Growing up playing baseball, Stagg junior shortstop Dominic Talaga put in early and late hours to get better at his craft.
From waking up at 5 a.m. for travel tournaments to sometimes practicing to 11 p.m. while he was in grade school, he was committed to improving.
“It wasn’t always easy,” Talaga said. “I did some stuff that a regular kid wouldn’t do. There were sacrifices that I had to make.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of becoming the best player on the field. I always put my heart into it and worked hard.”
Talaga is in the heart of the lineup of for the Chargers, and his two-run double in the sixth inning of a 3-1 win over Sandburg on May 13 was huge.
It was Stagg’s first win over the Eagles since May 23, 2015 — a streak of 14 games. Sebastian Santos pitched the complete-game win, allowing just one run on eight hits.
“It was a big game, of course, because of the Palos-Orland rivalry,” Talaga said. “It’s something that our whole life we dream about. We’ve played these guys throughout our lives in travel ball.
“To finally get that chance to go get ’em on our home field was even better. We were ready to play and brought the intensity, for sure.”
Sandburg did pick up revenge two days later with an 11-4 win over the Chargers in Orland Park. Jake Tomczak, Gio Longo and Quinn Durkin each had three hits and Peter Jurcenko pitched the win for the Eagles (18-9, 7-7 SouthWest Suburban).
Stagg (10-15, 2-12 after the Sandburg series) is hoping recent history can repeat itself and put on a late-season surge.
In 2025, the final season for longtime coach Matt O’Neill, the Chargers brought an 8-27 record to the playoffs. But they upset Marist and Lincoln-Way West to win a surprising regional championship before suffering a tough 2-1 loss to Providence in the sectional semifinal.
New Chargers coach Chris Hall was working at the school last year, so the former De La Salle coach was around to witness the exciting drama.
“Our sweatshirts say ‘built for June,” Hall said. “I told the players regular-season records do not matter. What we’re trying to do is fix all our issues so that when the playoffs come, we can be ready.
“We definitely want to repeat what they did last year.”
Having a top-notch player such as Talaga doesn’t hurt that goal.
“He’s a special talent,” Hall said of Talaga. “He’s one of the best shortstops in the state as he has great range and great footwork.”
Talaga’s brother, Sebastian, who pitched at Division II Grand Valley State last year and is at Des Moines Area Community College this season, and father, Paul, have been huge influences.
“Those two guys pushed me since I was a little kid,” Dominic said. “My dad didn’t play ball in college and that was one of his biggest regrets. That’s why he pushed us to become great players.
“He doesn’t want any regrets from us so he wants us to be the best we can be.”