-9) take on DeKalb (26-10) at noon today in the Class 3A State Tournament semifinals at Joliet’s Silver Cross Field. Marian will throw senior right-hander Dave Parr
(12-2) and hope he can finish what he starts, but if not, McGuire will be there.

“Early in the season, I had some shoulder problems, so they didn’t want me to start and throw a lot of innings,” McGuire said. “If I close, then I don’t throw a lot of innings.”

Plus, the Hurricanes can better utilize the speed of one of their fastest players in the field.

“I want to produce runs, steal some bases and try to make good plays in the field,” said McGuire, who has driven in 21 runs.

McGuire was thrilled when he closed out the Hurricanes’ 5-4 sectional championship victory over Grayslake Central. He played in a sectional title game as a sophomore third baseman when Marian fell to Crystal Lake Central, and wasn’t sure if the ‘Canes would ever be that close again.

McGuire would have earned three varsity letters each in football and baseball had he not suffered a torn left labrum last year that kept him from his senior season of football. The Hurricanes football team made it to the Class 4A quarterfinals, but McGuire is getting his taste of playoffs success.

“He’s kind of quite, although probably not around his friends,” Wikierak said. “He’s really shown great leadership skills and taken more of that role.”

Parr agrees that McGuire is louder this season, but thinks there always was a high degree of respect for him before that.

“He kind of has that aura, that you know he’s going to succeed,” Parr said. “He’s become more vocal, he always does the breakdowns and he’s one of the loudest screamers in the dogpile.”