Not a lot of athletes get to take their school into uncharted territory but Rebecca Gonzalez knows the feeling.
The Horizon-McKinley Park pitcher was in the circle when the Hawks shut out Cristo Rey 18-0 in the title game of their own IHSA Class 2A regional last season.
It was the first regional title in any sport for Horizon-McKinley Park, a 13-year-old K-12 charter school with a high-school enrollment of 284.
“It was really exciting,” Gonzalez said after the Hawks’ 22-2 home win against Perspectives-Leadership/Technology on April 9. “It was kind of euphoric because I didn’t even know what was happening. It was just so unreal.
“And just to hear strike three on the last batter and just hear everyone screaming — my shortstop, Alyssa (Lopez), was jumping on me. It was really nice.”
Gonzalez, now a junior, is back as Horizon’s No. 1 pitcher after going 13-4 last season with 143 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings. The Hawks graduated some key seniors, including Litzie Bucio, who holds many of the program’s hitting records.
But Bucio’s younger sisters Maya, a freshman, and Lizette, a sophomore catcher who hit .415 last spring, will be impact players this season.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez has been working to improve — not an easy task, given her numbers last season, which included a .528 batting average and 33 RBIs.
“We face a lot of slower pitching, which I’m not used to,” she said. “I’m used to high 50s (mph) for travel, and I want to focus on my timing and being patient.”
In the circle, she feels the need for more speed.
“I really want to increase my velocity,” Gonzalez said. “I recently reached 54 (mph) and … I know I could be better.”
With Horizon-McKinley Park being a K-12 school, Gonzalez has been on coach JD Koziarski’s radar since her 10U days.
“Having a (talented) No. 1 pitcher is huge for our team,” Koziarski said. “I don’t think we win a regional last year without her.”
Gonzalez was 1-for-3 with a double, hit by pitch, three runs and three RBIs against Perspectives.
“I bat her in the two-hole — that’s a good spot for her, I find,” Koziarski said. “(She’s) probably our best hitter, definitely our No. 1 pitcher right now, all-around great player, team leader.”
Also putting up big numbers against Perspectives were Lizette Bucio (3-for-3, double, two runs, four RBIs), Maya Bucio (3-for-3, double, triple, run, two RBIs) and Rosie Lara (3-for-3, double, four runs, three RBIs).
Horizon was 7-0 through last week and had only one game — a 10-3 win against Latin — that went the distance. Some tougher tests look to be coming, including matchups with some higher-level Public League teams.
But Gonzalez expects the Hawks to continue to be competitive, thanks to both their talent and their chemistry.
“All of us are best friends,” she said. “We all love each other so much. We’re all very supportive and want everyone to just do their best and reach their full potential.”